The Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, the only international body dedicated solely to advancing Jewish cultural activities, was established by Dr. Nahum Goldmann in 1965 with reparation funds from the Government of West Germany. The Foundation acts as a "cultural parliament" for the Jewish people. Its trustees include representatives of all segments of the community — Orthodox, Conservative and Reform, Ashkenazi and Sephardi, fraternal and Zionist, communal and service, religious and secular.

Meet NAHUM GOLDMANN (1894-1982), the great Zionist leader and Jewish statesman whose accomplishments helped establish the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture.

Since its formation, the Foundation has allocated more than $64 million in grants to support the creation, intensification and dissemination of Jewish culture. The Foundation awards scholarships and fellowships to scholars,academicians, writers, artists, rabbis, educators and communal workers to replace the cultural elite annihilated in Europe. Funds are provided to institutions, such as universities and academic bodies, for research and publication. The Foundation gives support to European Jewish communities to help them reconstruct the cultural life destroyed during the Holocaust; special attention is paid to the Jewish communities in the former Soviet Union where Jewish life had been suppressed for seven decades under Communist rule.

In addition to its support of communities and institutions, the Foundation has developed innovative programs to address needs not adequately met by the Jewish community globally. These include leadership training, reaching the Jewish unaffiliated, Jewish family education, and utilization of new technologies for Jewish culture and education.Today, the Foundation's programs extend to Jewish communities on six continents, reaching both individuals and institutions at the core of the Jewish community, as well as Jews affiliated only marginally with Jewish life.