The Foundation for Jewish Culture (formerly the National Foundation for Jewish Culture) was an advocacy group for

Jew Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...

ish cultural life and creativity in the United States. Founded in 1960, it supported

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles and techniques to communicate ideas. Writers produce different forms of literary art and creative writing such as novels, short stories, books, poetry, travelogues, ...

filmmakers Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, casti ...

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Def ...

s, choreographers, and

scholars A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

, with grants and awards in the arts and humanities, and by sponsoring programs and national and international conferences. In 2014, it wound down its programs and closed. The Foundation for Jewish culture invested in creative individuals, in an effort to sustain and grow a dynamic, enduring sense of

Jewish identity Jewish identity is the objective or subjective state of perceiving oneself as a Jew and as relating to being Jewish. Under a broader definition, Jewish identity does not depend on whether a person is regarded as a Jew by others, or by an exte ...

, community, and culture. To this end, the Foundation provided grants, recognition awards, networking opportunities and professional development services to artists and scholars, made possible through collaboration with cultural institutions, Jewish organizations, consortia, and funders. The Foundation also worked to educate and build audiences for these artists and scholars, in order to provide meaningful Jewish cultural experiences to the American public, as well as advocated for the importance of

Jewish culture Jewish culture is the culture of the Jewish people, from its formation in ancient times until the current age. Judaism itself is not a faith-based religion, but an orthoprax and ethnoreligion, pertaining to deed, practice, and identity. Jewis ...

as a core component of Jewish life.

Programs

Film

The Lynn and Jules Kroll Fund for Jewish Documentary Film supported the completion of original documentaries that explore the Jewish experience in all its complexity. The fund was created with a lead grant from

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...

's Righteous Persons Foundation and sustained over 10 years with major support from the Charles H. Revson Foundation. The priority of the fund is to support projects that address significant subjects; offer fresh, challenging perspectives; engage audiences across cultural lines; and expand the understanding of Jewish experiences. Among its recipients have been '' Trembling Before G-d'', the animated documentary ''

Waltz with Bashir ''Waltz with Bashir'' ( he, ואלס עם באשיר, translit. ''Vals Im Bashir'') is a 2008 Israeli adult animated war documentary drama film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories o ...

'', and the upcoming ''

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for ''12 Angry Men'' (1957), '' Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), ''Network'' (1976 ...

: The Moral Lens''.

American Academy in Jerusalem

Modeled on the successes of the

American Academy in Rome The American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution located on the Gianicolo (Janiculum Hill) in Rome. The academy is a member of the Council of American Overseas Research Centers. History In 1893, a group of American architects, ...

and the

American Academy in Berlin The American Academy in Berlin is a private, independent, nonpartisan research and cultural institution in Berlin dedicated to sustaining and enhancing the long-term intellectual, cultural, and political ties between the United States and Germany ...

, the American Academy in Jerusalem was a fellowship for senior-level artists and cultural leaders. The program provides each Fellow with travel to

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, accommodations for nine weeks, a living stipend, and additional resources to develop individual projects emphasizing social engagement. The Foundation for Jewish Culture established the Academy in order to participate in a larger civic effort to strengthen

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

as an international destination for art and culture. During their stay in Jerusalem, Fellows work with local cultural and/or academic institutions where they teach master classes, serve as mentors, or otherwise participate in the life of these institutions in order to interact with their peers. The Fellows engage with Jerusalem's diverse populations through projects emphasizing social engagement and make public presentations about their current work in Israel when they return to the United States.

Notes

External links

Records of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture (I-527)
at the

American Jewish Historical Society The American Jewish Historical Society (AJHS) was founded in 1892 with the mission to foster awareness and appreciation of American Jewish history and to serve as a national scholarly resource for research through the collection, preservation an ...

, New York, NY {{Authority control Secular Jewish culture in the United States

Programs

Film

American Academy in Jerusalem

See also

Notes

External links