Let's catch up! These past couple of months have been full of spreading awareness and exciting projects! We are off to a great start this new year and we are excited to share with you what we have been up to.

So far we have had 1,270 visitors tour the new center, and we have received extremely positive feedback. Our goal is to have 10,000 visitors this year, with an estimated 30% increase each year. We hope to have our grand opening to the public in the upcoming few weeks. Additionally to our opening of the center, we have created exciting custom themed tours, such as art, history, entrepreneurship, etc. around the Negev incorporated with the Visitors Center.

We would like to take this moment to thank our partners who generously supported the establishment of the Bloomfield Gateway to the Negev and the Visitors Center: Keren Kayemet LeIsrael, Jewish National Fund – USA, Harry and Nancy Bloomfield, The Eldee Foundation, Sam Delug, Glenn and Vivian Grossman, Stephen and Sandy Muss, Raya and Shmuel Strauss Ben Dror, The Halpern Family, The Jack Chester Foundation, ICA in Israel, The Doris Pacey Charitable Foundation, The Jewish Federation of Palm Spring and Desert Area, the Jewish National Fund – UK, The Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor Allocations Committee, The Ministry of Development of the Negev and Galilee, The Ministry of Constructions and Housing, The Prime Minister's Office – National Heritage Program, and The Ministry of Education, and many more.

We are having open days for anyone who wants to come visit the center, March 10th and March 24th. If you are interested in visiting the center or coming on one of our unique a tours, please Contact us.

Barkai Collective Impact is a new, and revolutionary project, led by OR Movement.

This project was created to resolve an important obstacle for urban growth. There are an incredible amount of NGOs working to improve the quality of life in Negev and Galilee cities, however they lack infrastructure for collaboration, which leads to the groups often overlapping and providing excessive attention to one area of needs, while another area ends up completely neglected. At the same time, the local municipal authorities are overwhelmed with important needs, and under-supplied with human resources, time, and budgets.

Barkai Collective Impact brings everyone together with a common vision, goals, and objectives for the city. For the first time, these activists and municipal leaders have the tools to work together.With a generous grant from the Ness Fund of Greater MetroWest NJ, the first Barkai Collective has been launched in Ofakim, as the pilot city in the Negev for the project. We are working closely with the Mayor of Ofakim, Itzik Danino, who has already begun to transform the city. We are already off to a great start and are looking into starting similar initiatives in other cities in the Negev and Galilee based on this model.  We are looking forward to updating you with all the unbelievable progress!

Relocating to the Negev or Galilee is a life changing decision. That’s why we have an information center available to anyone who is interested in relocation. Our consultants cover three languages and are experts in understanding people as individuals. They guide each person through every step of the way, for example: choosing their destination, finding schooling and housing, making the final decision, and settling into their new community, etc.

 

Our information center finalized the update of 317 rural communities in the Galilee, and 159 communities in the Negev as part of our on-going efforts to provide updated and personalized information and materials for those interested in relocating. This past year we have provided information to nearly 40,000 families interested in relocation and we have assisted 5,503 families to relocate this past year.

 

To find out more about relocation and information regarding these incredible communities in the Negev and Galilee, contact us.

American Friends of OR Movement held its first events in Florida in the past months. Events were hosted by Kellie and Elisha Rothman in their Aventura penthouse, with forty guests in attendance, another was hosted by Susan and Joe Stella in their home in Palm Beach, with thirty guests in attendance, and a third with the Beth David Congregation of Miami. Ofir Fisher, Co-Founder and Executive VP, and Dori Shwirtz, the new Miami Campaign Director spoke about OR Movement, our vision, and our goals for Israel in 2048. The response was very enthusiastic, and the guests were inspired to keep active with the OR Movement vision.

 

If you live in Florida, and are interested in knowing more about OR Movement events in your area, please contact us.

OR Movement participated in the Our Crowd Global Investors Summit, the world’s largest equity crowdfunding conference in Jerusalem. We met with investors and venture capitalists, as well as global industry leaders. We spoke about OR Movement vision and plans for Israel in 2048, creating thriving, self-sustainable centers of life in the Negev and Galilee

3rd Annual "Moving This Summer" event happening in March in Tel Aviv where representatives from different communities in the Negev and Galilee, with immediate and available housing options, come and speak with those interested in relocating to these communities. It is an opportune occasion to connect with each other and find out more about the wonderful opportunities in their communities.

Last year, an amazing 312 families joined us in Tel Aviv to get to know the opportunities awaiting them in the Negev and Galilee. Sixteen communities – all with immediate housing options available – set up information booths and held one-on-one consultations between families and representatives. Families got to hear firsthand about the housing, education, culture, employment, and more, in their communities of interest – and got all their personal questions answered. This year, representatives from 23 different communities from the Negev and Galilee are participating and we expect a great turnout!

Now we’d like to invite you to come for an inspiring and exciting tour with us. See where your support goes, and what it’s been accomplishing in the Negev and Galilee. Be a firsthand witness to the future of Israel!

We added a new informative page to our website, to invite all of our friends and supporters to join us on Negev and Galilee, whether you are a group, a family, or celebrating a special time such as a birthday or Bar/Bat Mitzvah, we can customize your trip.

Take a look and let us know what you’d like to see and how we can accommodate your visit to the Negev and Galilee. You can fill in the form on our website, or get directly in touch with us by emailing Reut Bendet-Didi.