200 Young Jewish Adults from Black Sea Region and Balkans to Converge on Halkidiki Greece for Three-Day Retreat

Participants will focus on regional community development and Jewish identity building; Event is part of broad 'Balkan-Black Sea Gesher' initiative targeting young leaders, families and entrepreneurs

New York---More than 200 young Jewish adults and students from the Balkans and Black Sea region of the former Soviet Union are planning to converge on the resort of Halkidiki, Greece on May 11 for a three-day retreat focused on strengthening Jewish identity and affiliation. The program is part of the Balkan-Black Sea Gesher initiative, which has been developed by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.

The upcoming event will include identity workshops, discussions on living as a minority and special screening of the movie "Munich". Equally important is the opportunity for participants who come from small Jewish communities to socialize with one another and ultimately create a regional Jewish community.

"The idea is to have fun, but also have spiritual and identity building at the same time," JDC's Yair Tamiasky said. " We want people to start thinking regionally. For most people, the community they live in is small, and that becomes boring."

In addition to the young adult and student event in May, the Balkan-Black Sea Gesher initiative consists of three specific annual conferences, each targeting a different group. The other two Gesher events will be a family retreat this July in Istanbul, Turkey and a business conference, which is tentatively scheduled for the winter in Romania. The family retreat focuses on Jewish parenting and building family-focused community programs that are both fun and educational. The business Gesher focuses in establishing a network for fundraising and community organization.

"Gesher has become a brand name that is not only fun, but brings something different," Tamiasky said.