Leveraging Israel’s unique relationship with the Jewish Diaspora, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Center for International Migration and Integration (CIMI) held a 4-day seminar for countries seeking expertise in building robust ties to their ethnic diasporas. The seminar was attended by government officials from Central Europe and the former Soviet Union. The seminar was fully funded by MASHAV (Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Office.

“In a world that is increasingly interconnected, we’re eager to share the Jewish people’s successful experience maintaining bonds with one another across multiple continents and languages with other historic and emerging diaspora communities,” said JDC’s CEO Steven Schwager.

CIMI staff created and ran the workshops that included briefings by Israeli government officials, academics, philanthropists, and NGO experts focusing on techniques for designing and sustaining diaspora ties, as well as issues related to education, fundraising, and building a culture of philanthropy. The seminar was organized in collaboration with the A. Ofri International Training Center, MASHAV, and UNDP. Past seminars have included government representatives and diaspora associations from Latin America, Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe.

Founded by JDC in 1999, CIMI is dedicated to the development of effective global policies/practices in immigrant integration, homeland-Diaspora partnerships, and temporary and forced migration. CIMI works with a number of international partners including the IOM and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).