Atlantan Young Leadership recently participated in the Pesach Project, an annual program that took place from April 15 - 21. Three young leaders from Atlanta joined five from our Israeli Partnership Region, Yokneam/Megiddo, to visit our other Partnership city in the former Soviet Union (FSU), Minsk. Together, this group conducted Passover Seders in surrounding communities for members of all ages of the Minsk Jewish community.

There are four main goals of the Pesach Project:

• To support the revival of Jewish identity and culture in the FSU, through the celebration of Pesach and the mitzvoth of Gemilut Chasadim (Acts of Loving Kindness)
• To connect Jews from the FSU with the global Jewish community, and North American and Israeli Jews with the FSU community
• To enhance Jewish leadership skills among young adults from North America, Israel, and the FSU
• To expose North American and Israeli young leaders to the rich cultural heritage of Jewish life in the FSU, and allow them to explore their own personal Jewish history

The young adults from all three countries learned about the Minsk Jewish community, engaged with community members, and celebrated the rituals of Pesach in a unique manner. The Pesach Project is a cooperative venture of Federation's International Planning and Allocations Committee, Hillel of Minsk, Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC).