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Earlier this year, I applied for the prestigious International Nahum Goldmann Fellowship (NGF). I was accepted and in August joined the 34th cohort made up of Jewish individuals from more than ten countries. Aside from South Africa, there was representation from Canada, Mexico, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Germany, Panama, Israel, Argentina, Australia, Spain, Switzerland, Finland and Colombia.

South Africa doesn’t spring to mind as a high-priority Jewish destination — especially at this moment, as its government pursues its case against Israel in the International Court of Justice, but also because of South Africa’s largest political party’s long-standing criticism of Israel and targeting of the South African Jewish community’s deep ties to the Jewish State.

Last year 526 people made aliya from the UK, according to figures from the Jewish Agency.

It began in February last year and we graduated in January 2023 at the beautiful Tarrytown Manor Estate in Tarrytown, New York. It was an amazing opportunity for personal and professional development.

Once again, I was going to the International Nahum Goldmann Fellowship (NGF), but this time it was in the small provincial town of Klingenthal in the Alsace region of France, a land of wine and cheese, instead of the Mexican town of Cuernavaca, one of mezqual, tequila, and tacos. I was met by 32 other fellows from 16 different countries, from Tallin to Tel Aviv, Majorca to Mexico City. These incredible individuals brought with them their own leadership styles, skills, and desires to learn.

Alex Kats is joining the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship (NGF) network as the only Australian taking part in the prestigious leadership seminar.

CHAIR of the Council of Christians and Jews (Vic) Alex Kats is joining the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship (NGF) network as the only Australian taking part in the prestigious leadership seminar.

Kats will be participating in monthly online sessions, that – unfortunately for him – start at 3am due to time differences.

Nonetheless he says he is excited to be a part of the passionate group of Jewish community leaders.

“I previously participated in NGF seminars in Melbourne and Sweden, and look forward to this opportunity, which brings together 12 leaders from nine different countries, all of whom are talented and passionate about the future of their various Jewish communities,” Kats told The AJN.

“As someone involved in a number of Jewish and other communal activities and events, I am very much looking forward to it, especially the opportunity to hopefully gather in person in June,” he said.

Regular recipient of the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship (NGF) Alex Kats, has once again embarked on an international trip with the organisation for the opportunity to discuss questions of Jewish community and continuity.

A few years ago, I prepared an essay entitled, “The End of the Jewish Century, 1918-2018.”[1] In that article, I raised the question of whether this moment might signal the beginning of the end of Jewish peoplehood? As I catalogued the reasons for this profound change, along with what new possibilities might lay ahead. I noted that “Jewish coherence appears to have come undone.” If at one time we saw ourselves, as Abraham Joshua Heschel had suggested, as God’s stake in human history, we are today in search of our collective identity.

​Most among us are familiar with the adage, “two Jews, three opinions.” The idea squares with the concept of a Jewish intellectual legacy, so called by Rabbi Joshua Waxman, in which we consistently emphasize the value of posing questions, debate and education. But in a time when there are so many internal (and external) threats to Jewish Peoplehood, how do Jewish institutions and leaders begin to harness diversity of opinion as a collective strength? And in this increasingly fractured world, what is our responsibility to foster the safe spaces in which we can begin to challenge the status quo?

​Most among us are familiar with the adage, “two Jews, three opinions.” The idea squares with the concept of a Jewish intellectual legacy, so called by Rabbi Joshua Waxman, in which we consistently emphasize the value of posing questions, debate and education. But in a time when there are so many internal (and external) threats to Jewish Peoplehood, how do Jewish institutions and leaders begin to harness diversity of opinion as a collective strength? And in this increasingly fractured world, what is our responsibility to foster the safe spaces in which we can begin to challenge the status quo?

The guests from all over the world have
experienced Lower Saxony at its best. Last
week, the International Memorial Foundation
for Jewish Culture (MFJC) met in Hanover and
the neighboring town of Burgwedel. There, the
seminars and workshops of the annual Nahum
Goldman Fellowship were held.

The edge of the Kinneret, or the Sea of Galilee as it is also known, is a profound place to have a discussion about the future of the Jewish people. The azure waters exude an aura that is ancient, beautiful and serene – and is enmeshed with the history of the people of the Levant. The gravity of the history of this area is immense. It is also very present.

In the ashes of Auschwitz we lost more than Jewish lives – we lost an integral part of our historical memory. If we truly want to ensure Jewish continuity for tomorrow’s Jews, then we have to reclaim the positive history of Polish Jewry today.

Last year 526 people made aliya from the UK, according to figures from the Jewish Agency.