JDC Announces 2006-2007 Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship Recipient

Hillel professional to assist JDC community building efforts overseas

New York, NY---The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Inc. (JDC) is proud to announce that Alexis Frankel has been awarded the 2006-2007 Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship in International Jewish Communal Service. Regarded as the preeminent fellowship in Jewish communal service, this fellowship enables one person each year to live and work in overseas locations where JDC is actively engaged.

Named for JDC's honorary executive vice president, who served as the organization's top professional leader for several decades and was instrumental in the birth of the State of Israel, the Goldman Fellowship is awarded for demonstrated excellence and commitment to Jewish communal service either in a professional or lay capacity. Goldman fellows are required to have earned at least a master’s degree or an equivalent credential and to have demonstrated superior leadership qualities.

Frankel will begin her fellowship in New York City with an orientation in September. Following her orientation, she will be sent overseas where she will work alongside JDC field professionals, assisting in the organization’s community development efforts.

Born to parents who worked in foreign service, Frankel developed an early passion for community building and exploring cultural diversity. She has spent much of her student and professional life overseas working to assist vulnerable populations in confronting challenges such as AIDS and high infant-mortality.

"All of the culturally diverse programs in which I have worked required a high degree of personal initiative and flexibility, willingness and ability to engage different cultures and the skill to communicate effectively across cultural and linguistic barriers," Frankel wrote in her personal statement to JDC.

After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 2000, Frankel took an internship with USAID in Ghana, where she conducted reproductive health studies and authored a report on the socio-cultural barriers to malaria prevention. She then earned a masters degree in social and political studies from the University of Edinburg in Scotland.

Frankel entered the world of professional Jewish communal service in 2004 as program director for the University of Michigan Hillel in Ann Arbor. In this role, she has overseen the activities of more than 30 Jewish campus organizations operating under Hillel's auspices.

"The most rewarding part of this position has been the opportunity to counsel students in personal and professional matters, build a rapport and partnership with hundreds of students and campus professionals, and nurture and inspire the next generation of Jewish leaders," Frankel said.

This past year, Frankel led a student volunteer trip to Ukraine in partnership with JDC's short-term service program.

"The impact of working with Jewish communities abroad, which are facing many challenges, was inspiring for both my students and me," she said. "As a young Jewish professional, the trip gave me a practical and realistic look at the challenges and rewards of working in the international Jewish communal world."

Frankel has also been the driving force behind the University's Academic Conference on Israel, Conference on the Holocaust and Amoja, and the University's Black-Jewish relations group.

"Alexis exemplifies what a young Jewish professional should be, creative, well-rounded, passionate and charismatic," said Billie Gold, the chairperson of the JDC’s Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship committee. "She has earned this fellowship because she has been so successful in impacting lives for the better. Wherever she has gone, from Ghana to Ann Arbor, the common thread has been leadership and initiative. We are delighted to welcome her into the JDC family."

To apply for the 2007-08 Ralph I. Goldman Fellowship, applicants must submit a letter of advocacy to awards@jdc.org. no later than December 15, 2006. The letter should include details of educational and work experience, plans for the future, reasons for interest in this fellowship and examples of leadership qualities. For more information, please visit: www.jdc.org/who_awards_rig.html.