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| Drum circle by the Sea of Galilee |
Our on campus coalition is the product of a program that began this summer. The National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), The American Jewish Committee's Latino and Latin American Insitute, together with Project Interchange, launched the Latino-Jewish Bridges on Campus Program. This pioneering initiative aims to establish enduring relations between Hispanic and Jewish Students.
For its inagural year, the program included 22 Latina and Jewish students from Universities found around the nation: Boston University; Brandeis University; University of California, Irvine; and, the University of Texas at Austin. All particiapting students met in Washington DC, where they learned about their communities' histories and priorities and the importance of coalition and relationship building.
Following the Washington training program, students traveled to Israel for a weeklong seminar organized by Project Interchange. The program included themes that strongly resonate in the U.S. Latino experience, such as immigration and integration. The women were also able to meet top Israel experts and government officials.
For the fall semester, the students were required to develop collaborative programs on their respective campuses to deepen relations between the two communities. Our event includes a cultural both and a Leadership panel with prominent Latino and Jewish leaders.