A new initiative called Turning Point launched this week in Kiryat Shmona to strengthen the city’s young generation and build a long-term plan to restore human capital in the Upper Galilee during the ongoing war. The project is led by Eliran Amar, a Kiryat Shmona native and graduate of the Menomedin-Peres leadership program, and held its first practical meeting in the city this week.
The program aims to shift Kiryat Shmona from a recovery site into a city that creates new opportunities for young people in employment, entrepreneurship and community life. It is backed by a team of seven professionals from technology, medicine, business development and community work, all volunteering their time. The initiative was developed through the leadership program of Peres Academic Center and the Harvard Kennedy School, and received support from the Jewish People Policy Institute’s social accelerator.
The project has already secured three major milestones, a permanent building for community and entrepreneurial activity, a strategic partnership with Tnuat HaAretz, and a plan to expand the circle of active young people in the city from about 60 today to potentially hundreds more. The building will be renovated after damage it sustained during the war. Strauss Group has also joined and will provide equipment and support for a sustainable social and business space.
One central goal is to create employment and startup mechanisms that could bring back about 280 graduates of Tnuat HaAretz who had worked in Kiryat Shmona before the war. The plan also includes a dedicated fund to finance local initiatives by young residents who choose to stay. Amar said, “My connection to Kiryat Shmona is in my blood,” adding that the effort is meant to be a long-term response to the city’s youth exodus, not temporary crisis aid. At the first meeting, the team met local Tnuat HaAretz members, reviewed the new facilities, and said they left encouraged by the commitment of young people who remained in the city. JPPI program director Gilad Neumann said Amar and his team show how strong human capital and social commitment can drive real change.
