Strengthening Community and Identity: Mayberg Foundation Deepens Ties with JLIC TLV and Nir Am Kibbutz in Israel

By Hanan Rubin, Director of Israel Strategy, and Zohar Hahn-Brafman, Program Officer, Israel

On January 27, trustees and rising trustees of the Mayberg Foundation, together with Executive Director Todd Sukol, Israel Committee Director of Israel Strategy Hanan Rubin, and Program Officer Zohar Hahn-Brafman, gathered in Nir Am for a meeting with Rabbi Joe and Corinne Wolfson, co-directors of JLIC TLV, his team, and representatives from the Nir Am Kibbutz community. This visit reflected the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to engaging with Israeli organizations dedicated to strengthening young communities, deepening Jewish identity, and fostering vibrant Jewish communal life within the broader fabric of Israeli society.

JLIC, an Orthodox Union (OU) initiative, strengthens Jewish identity and communal life among college students and young adults. Rising Trustee Nathaniel Mayberg played a key role in bringing the OU’s JLIC program to Israel and continues to support its development. Familiar with the JLIC model in the US, he initiated its launch in Israel while studying at IDC Herzliyah. After moving to Tel Aviv, he again partnered with the OU to establish JLIC Tel Aviv, creating the city’s first post-college Jewish community for young professionals.

The partnership between JLIC TLV and Kibbutz Nir Am began when the two communities came together in the aftermath of October 7, with JLIC TLV stepping in to support displaced Nir Am families and forming deep bonds through shared experiences and ongoing collaboration.

During their time in Nir Am, the Foundation team heard powerful stories from the field, including the experiences of the Nir Am community. They toured the kibbutz and learned firsthand about what community members endured on October 7 and in the period that followed. These discussions highlighted the special partnership between JLIC TLV and the Nir Am kibbutz, as well as the shared commitment to growing this work—not only in Tel Aviv, but across additional kibbutzim and communities throughout Israel.

A major focus of the meeting was on the future of JLIC’s activity in Israel: deepening the partnership with Nir Am, exploring how this model might expand to other kibbutzim and communities, and continuing to integrate more deeply into Israeli society, all while remaining a meaningful home for young Jewish adults.