Fellowship Archive
NGF 26 - Montevideo, Uruguay
june 10 - 16, 2014
The 26th International Nahum Goldmann Fellowship took place on the outskirts of Montevideo, Uruguay, bringing together 42 Fellows from 19 countries, including Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Russia and Ukraine. By returning to Latin America, the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture reaffirmed its commitment to investing in and supporting the growth of Latin American Jewish communities.
program
The theme of NGF 26, The Global Jewish Community, focused on three central topics: Jewish identity in a secular age, Wrestling with modernity, and the future of the global Jewish Diaspora.
Sessions included:
Jewish identity in a secular world
The Zionist enterprise
Wrestling with modernity
Transforming Jewish communities: Reports from fellows
The imperatives of leadership
Additional discussion groups explored:
Challenges and opportunities for strengthening Jewish identity
faculty
Professor Sylvia Barack Fishman, Professor of Contemporary Jewish Life and Co-Director of Hadassah International Research Institute on Jewish Women, Brandeis University, Waltham, MA, USA
Dr. Steven Bayme, National Director, Contemporary Jewish Life Department, American Jewish Committee, New York, NY, USA
Professor Saul Berman, Associate Professor of Jewish Studies, Stern College, New York, NY, USA
Dr. Daniel Fainstein, Dean of the Seminario Rabínico Latino Americano M.T. Meyer, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Professor Avinoam Rosenak, Professor of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel
Professor Ismar Schorsch, Professor of Jewish History, Jewish Theological Seminary, New York, NY, USA
Dr. Steven Windmueller, Dean, Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion, Los Angeles, CA, USA
more about the fellowship
NGF 26 created a dynamic environment for thoughtful dialogue and communal development. The faculty provided engaging and thought-provoking sessions, while discussion groups gave Fellows a space to share the successes and challenges of their communities. These peer discussions fostered meaningful feedback, collaboration, and support among Fellows and faculty alike, often continuing beyond the formal sessions.
The program also highlighted advancements in Latin American Jewish communities. William Miller from Cuba shared how the NGF impacted his small community:
“The educational environment [you] created through the Nahum Goldmann Fellowship brings an incredible opportunity for small and isolated Jewish communities like ours to get in contact with not just the real world, but the real Judaism as well.”
A unique aspect of this NGF was the geographic discussion groups held towards the program’s end. Fellows from Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay, guided by NGF alumni from those countries, addressed the topic Whither the Global Diaspora Community. These discussions inspired participants to redefine their communities and embrace their roles as agents of change, both individually and collectively.
The 26th NGF successfully amplified the voices and needs of diverse Jewish communities worldwide, solidifying its legacy as a program fostering leadership, collaboration, and growth within the global Jewish diaspora.
If you would like to submit any photos or testimonials please contact us at ngf@mfjc.org
