As a new school year begins, Jewish Federation of Madison is excited to highlight the work of Bar, Madison’s Community Shaliach, and the energy, care, and Israel connection he brings to Jewish life across our community.

A Shaliach is an emissary from Israel, someone who helps build meaningful bridges between Israel and Jewish communities around the world. For Bar, that work is both educational and deeply personal. His role is to bring Israeli perspective, culture, history, and conversation into Jewish Madison, whether by joining existing programs or creating new opportunities for people to learn, connect, and engage.

Bar has been part of the Madison community since last fall, and his work has already reached children, teens, families, schools, and community members in meaningful ways. One of his major areas of focus is Midrasha, Madison’s weekly Hebrew high school program for Jewish teens.

Through Midrasha, Bar teaches Hebrew, core classes, and electives that help students explore Israel, Jewish identity, and the wider world. His classes have included topics such as History of the Conflict, Tikkun Olam, Small Country, Big Impact, which focuses on Israeli achievements in global fields, and Israel Tour, a class exploring Israel’s regions, cities, history, and significance.

Beyond Midrasha, Bar is also helping bring authentic Israeli perspective into local schools. This past year, he spoke with more than 100 students across five classes at DeForest High School as part of a global studies unit on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. For students learning about Israel and the region, hearing directly from someone born and raised in Israel offered an important and personal perspective.

This year, Bar is also beginning to work more closely with Jewish student groups at West High School and Middleton High School. During Jewish Madison Together: A Jewish Joy Festival, representatives from both clubs had the opportunity to spend time together and connect in a relaxed, social setting. Bar hopes that this time together will lead to more collaboration in the year ahead, both between Federation and the student clubs, and between the two clubs themselves.

At a time when antisemitism is rising and many Jewish students and families are navigating difficult conversations, Bar’s message is clear: Jewish pride matters.

Rather than making antisemitism the center of his work, Bar sees his role as helping students and families stay connected, confident, and proud. He wants Jewish teens and community members to know they have someone they can come to, whether they need help responding to something difficult, want to talk through a question, or simply want to feel supported. When needed, Federation can also help connect community members with resources such as the Wisconsin Jewish Security Network.

For Bar, being accessible is an important part of the role. Community members can reach out to him by email, social media, or through his Instagram form to meet for Shabbat, coffee, conversation, or connection. Fill out this quick form to get in touch with Bar directly.

As he looks toward the year ahead, Bar is grateful for the way Madison has welcomed him. “It’s been a very challenging year for Jewish people all over the world, for Israelis, and for an Israeli who just moved his life to the other side of the world,” Bar shared. “The community has been overwhelmingly welcoming and warm and kind toward me.”

That warmth, he said, is part of what fuels his passion for this work. “I am so invested in the people that we have here in Madison, and I’m so thankful that this is the community I was assigned to.”

Jewish Madison is lucky to have Bar’s voice, leadership, and commitment as part of our community. We look forward to seeing the many ways he will continue helping students, families, and community members build connection, deepen Jewish pride, and strengthen Madison’s relationship with Israel in the year ahead.

Want to connect? Reach out to Bar here — he'd love to hear from you.