The twenty-third Nahum Goldmann Fellowship that took place in Israel was an outstanding example of the success of the underlying concepts that we were trying to foster in Jewish life globally. The Fellows who came from seventeen countries on six continents were not only diverse geographically but also ideologically. Representatives from all the religious denominations—Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform in all their variegated hues and shades, including the secular community in Israel and the Diaspora were present. We also recruited Fellows from the political right and left, probably the most explosive sector in Jewish life. The Fellows also represented a mix of the lay and professional leaders of their respective communities.

The bonding that has become commonplace at our Fellowships became transmuted here, as it did in earlier Fellowships, into a mini Klal Yisrael, reflecting the high level of harmonious integration between the disparate, diverse groups represented at the Fellowship — geographically, religiously, politically and culturally. This dimension of the Fellows’ experience, a major achievement in contemporary Jewish life, adds a very critical ingredient to their future leadership in the Jewish community.