JERUSALEM (JTA) — Natan Sharansky met with Russian-speaking youth from the former Soviet Union and Israel who are participating in an international summer camp in Israel.
The two-week camp, known as the Rimon Project, was organized for Russian-speaking teens from the former Soviet Union and Israel. It runs through Aug. 16.
The camp was the brainchild of Sharansky, chairman of the Jewish Agency, and the Genesis Philanthropy Group, in order to strengthen the Jewish identity of the youth and their sense of belonging to the State of Israel and the Jewish people, according to the Jewish Agency. The Jewish United Fund of Metropolitan Chicago is providing support.
Sharansky met with the 240 campers on Wednesday afternoon.
“The Rimon Project is one of the Jewish Agency’s activities aimed at strengthening the Jewish identity of the young generation in Israel and the Diaspora," he said. "The camp will provide youth from abroad the chance to get to know Israel and Israeli society, and will also allow Israeli youth to broaden their familiarity with Jewish communities abroad."
The participants are traveling around the country participating in cultural activities and meeting with leading figures in the arts and well-known public figures. The camp includes workshops in theater, communication, film and photography.
