Building Living Bridges Through Stories and Songs

Inside the P2G Performing Storytellers Delegation

What happens when stories, music, and personal courage travel from one community to another - face to face, heart to heart? That question came alive during this year’s P2G Performing Storytellers delegation from Partnership Hadera–Eiron to communities in the southeastern United States.

The idea behind the delegation is simple and powerful: bring real people with real stories into direct, personal encounters with communities. Through performances, workshops, and shared gatherings, Israeli artists opened conversations about identity, resilience, and everyday life in Israel - not through headlines, but through lived experience.

This year’s delegation brought three distinct voices:

Singer-songwriter Lina Miriam Shalev from Hadera shared a deeply personal one-woman performance blending original music and storytelling - touching on immigration, motherhood, loss, love, and the emotional weight of the past year. Her openness created an immediate sense of closeness with audiences.

Actor and speaker Eran Ben Ze’ev from Hadera offered a moving lecture-performance about surviving a life-threatening medical crisis that led to the loss of his leg and a complete life reset. With honesty and humor woven together, he created space for audiences to face pain without fear - and to discover strength inside vulnerability.

Musician, educator, and P2G professional Ravid Fleisher from Pardes-Hanna Karkur led vibrant sing-along circles and musical encounters for all ages. With lyrics on screen and no pressure to “perform,” participants simply sang together. Children and adults alike found themselves part of something shared and uplifting.

“Somewhere above the clouds, already on the plane, it finally sank in: this was really happening. A dream I had carried quietly for three years was coming true.”

- Lina Miriam Shalev

Nashville: First Encounters

From the very first moments, something felt different. The welcome at the airport was warm and immediate - open arms, smiles, and a sense of familiarity that surprised everyone. Lina later described it simply: she didn’t feel like a guest; she felt like she had come home. For Eran, despite the exhaustion of the long flight, Nashville offered a soft landing - a first taste of true Southern hospitality. The evening brought people together quickly, setting the tone for everything that followed.

“Already at our very first stop, we got a true taste of Southern hospitality. Nashville embraced us with open arms, and it felt like the engines were just warming up.” 

-Eran Ben Ze’ev

The days in Nashville unfolded between performances, conversations, shared meals, and unplanned moments of lightness - walking Broadway together, singing karaoke, sitting down for breakfast at an Israeli café. In between, connections formed naturally, reminding us how close shared identity can feel, even across an ocean.

Chattanooga: Depth and Dialogue

From Nashville, the delegation continued to Chattanooga, where the excitement toward the group was palpable from the start. The community received the delegation with genuine enthusiasm, creating an atmosphere of anticipation and care. One of the most meaningful moments was Lina’s workshop for women over 45, centered on reconnecting with passion and vitality in the second half of life. What emerged in the room went far beyond expectations - openness, honesty, laughter, and a sense that something meaningful had been touched.

“The audience was uplifted, and so were we.” 

- Eran Ben Ze’ev

That same depth carried into the performances. After a kosher community dinner, the audience was treated to a full evening with Lina and Eran performing together. The exchange of energy was mutual - the audience was uplifted, and so were the performers. Even with minor technical challenges, the feeling in the room was one of presence, curiosity, and shared experience.

Savannah: Community and Ritual

Savannah offered a different rhythm altogether. Perfect weather, a growing and engaged community, and an extraordinary level of care shaped the visit. Hosting in private homes, shared Shabbat meals, neighborhood walks, and personal stories created a sense of belonging that went far beyond hospitality. One particularly moving moment took place in a Conservative synagogue, where women and men prayed side by side. For Lina, standing there and leading Adon Olam as a secular Israeli was something she never imagined she would do. Singing together became a moment of connection between voices, cultures, and hearts.

“Singing together in that space was a moment of deep connection - between voices, cultures, and hearts.” 

- Lina Miriam Shalev

In Savannah, the delegation also performed at the community center, where the warmth of the audience once again underscored how powerful shared culture and music can be in building bridges.

Jacksonville: Resonance

The final stop was Jacksonville, FL. Despite cooler-than-expected weather, the warmth of the community was unmistakable. Eran performed to full houses, including deeply moving events at River Gardens Jewish Senior Living and at the Brooks Rehabilitation Center. These performances created strong emotional resonance and lasting connections.

"I left with an incredibly emotional experience and with genuine connections to many people who have since become my friends."

- Eran Ben Ze’ev

Lina led workshops and performances for philanthropic and community groups, discovering how familiar the stories sounded - women balancing family, responsibility, and the desire to reclaim space for themselves. The similarities between these conversations and those happening in Israel served as a powerful reminder of how universal these inner worlds truly are.

"The response was far beyond anything I had expected  - open hearts, honest conversations, and a sense that something real had been touched."  

- Lina Miriam Shalev

As the journey drew to a close, sitting together over a final shared meal, the group tried to put words to what they had experienced. What remained was not only the performances or the workshops, but the extraordinary generosity of spirit - homes opened, time given, communities shared - as if these connections had been waiting to happen for years.

As Lina summed up:

“To all the professionals, hosts, staff members, and community leaders in every community - thank you. You created a living bridge between people, and I will carry it with me for a very long time. In my heart, and in my songs.”