Sister Cities

Launched several years ago by Torah Umesorah, the parent organization of Partners in Torah, the highly acclaimed Sister Cities program is designed to pair up synagogues in larger, metropolitan Jewish communities with others in smaller, more geographically removed locations. In the short term, the program facilitates Rabbinical and lay families, couples and individuals traveling from the larger Jewish centers to the smaller locales to provide the local affiliates with inspiring and educational Shabbat and holiday experiences. For the longer term, the program facilitates Torah learning-based initiatives. Plans are currently underway for the expansion of the program to incorporate the full range of Torah Umesorah’s wide range of services and branches.

Partners in Torah’s involvement in the Sister Cities program has so far met with great success. With mentors and students being matched up community by community everywhere from Passaic, NJ to Portland, OR and Monsey, NY to Charleston, SC, feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, and organizers are working hard to expand the Sister Cities project to include more cities in the near future.

View photos from the 2009 Portland-Passaic Sister City Weekend

Article: Portland and Passaic, N.J., Become Sister Communities