Junior Selected for Prestigious Bronfman Fellowship
Congratulations to Robert Carlson ’19 who was chosen as a Bronfman Fellow. Selected from a pool of hundreds of applicants across North America, he joins 25 other high school juniors for the 32nd cohort. The fellowship was founded by Edgar Bronfman, a Jewish philanthropist and former CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd., who believed Israeli and North American Jews should engage in an open dialogue with each other in order for the Jewish people to thrive. Carlson supports that belief of Jewish unity, noting, “When we as Jews are able to embrace our differences while simultaneously recognizing our commonality, we will be a more unified people.”
The Bronfman Fellowship brings together Jewish students of diverse background for a transformative five week all-expense paid trip to Israel where they engage in thought provoking study, explore Jewish ideas and text, and meet with influential figures. That experience is followed by a year at home with programming centered around pluralism, social responsibility, and Jewish text.
“I hope to come away from Bronfman with a greater understanding for the diversity of Jewish practice and experiences in the United States,” remarked Carlson when asked about what he hoped to gain from the fellowship. “In addition, I am truly excited to expand my group of friends to include a wider group of American Jews who are also interested in discussing the state of American Jewry.” Carlson, who heard about the Bronfman program from his aunt, added that he looked forward to spending time in Israel to discuss Judaism “in the land where it started.”
Carlson has immersed himself in activities and worthwhile pursuits both at Milken and outside of school. He is a leader in the Milken Creative Writing Program and sings in HaZamir International Jewish Choir. He also works on the Los Angeles Museum of the Holocaust (LAMOTH) teen board, which just received a grant from the Jewish Federation and will produce a series of films called "Messages of the Future" that will record Holocaust survivors talking about their opinions on happenings in the world today. As a member of New Ground, a Muslim Jewish partnership for change, he participated in their high school leadership council, Muslims and Jews Inspiring Change (MAJIC). Having a mother with a Turkish-Sephardic and an Ashkenazi background has piqued Carlson’s interest to preserve the history, language, and cuisine of the Sephardic Jews of Turkey. He spends great deal of time cooking traditional family recipes, and learning to chant Sephardic religious chants.
“Judaism is central to my identity. To me, being Jewish is acknowledging that I am a member of something greater than myself, an ancient civilization,” said Carlson.
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Melody Mansfield5/26/2018 @ 4:27 PMRobert! I had no idea! I would love to say that you are going to do great things but clearly you ALREADY ARE! How grateful I am that our lives intersected. Congratulations on all you do and on all you are. All best wishes, Ms. Mansfield
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