A Celebration of Service at the 2010 "Tikkun Olam" Dinner
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- Members of the Calvary Baptist Church perform before the guests of the German American Jewish Exchange Program Tikkun Olam Dinner guests.
- (© GK NY)
Supporters of the Student Exchange between German and American Jewish students gathered at the German House for a ceremony on January 18, 2010, to celebrate the program’s continued success and to honor this year’s recipient of the Tikkun Olam Award. The fundraising event benefits the exchange program, which was created in 2002. The award is presented to an individual whose consistent support of the program and work reflect the values of Tikkun Olam, meaning "to repair the world." This year’s recipient was Alberto Weisser, Chairman and CEO of international agricultural company Bunge, Ltd. In his words of greeting, Consul General Horst Freitag applauded Mr. Weisser for his contribution in his "various capacities in which he reaches out and connects people of different faiths, ethnicities, and nationalities." He also praised his "exceptional and continuous support" of the exchange program.
The significance of this year’s date also played a role in the evening program, which featured a performance by the Calvary Baptist Church Gospel Choir from Jamaica, NY, led by Pastor Victor Hall. Its concurrence with Martin Luther King Day served as a reminder of Dr. King’s legacy and the social changes he implemented and initiated. The Choir’s performance, "A Tribute to Martin Luther King in Word and Song," reinforced the common aims of the student exchange and the day of service marked by the national holiday. Consul General Freitag noted the significance of the occasion and that for such an event, "paying tribute to the legacy of Dr. King in the name of equality and mutual understanding is a most appropriate setting. Good is not only done through words, but through deeds- through service to one’s community and to the global community."
In addition to the presentation of awards and words by its organizers and guest speakers, the event also included the opportunity for former participants of the exchange to share their own personal experiences. This past year’s participants Nia Hall, and Samantha Kaye, and Jeffrey Price emphasized both their apprehensions prior to leaving for Germany as well as the deep connections they made with the German students, and the common ground they were able to find in order to make their acquaintances, in many cases, into long-lasting friendships.
Such feedback from the students themselves emphasized the importance of the program’s grassroots nature, something its founder, Rabbi Jay Rosenbaum, Secretary-General of the National American Board of Rabbis (NABOR), stressed as the motivating factor in its creation. The nature of the exchange, with its focus on a younger target group and pairing of German and American Jewish individuals, aims to enhance existing relations between two different nations and peoples.
In his address to the guests, Osmar V. Chohfi, Consul General of Brazil in New York, praised Mr. Weisser for his own contributions to the international community and underscored the importance of setting such an example for intercultural interaction as Mr. Weisser does in his own work. In his response speech, Mr. Weisser congratulated the students for taking part in a program that is dedicated to enacting change at the individual level. In reflecting on the greater impact of the exchange, he encouraged the students to go beyond simply "building bridges" between themselves and those they interacted with through the program, to impart the benefits of their experiences by "building bridges sustainable for those that come after you." Also acknowledged for his engagement in the spirit of building bridges was Deputy Consul General Stephan Grabherr, who was honored for his engagement in the German- Jewish American Exchange with the Ambassador’s Award.
