CLAM - MACCABI LATIN AMERICA CONFEDERATION
Maccabi Latin America is dedicated to enriching Jewish life and ensuring Jewish continuity through a network of programs aimed at engaging Jews with Israel and its people.
Our objectives are as follows:
- Represent Maccabi World Union in Latin America
- Develop and carry out programs aimed at enriching Jewish life
- Encourage and collaborate with Maccabi and Maccabi-affiliate institutions to participate in the Maccabiah and the Pan American Maccabi Games
- Organize national, regional and continental Maccabi events
- Identify and train leaders
- Develop programs that generate human and economic resources for Maccabi
- Put CLAM on the radar of Latin American Jewry
MWU Strategic Forum
A few years ago, CLAM established the MWU Strategic Forum with the intent of analyzing the mission, vision and goals of Maccabi in response to the changing face of the Jewish world. The Strategic Forum touches on issues including relationships and exchanges between Maccabiah events and strengthening the Diaspora-Israel bond through MWU. The Forum also aims to ensure the continuity of MWU and the Confederations through stronger leadership training, renewed emphasis on youth work, support for smaller communities and the continued development of mass Jewish programs.
Latin American Jewish Leadership Meetings
CLAM is fully involved in all JOINT, Latin American Jewish Congress, JAFI/WIZO and World Confederation of Jewish Community Centers conferences. Both our professionals and lay volunteers attend these leadership meetings, evidence of our prominent role in Latin American Jewish life.
Program Creation and Support for Territorial Organization (TO) Activities
CLAM provides emotional and material support for all of our Territorial Organizations (TOs) - locally-registered non-profit organizations which oversee Maccabi activities in their regions – encouraging new initiatives and helping to further the achievement of Maccabi goals.
We encourage TOs throughout Latin America to work together on local, regional and international projects, thereby strengthening bonds between Jewish communities across Latin American.
CLAM places a special emphasis on the creation of new cultural initiatives which promote Zionism and Jewish continuity. Highlights from our TOs include:
- Rikudei Am – We sent Rikudei Am (Israeli Folk Dance) teachers to a number of countries including Costa Rica, Colombia and Panama.
- Madrichim – Working with the MWU Education Department and MWU’s Latin America desk, we have upgraded the educational level of our madrichim leadership training seminars, enriching both their knowledge and qualifications. We also subsidize training seminars in Israel for our Hadracha (Leadership Training) Schools.
Lay & Professional Leadership Encounter Programs
We promote encounters between voluntary and professional leaders during Congress sessions as a means of exchanging ideas and experience. These encounters often lead to upgrades of organizational models and consideration of new techniques and management tools, and they serve as a networking tool for community leaders.
Israel Programs
All our institutions work to strengthen their communities’ bonds with Israel and to promote aliyah through activities which foster Jewish identification with the land of Israel. We also work to enlist the financial resources necessary to send Jewish youth and other members of the community, on long and short term educational visits to Israel.
Maccabi Tzair CLAM
Maccabi Tzair CLAM is the fruit of a collaboration with MWU, the MWU Latin America Desk, the MWU Education Department and our local TOs. We provide Maccabi Tzair with the support and training frameworks necessary to create a new generation of Jewish leaders, leaders who are dedicated to community work and the State of Israel.
We have great trust in our youth and believe they have a place at our Congresses, where they are given the opportunity to present their work and future plans.
In keeping with our general philosophy, we encourage joint activities between Maccabi Tzair chapters across Latin America and assist in the establishment of joint programs and activities whenever possible.
