fellowship archive
The nineteenth International Nahum Goldmann Fellowship was a landmark event, being the first Fellowship held in Israel and the first exclusively for alumni. Thirty-six past NGF participants from 25 countries across six continents gathered by the shores of the Kinneret. Represented countries included Austria, Bulgaria, India, New Zealand, Poland, the Slovak Republic, Uruguay, the USA, and Israel.
program
A central theme of the Fellowship was the connection between Israel and the Diaspora. Presentations included:
Eretz Yisrael and the State of Israel: the philosophical encounter and the historical encounter
The future of Zionism
The book and the sword in Jewish history
Normative and non-normative streams in Judaism
The ethical imperatives in contemporary Jewish life
Dealing with internal dissent
Is there a Jewish role in the world community
Achieving and celebrating Jewish distinctiveness
faculty
Professor Steven Bayme, Director, Department of Contemporary Jewish Life, American Jewish Committee, New York, NY, USA
Professor Saul Berman, Professor, Columbia University School of Law, New York NY, USA
Professor Benjamin Ish-Shalom, Rector, Beit Morasha, Jerusalem, Israel
Professor Aliza Lavie, Professor, Department of Political Science, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
Professor Michael Rosenak, Mandel Professor in Jewish Education, Melton Center for Jewish Education in the Diaspora, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Dr. Rina Rosenberg, Private Psychologist, Jerusalem, Israel
Professor Shalom Rosenberg, Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Thought, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Professor Jacob J. Schacter, Director, Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future, New York, NY, USA
Professor Ismar Schorsch, Chancellor Emeritus, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, NY, USA
Professor Eliezer Schweid, Professor of Jewish Philosophy, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Professor Anita Shapira, Professor of the Study of Zionism, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
Professor Uriel Simon, Professor of Bible, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
Lt. General Moshe Yaalon, Former Chief of Staff, Israel Defense Forces
more about the fellowship
The 19th NGF deepened the relationship between Diaspora communities and Israel, fostering meaningful connections and dialogue. The academically rich program covered a diverse range of subjects, reflecting the breadth of Jewish perspectives while encouraging Fellows to engage in productive and thoughtful discussions.
Participants were selected from over 600 NGF alumni, bringing together leaders who had demonstrated exceptional commitment to their communities and to the global Jewish network. The program empowered them to continue their work at both local and international levels.
A particularly moving highlight occurred during the pre-Shabbat program, when two members of the Indian Bene Menashe community recited the shehecheyanu, marking their first visit to Israel and celebrating NGF’s inaugural Fellowship in the country.
Yulina Dadova, a Fellow from Bulgaria, shared that the connections she formed during the seminar reinvigorated her and strengthened her resolve to continue her challenging work in a community with limited local support.
