What is Partnership 2000 and how did it get started?
The Jewish Agency for Israel launched Partnership 2000 in 1995, together with the United Jewish Appeal and Keren HaYesod. Partnership 2000 has linked 38 regions in Israel with 550 Diaspora communities to promote economic development in Israel and connections between the Diaspora and Israel. This innovative program addresses two goals: a) developing Israel's periphery, ie. the Negev and the Galilee; and b) linking Jews in Israel and in the Diaspora to promote Jewish continuity. The Negev and Galilee hold more than two-thirds of Israel's land reserves, yet house only 17% of the population. The outstanding potential for development and immigrant absorption in these areas remains largely untapped due to high unemployment rates coupled with weak educational infrastructures.

What is the difference between Partnership 2000 and Project Renewal?
Partnership 2000 (P2K) marks a major transition from the traditional Project Renewal twinning model in which one side gave and the other received. The new model for Israel-Diaspora relations emphasizes partnership, consensus decision making process and the development of mutually beneficial programs.

How does the partnering process operate?
Diaspora communities and their Israeli partners establish P2K Steering Committees. Diaspora committee members come together twice a year, once in Israel and once in the United States, to participate in joint Steering Committee meetings. The Steering Committee includes volunteers and professionals from both communities including elected officials and volunteers from the Israeli region, plus Jewish Agency and Israeli government representatives. In addition to funding programs that strengthen the periphery of the country, P2K creates new avenues for "People-to-People" programs and reaches out to many that have not been approached by the organized Jewish community in the past. Youth and professional exchanges in their partnered regions comprise this new and exciting dimension of P2K.

Who is the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia partnered with?
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia formed a partnership with the Netivot-Azata Region in June 1997. On June 19, 2002, Azata (which means Gaza in Hebrew) was renamed Sedot Negev (Fields of the Negev).

How big is the region and what is her population?
The total population of the Region is about 30,000. The former development town of Netivot has 23,000 residents (25% from the FSU, and 7% from Ethiopia, with the remainder consisting of middle class newcomers and descendants from North African immigrants - mainly Morocco and Tunisia). This newly designated city municipality is situated in the Negev northwest of Beersheva and encompasses an area of 6 square kilometers. The Sedot Negev Regional Council, which encircles Netivot, covers an expanse of 200 square kilometers. Sedot Negev has a population of 7,000, incorporating 12 religious moshavim, 2 kibbutzim, and 2 regional centers.

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