Letter to eJewish Philanthropy in response to “Six Points Arts Fellowship Closes as UJAFed NY Declines To Renew Grant,” May 24, 2013:

We want to emphasize that the Jewish community, and Jewish organizations throughout New York City, remain passionately committed to supporting the arts as a vehicle for strengthening Jewish identity and reinvigorating contemporary Jewish life – and equally committed to identifying the funding to continue to do so (“Six Points Arts Fellowship Closes as UJAFed NY Declines To Renew Grant,” May 24, 2013).

The closing of the Six Points Fellowship program here would be too great a loss for our community. Therefore, this week the Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Center for Jewish History have begun to develop a new collaboration to create opportunities for artists. Together, we envision an initiative built upon the Six Points Fellowship program’s success and valuable experience in addressing emerging artists’ needs.

The Foundation for Jewish Culture has demonstrated the transformative impact that Jewish organizations, communities and individuals can have when they make a bold investment in the arts. Since 2007, first in NYC and now in Los Angeles, the Six Points Fellowship program has enabled artists to create works of beauty that challenge us and reinvigorate our perspectives on Jewish life.

The Center for Jewish History, as an institution that is home to five strong partner organizations, understands the importance and enormous potential of collaboration in areas that affect our understanding of our diverse history and culture. The Center will welcome new artists, and in turn, artists will benefit from working in the partners’ vast archives, which contain some of the most significant collections of Jewish history in the world.

In the coming months, the Center for Jewish History and the Foundation for Jewish Culture will work together to contribute to a vibrant future for Jewish artistic engagement. Stay tuned.

Sincerely,

Elise Bernhardt
President, Foundation for Jewish Culture

Michael S. Glickman
Chief Operating Officer, Center for Jewish History