Photo caption: Central Region Consortium Arts Taskforce Chair Kim Goldberg and Caroline Rockman (daughter of Omaha Partnership with Israel Chair Stacey Rockman) gather with their fellow artists in front of the mural they painted. The mural was a special thank you to the Regba School and the Welfare Department of the Matte Asher Municipality for all of their help.

After a successful pilot launched in June of 2007, the Federation's Partnership with Israel Artist in Residency Program returned this summer for five days filled with creativity and collaboration. Omaha participants Ellie Greenspoon and Kim Goldberg joined Judi Magder and Fran Englander from Louisville for the five day program in the Western Galilee.

Greenspoon, who has been involved in a number of Artist in Residency programs, said this particular program affected her deeply. Having lived in Israel as a young child in a moshav not far from the Western Galilee, she says that "The experience brought back my true love of Israel".

Greenspoon's project involved photograms, which are images made by placing opaque objects upon photo-sensitive material and exposing it to light. She worked with students from Sulam Tzor High School and their photography teacher, Yochanan Kishon. The resulting artwork was amazing. "We created large scale photograms on fabric that had everyone buzzing around us with curiosity," she said. Greenspoon found working with the high school students to be very rewarding, and hopes to collaborate with Kishon again on future projects. 

Magder and Englander made yarn dolls with kindergarten students. Once the dolls were made, the children were invited to discover their doll's name and special power or ability. One child named her doll "Love," saying that she brought love to all the Jewish people. Another described her doll as having the power to make everybody good. The girls worked with three different groups of kindergarten students over the course of the week, touching the lives of almost 100 children. The children were very proud of their dolls, and Magder and Englander would later discover that many of them had never had a doll of their own before.

For her project Goldberg worked with five 11-12 year old girls, all struggling with self-confidence due to problems in their personal backgrounds. The group created a mural as a thank you to the Regba School and the Welfare Department of the Matte Asher Municipality for funding the school program that attends their special needs. "I feel blessed to have worked with these wonderful girls and their teachers to create an experience to build their self-esteem and belief in their talents," she said. Goldberg was joined by Caroline Rockman, daughter of Omaha Partnership Chair Stacey Rockman. "Caroline was a huge addition to the experience. The girls were so excited to have a new friend their age to practice their English with, to teach Israeli dances to, and to socialize with."

In addition to the art projects, each participant of the Artist in Residency program enjoyed home hospitality, toured the country and made new connections. "We all schlepped together through Rosh Hanikra, Acco and Tzfat, and we loved every minute of it," Greenspoon said. "There is so much to exclaim about and on top of the list is the wonderful hospitality we received."

Magder and Englander agreed. "The program balanced out our time in the schools with accommodations and food that were luxurious beyond expectation. We were also given multiple opportunities for sightseeing and meeting members of the community in a way that most tourists would miss," Magder explained. "We had dinner in people's homes, traveled with them, and had extensive conversations ranging from politics and history, to religion, philosophy, and the meaning of art. What a rich, full, and stimulating time!"

Goldberg, who also took part in last summer's pilot program, was recently named Central Region Consortium Chair of Partnership's Arts Taskforce. In addition to the Artist in Residency program, the trip to Israel gave her the opportunity to plan future Partnership programming with her Israeli counterpart, Arts Taskforce Chair Albert Ben Shloosh. Projects that are in the works include a new Performing Arts Series, a 60 Years of the Western Galilee Photography Exhibition, and a Teen Jewish Identity Photography Project. There are also plans underway for future Artist in Residency Programs, to take place both here and in Israel.

The participants of the 2008 Artist in Residency Program were all appreciative of the staff at the Jewish Agency, who does such an outstanding job of running the Partnership program in Israel. "Sagit and Smadi encouraged and reassured, and escorted us on a delightful supply spree along with our fellow artist, Ellie. Efrat and Orly from the Music Center and the Art Center respectively, were generous with their time, support, interpretation skills, and encouragement," Magder said.

In addition to her gratitude to the Jewish Agency, Greenspoon was also very appreciative of Omaha's Partnership with Israel leadership team. "How can I not mention the infectious passion and love of Israel Kim and Stacey infused into each day," she exclaimed. "I thank them for bringing this opportunity to me."

Goldberg says she looks forward to helping the Artist in Residency program grow in the years ahead, adding that she hopes future programs will feature participants who come from a variety of artistic backgrounds. People whose talents are in music, theater, film or architecture are just a few examples of candidates who would be a good fit for this unique experience.