With the help of a Micro Grant, ROIer Uriel Erlich attended the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) annual Global Forum and the Access 20/20 conference, held in Washington, D.C. (May, 2012).

The AJC 2012 Global Forum and Access 20/20 were both extremely valuable conferences, particularly the sessions organized by the AJC’s Latino and Latin American Institute (LLAI).

As a sociologist based in Argentina, I found the LLAI’s presentation about American Latino perceptions of Jews and Judaism both relevant and interesting. The way that LLAI is working with this significant and influential social group in United States is very interesting to think on new ways of building political relationships. This topic was approached from a fresh perspective, not from the often presumed starting-point of “discrimination” and/or “anti-Semitism”. In addition, the focus was more results-oriented, concentrating on how we might strengthen cultural relationships.

I found the dissertation of the Foreign Minister of Brazil to be an enlightening moment
of the Conference and I benefited from the debate between a Democratic Congressional
Representative and a Republican newspaper editor.

The Access 20/20 conference allowed for more intimate meetings between young people
from around the world, particularly with participants from Latin American countries, many
of whom share and grapple with common issues.

The AJC/LLAI Conferences helped to establish and strengthen relationships between
leaders and representatives from different countries and hopefully this will inspire more
collaborative work.