In the program, Fellows had the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s foremost experts on Latin American Jewish communities including Haim Avni, Eliahu Toker, and Mordechai Edery. Additionally, Fellows led discussions focused on what they could learn from each other about their communities and leadership.

Sessions included:
Jewish Consciousness in the 21st Century
Peoplehood and Community in Jewish Sources
Transformations of Latin American Jewish Identity
After the Apocalypse: Jewish Culture in South America After the Shoah

Fellows were joined by distinguished global faculty:

Professor Haim Avni, Institute for Contemporary Judaism, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Rabbi Mordechai Edery, Comunidad Bet El, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Professor Jose Meiches, University of São Paulo and President of CONIB, São Paulo, Brazil
Dr. Rina Rosenberg, Private Psychologist, Jerusalem, Israel

Professor Shalom Rosenberg, Department of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Professor Eliahu Toker, Argentinian poet, translator, and architect, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Dr. Jack Ukeles, Principal, Ukeles and Associates, New York, NY, USA

In addition to lectures, Fellows had the opportunity to work in small groups and discuss pressing issues such as the development of individual and communal Jewish identity. As Susana Pollak from Chile explained “the opportunity to delve into what makes us Jewish people in our small communities empowers us to share that joy with others.”

One of the most remarkable moments of the program was the Fellows coming together to rally and support the Fellow from Cuba, who was in the process of building her small community in Camaguey. Fellows raised a substantial amount of money as a gift to her community and presented it to her at the closing session. Another significant moment during the program was when two participants who did not have Hebrew names received them during the reading of the Torah on Shabbat. The inspiration for this naming ceremony was the Fellows’ participation in Dr. Rina Rosenberg’s workshop on Jewish identity.

This NGF strengthened the cooperative relationships established by the MFJC with organizations in Latin America and bolstered efforts to combat assimilation that is sweeping the communities in the area. The Fellows left the program with a renewed commitment to their lay and professional leadership work, as well as lifetime relationships with one another.