When Sarah Richard and her friend Avery Drongowski of Temple Emanu-El in Detroit, Michigan were planning their Batmitzvah they knew they wanted to give something to Israel. They turned to the Jewish Agency’s Ask JAFI one-stop e-mail link. The inquiry was forwarded to Tal Bar-Lev who matched them with Kiryat Yearim.

After consultations with Bar-Lev the girls decided to collect school supplies for the Kiryat Yearim students. Instead of a gift, guests at their Batmitzvah receptions were asked to bring school supplies and the girls also collected more donations from other sources. In a moving ceremony in the summer the girls visited Kiryat Yearim together with delegates visiting Israel from Temple Emanu-El and presented three suitcases worth of equipment to the residential village. The Temple Emanu-El community also resolved to keep in touch with Kiryat Yearim and future involvement is planned.