Print This Page
Email this pageSeeds of new region planted during historic meeting in Argentina
Some 30 leaders of Progressive communities in Latin America and the Caribbean convened in Cordoba, Argentina, December 3-7 to establish the framework for a new region of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. The goal was to establish an agenda of common interest and plan activities for the coming year.
Attending were representatives from Argentinean congregations in Cordoba, as well as Buenos Aires, Misiones, Posadas, Coronel Suarez, Corrientes, Santa Rosa, Villaguay, Entre Rios, Avellaneda and Parana; Brazilian communities in Porto Alegre, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo; and the Progressive community in Santiago, Chile; and leaders from the already well-established Union of Jewish Communities of Latin America and the Caribbean, representing 11 congregations. (While unable to attend, leaders from two Brazilian congregations – Congregacao Israelita Mineira in Belo Horizonte and Centro Israelita Porto Alegrense in Porto Alegre – sent confirmation of their commitment to the regional structure.)
“Our deliberations focused on a number of issues related to the formation of our regional structure,” says Rabbi Joel Oseran, World Union vice president for international development. “This undertaking, while theoretically a no-brainer (every other World Union region has a formal board structure, so why not Latin America?), touches intense national rivalries and vastly different cultural and historical mores. It is much more natural for Argentineans and Brazilians to compete with each other on the soccer field than to cooperate with each other in the field of Jewish education!”
The issues discussed included equitable representation, financial expectations, exchange programs for youth, the creation of much-needed educational and religious resource materials, and how best to utilize the World Union’s Israel-based Anita Saltz International Education Center for leadership training, seminars and other Israel-related experiences for the region.
Another issue was the possible translation of the Plaut Modern Torah Commentary into both Spanish and Portuguese.
“Leaders in the region agree that there is a clear need for a Progressive Jewish Torah commentary that will help convey the essential teachings of liberal Judaism and encourage Torah study for modern Jews,” says Oseran. “There is no satisfactory Torah commentary available (in either language) and our hope is that the World Union, working in concert with all regional leaders, can promote this kind of project designed to assist a large number of separate communities.”
Finally, representatives from the various communities signed a letter of intent to establish a new World Union regional board, with final authorization coming as each congregation ratifies the decision. Miriam Vasserman, a leader of Congregacao Israelita Paulista in Sao Paulo, Brazil, and a member of the World Union Executive Board, will assume the presidency of the new region. Raul Gottlieb, a leader of Associascao Religiosa Israelita in Rio de Janeiro, will be vice president of the regional board.
“The mood and spirit of the group that evening left no doubt that the Latin American board of the World Union had truly come alive,” concludes Oseran. “We all took part in a new birth – the birth of a regional structure for Progressive Judaism that will assist in the creation and implementation of programs to benefit liberal Judaism in the region.”
A full report by Oseran on this and other World Union developments in Latin America will appear in an upcoming issue of WUPJnews.
Photos from last month’s historic gathering in Cordoba, Argentina, to establish the framework for a World Union Latin American region. In the bottom photo, members of Congregation Mishkan in Buenos Aires sign an agreement to join the new region. At far left is World Union vice president for international development Rabbi Joel Oseran. Next to him is Miriam Vasserman, and at far right is Jerry Tanenbaum, chairman of the Yad B’yad Task Force, which has been behind much of the World Union’s inroads into the region in the past decade.
