The Mishkan Museum of Art provided this report on the youth leadership and shared living programs supported by Jewish Federation of the Berkshires. In a year defined by profound complexity, this partnership has provided a critical foundation for essential work within the Gilboa region. Here is one story about the difference your generous donations to Federation made in Israel and in the Berkshires.

During this period, the museum significantly developed activities within "The Atelier: Studio for Creative Thinking." These programs explore the intersection of seeing, reality, and communication. Inspired by a current exhibition by artist Ido Marcus, participants use photography to investigate how our current reality impacts perception and how changing the way one looks at the world can become a powerful tool for communicating ideas. Through these sessions, teens from throughout the region develop leadership skills for a changing reality.

The work of connecting Arab and Jewish youth remains exceptionally sensitive and requires a deliberate, patient approach. Recognizing the complexity of these connections, the team took the initiative to go directly into Arab schools to build trust. By conducting a multi-stage program within the students' own environments first, they were able to get to know the museum staff in a familiar setting before visiting the museum. This format has proven successful in building positive connections and will continue as a standard practice. Additionally, the museum expanded its focus to include the professionals who guide these youth. In October 2025 we hosted a Shared Living Conference for the heads of Abraham Initiatives centers in the northern region. The Atelier served as a springboard for this gathering, allowing regional leaders to use flexible thinking and art-based brainstorming to address shared goals and the obstacles to coexistence.

Our Artivist teen volunteers and Young Artists groups continue to meet weekly, serving as artistic activists within the museum. Their efforts culminated in an end-of-year exhibit that allowed these teens to serve as role models for their younger peers. By sharing their artistic journeys and commitment, they inspire a younger generation to see the museum as a space for leadership and voice. The ongoing art exchanges about sources of light with Lenox Memorial High School art students and about self-portraiture with teens at Hevreh of Southern Berkshire in Great Barrington remain sources of immense strength.

While these successes are celebrated, the community recently suffered a devastating loss in a terror attack that took the life of a teen from the kibbutz. This tragedy underscores the urgency and the difficulty of this mission. The museum remains committed and is preparing to welcome a new cohort of Arab and Jewish teen leaders ready to carry the work forward. We are dedicated to expanding this essential work in 2026, focused on healing, resilience, and the slow but necessary mission of building a shared future through art.

We are deeply grateful to Jewish Federation of the Berkshires for your dedicated partnership and support of this crucial work.