(JTA) — Seventy young teachers from across North America spent part of their summer vacation working with underprivileged Israeli elementary school students.

The visiting teachers worked on the students’ English skills in the north and south of Israel for three weeks as part of the TALMA program.

The teachers were paired with Israeli teachers at local schools for three weeks in July.

TALMA, founded in 2014, is a national program operated by Israel’s Ministry of Education in conjunction with the Steinhardt Family Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation. Part of the 2015 program also was funded by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

The program provides “an opportunity for the Israeli child to advance their English studies, a peer learning experience for the Israeli teachers to that learn so much from their American partners about teaching methods and classroom management skills, and an experience for the teachers coming from outside of Israel that get the opportunity to deepen their connection to Israel though their profession and make real social change in low-income communities,” said Alon Futterman, TALMA CEO.

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