Israeli Community of Ann Arbor
In 2003 Shrili Kopelman the founder of Yisraelim NFP moved back to Ann Arbor after a long absence. In the time she was gone Shirli formed an organization in Chicago - the Israeli Community of Chicago or the ICC which still exists today. Shirli decided to open a new local branch - the Israeli Community of Ann Arbor or the ICAA.
I was the first coordinator of the ICAA. When we first started we did not even know how many Israelis were in town. We only had some lists of friends, and each one brought another one; and we grew and grew. By the time I left the position, two years later, we had over 350 registered members of Ann Arbor and surrounding areas.
The ICAA's mission statement is: To build a strong Israeli community that fosters, perpetuates, and cultivates Jewish-Israeli identity and culture.
As the coordinator I helped inform members about our events and local events that might interest them. I updated our website daily and sent weekly emails about events. As part of my duties I met with community leaders to inform them about our organization and cooperate with them on relevant projects. In addition I helped organize the events of the community and gave support to our volunteers. An example of one of our services was helping Israelis in Ann Arbor get settled. We prepared a document that answered most questions new arrivers had. The answers were given by members of the community.
The ICAA was a product of its members. We encouraged members to volunteer or help coordinate events they would like to see happen in Ann Arbor. We had great events including: Shira BeTzibur (Israeli group sing-along), Israeli movies, holiday celebrations, kids playgroups for different ages, picnics and more. In addition there was an online bulletin board for members to post things they needed to buy or wanted to sell.
I am glad to say that Ann Arbor felt different (at least to me) when the ICAA came along. There was more of a community feeling. Before Israelis were not connected to one another and today there is a sense of a community and also an organized voice for Israelis in Ann Arbor.
I hope that the ICAA continues to be such a great part of Ann Arbor and grows and flourishes.