The sense of community is important for residents, and it becomes even more critical in times of emergency.

But who is actually responsible for community life within a municipality? Who initiates? Who organizes? Who connects? Who leads community activities in the different localities, and within what structure? Historically, the Ministry of Welfare has overseen community activities, but the Community Centers Association (Matnasim) has also been active for decades in most towns, working directly with residents.

In some municipalities, there are regional community administrations, while in others the responsibility is structured differently. There is no uniform model, yet there is a clear interest in understanding what works best.

The challenge of mapping the community framework in four municipalities with strong community activity emerged in order to provide decision-makers with grounded insights from the field.