By Heidi Gantwerk
Jewish Federation of San Diego
SAN DIEGO — Over the weekend, I returned from Jewish Federation of San Diego’s 6-day Mission to Mexico City alongside 28 other local Jewish community members. We toured some of the most famous sites in the city, and we were welcomed as family by Mexico’s deeply connected and engaged Jewish community – so closely connected to San Diego’s own Mexican Jewish community. The journey served as a vibrant illustration of the work being done every day at our Federation: building lasting people-to-people connections, deepening Jewish identity, and creating a resilient and engaged San Diego Jewish community.
In the aftermath of the harrowing Hamas terror attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023, and the alarming rise in global antisemitism, the need to stand together had never been more critical. And yet, our community, like many others around the globe, grapples with feelings of disconnectedness.
Our recent “A Blueprint for Our Future: San Diego Jewish Community Study” revealed that a significant percentage of San Diego Jews felt “only somewhat” or “not at all” connected to their local Jewish community. In analyzing this data, our Federation recognized a pressing need for more programs that spark engagement, resulting in our increased investment in immersive travel experiences.
Additional national findings from RootOne suggest immersive travel to Israel and other global Jewish communities often becomes a catalyst for enduring engagement, understanding, and advocacy within the Jewish community back home. These experiences stand as vital instruments against the forces of isolation and antisemitism, nurturing a resilient and active Jewish identity for generations to come.
Our Mission to Mexico City – chaired by Carlos and Esther Michan, prominent members of San Diego’s Mexican Jewish community – beautifully encapsulated the essence of this effort, weaving together historical exploration, cultural immersion, and meaningful connections. In fact, many of our participants noted that one of their biggest motivators for joining the mission was to meet and build relationships with other members of the San Diego Jewish community. Together, we discovered the powerful and captivating nature of exploring somewhere “new” as a group.
While we, of course, visited many of the amazing historical sites Mexico City and the surrounding areas have to offer – including the pyramids of Teotihuacan, Chapultepec Castle, the Frida Kahlo Museum, the Metropolitan Cathedral, Templo Mayor and so much more – much of the mission was dedicated to exploring Jewish life throughout the region. We discovered Jews in Mexico City are closely knit and deeply connected to their community, to the point where more than 90% of children attend Jewish day school and half of the 40,000 residents are active members of the Centro Deportivo Israelita (their local community sports center), and so much more.
Highlights of the trip included:
Magen David Community Center
A dynamic institution and an icon of Sephardic Jewry, the Magen David Community Center is a mind-blowing kehillah or community of 3,600 Jewish families with a tremendous array of volunteer-run services and supports. Home to schools, synagogues, museums, social halls, ballrooms, sports, cultural events and more, this sprawling complex provided a comprehensive view of the vibrant Sephardic Jewish community in Mexico City.
Olami ORT School
We shared in a Kabbalat Shabbat service at the 1,700-student Olami ORT School alongside kindergarten students and third graders, toured the school’s state-of-the-art facilities, and had the opportunity to meet the school’s dedicated directors. This innovative Jewish school, formed from a merger of two schools each founded more than 80 years ago, is deeply committed to the principles of Jewish and universal education excellence. And we had the very special opportunity to see and learn about the school’s beautiful partnership with San Diego’s The Butterfly Project from one of our trip participants, Cheryl Price, founder and executive director of TBP.
Historic Synagogues
We explored two distinguished synagogues in Mexico City. The Mount Sinai Synagogue, erected in 1918, stands as a testament to the Jewish immigrants who arrived from the Middle East. In contrast, the Justo Sierra Synagogue, founded in 1941, was established to serve the Orthodox Jewish community composed of refugees from Poland, Russia, Hungary, Germany, Czechoslovakia and Austria during the tumultuous period of the Second World War.
Memoria y Tolerancia Museum
We discovered the profound significance of tolerance, nonviolence, memory, and human rights at the Memoria y Tolerancia Museum. Featuring compelling exhibits on the Holocaust, genocides, human rights abuses, and pivotal global events shaping the human rights struggle, this museum underlines the importance of remembering our shared history.
Bet El Synagogue
We were warmly welcomed at Bet El Synagogue for Friday services, followed by a delightful dinner with several International Lions of Judah from Mexico, women philanthropists who support Israel and Jewish causes. This provided our participants with an intimate opportunity to connect with the local community members, experiencing firsthand the warmth and hospitality of the Mexican Jewish community.
Centro Deportivo Israelita
The trip ended with a visit to the Israeli Sports Center, where we embarked on a guided tour of the facility and had the opportunity to connect with the Shaliach (emissary) for all of Latin America from the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), a global partner of our Federation. We gained insights into their invaluable work within the country and enhanced our understanding of their mission.
Our journey through Mexico City was a testament to the rich tapestry of Jewish life in the region and gave us many ideas for ways to enrich Jewish life in San Diego. We came back to San Diego dreaming about what a real partnership with Mexico City might look like. These immersive travel experiences go beyond exploration – they build bridges that transcend geographical boundaries and strengthen the collective spirit of our Jewish community.
Federation’s re-invigorated investment in immersive experiences has only just begun! Our travel calendar so far extends through 2027 with some truly amazing opportunities planned. For those interested in learning more or receiving updates on future trips, visit jewishinsandiego.org.
*
Heidi Gantwerk is president and CEO of the Jewish Federation of San Diego. In that capacity, she oversees the 80-plus-year-old nonprofit in its mission to broaden and deepen engagement in Jewish life, strengthen Jewish identity, foster dynamic connections with Israel, and care for all Jews in need. Federation also serves as a primary convener of the San Diego Jewish community – mobilizing the community’s resources, leaders, and organizations to address the community’s most critical needs, creating profound impact locally, in Israel, and around the world. To learn more, visit jewishinsandiego.org.