Columbia Kraft Fellows Visit Chile in Interfaith Exchange

Six Columbia students visited Chile during the first half of March under the Kraft Global Fellows Program, an interfaith and inter-cultural exchange trip.

Led by University Chaplain and Associate Provost Jewelnel Davis and the Columbia Global Center Santiago, participating fellows are charged with working on a group research project that focuses on the religions, cultures, and communities of the destination country. The goal of the program is to encourage students of different backgrounds and faiths to learn from and with each other about their identities even as they learn about the religions and cultures outside of their familiarity.

Part of the mission of the Kraft Global Fellowship is to infuse a global perspective into the academic experience of Columbia students, utilizing the resources of the Columbia Global Centers. Upon their return, fellows contribute to the Columbia community by sharing their research, experiences, and the resources made possible through the Global Centers.

The six Kraft Global Fellows visiting Chile were:

• Yael Bright, a third-year student in the Dual Degree Program between Columbia University's School of General Studies and Tel Aviv University, majoring in Communication, English Literature, and Creative Writing.
• Ines Jabri, a junior in the Dual BA program between General Studies and Sciences Po Paris.
• Katrina Machetta, a sophomore at Columbia College studying Human Rights.
• Ben Parkhurst, a second-year student at Columbia College pursuing a BA in Linguistics with a minor in Jazz Studies.
• Lily Penn, a third-year student in the joint program between General Studies and the Jewish Theological Seminary, majoring in Cognitive Science and Modern Jewish Studies.
• Zaid Sahawneh, a third-year student studying Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies.

Chaplain Davis and Elmer Barcenes, the Administrative Manager for the Chaplain’s Office, joined the Santiago cohort.

Religious activities in which the Fellows participated included:

• Attending Catholic Mass at Nuestra Señora de La Victoria, followed by visit to the Father André Jarlán memorial and house, where the priest was murdered during the dictatorship.
• A visit to Mosque As-Salam, Chile’s first mosque, to speak with leaders from Muslim community.
• Meeting with Ari Sigal, rabbi at the Israeli Circle of Santiago, followed by shabat service and dinner.
• A visit to the Baháʼí Temple of South America, a prominent spiritual land architectural landmark in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Santiago.
• A visit to St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in Valparaíso’s Cerro Concepción, built in 1858.

Cultural activities included:

• A conversation with Rodrigo Mayorga (TC'20), PhD in Anthropology and Education from Teachers College and founder and Director of Momento Ciudadano, who reviewed Chile’s social and political situation and the recent failed attempts to rewrite the constitution.
• A tour of the mining town of Sewell, a UNESCO World Heritage Site located 100 miles from Santiago.
• A visit to Ruka Lawen ("house of herbs" or "house of remedies") at the Inchiñ Mapu Mapuche Community for a talk on “Küme Mongen," which in Mapuche cosmology represents the principle of "good living" and harmony with nature.
• A visit to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, followed by a meeting with the Fundación de Documentación y Archivo de la Vicaría de la Solidaridad, which holds the archive of the Vicaría, a Catholic human rights organization that worked to support human rights victims and their families during the dictatorship.
• A visit of the Interactive Jewish Museum of Chile, guided by Beate Wenker, head of the education department. 
• A tour of the port city of Valparaíso, whose historic quarter was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, including a visit to "La Sebastiana," one of the three houses owned by Chilean poet and Nobel Laureate Pablo Neruda.

Community-based activities included:

• A meeting with the Servicio Jesuita a Migrantes (SJM), which accompanies migrants via multidimensional social interventions while building knowledge and driving political and cultural change, contributing to the construction of an inclusive and intercultural Chile.
• A meeting with Fundación Iguales, a non-profit that works to promote and defend the rights of the LGBTQIA+ community in Chile.

Chaplain Davis reflected on the program:

“The Kraft Global Fellows Trip to the Columbia Global Center Santiago, turned Spring Break 2024 into an immersive learning experience for six Fellows. The Programming Officer Chris Molinari and Elmer Barcenes worked together with me to design a uniquely informative 10-day program. Every day had its own highlights and challenges; opportunities for students to learn from one another and from cultural, faith, civic, and academic leaders about Chile’s complex social, political, and religious issues.

“A highlight of the trip for me was a visit to Círculo Israelita de Santiago, CIS. The Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eduardo Waingortin and a diverse array of cantors was filled with joyful songs. It was a blessing to stand with hundreds of the Jewish community of Chile and hear songs of praise and prayer. The service brought to mind for me Psalm 100 (CJB):

1 Shout for joy to ADONAI, all the earth!

2 Serve ADONAI with gladness.

Enter his presence with joyful songs.

3 Be aware that ADONAI is God;

it is he who made us; and we are his,

his people, the flock in his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

enter his courtyards with praise;

give thanks to him, and bless his name.

5 For ADONAI is good, his grace continues forever,

and his faithfulness lasts through all generations.”