Carolina Rodríguez Hernández: How starts the ORT University in Mexico?
Moisés Salinas Fleitman: Mexico offers very few choices to study and to be trained as a professional in disciplines related to social responsibility. In metropolitan Mexico City, where more than 24 million people live, there are virtually no academic programs in areas such as nonprofit administration, gerontology, environmental education, addiction prevention, gender studies or human rights. At the same time, there are over 35,000 estimated nonprofit organizations in Mexico in need of trained professionals. This leadership deficit in the nonprofit sector creates an opportunity to develop programs to academically train these professionals. In this context, ORT Mexico, as part of the World ORT organization, established in 2014 an institution of higher education to close this serious gap: ORT University Mexico. The University strives, on one hand, to respond to the younger generation’s interest in social responsibility, and on the other, to fulfill the need of thousands of nonprofits and NGOs to train and develop leaders and professionals.
CRH: Which is the main goal of this institution?
MSF: ORT University Mexico is an institution of higher education whose mission is to promote and strengthen the nonprofit sector through the training of professionals to reach the highest standards of excellence in areas of social responsibility, entrepreneurship and leadership.
CRH: How´s your professional relationship with Dr. Conrad Giles?
MSF: Dr. Conrad Giles is the new President of the World ORT General Assembly. Because of the federated structure of World ORT, each ORT organization in each country has operational independence. Dr. Giles visited Mexico last year and is periodically updated on the progress of each countries´ ORT organizations.
CRH: Which do you think is the legacy of both Nikolai Bakst and Samuel (Shmuel) Polyakov in establishing the ORT?
MSF: Nikolai Bakst, Samuel Polyakov and Horace Gunzburg are the founders of World ORT in Russia in 1880. Their legacy is one of modernization and education, since they sought to train artisans and farmers who used middle ages methods into the modern technologies of the industrial revolution. To this day, ORT, whose motto is "Educating for Life," is committed to educate people to improve their standard of living, be more productive, and to make a difference in society.
CRH: Which have been the results until now with the ORT Mexico?
MSF: In its short existence, ORT University Mexico has already managed to elevate the standards for academic development in the nonprofit sector. Not only do we have about 150 students in the academic programs and over 300 in the professional development ones, we have made strides in proposing new standards in research and evidence based practices. We are having a slow but steady impact both in the management and administration of NGOs and their professional practices of those who send their collaborators to our programs.
CRH: Which was the most difficult thing to write Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Perspectives on the Peace Process?
MSF: Being able to interview in an objective manner people on all sides of this terrible conflict. Having contact with people who, on some occasions where perpetrators of violence, extremist or terrorists, and on other victims who suffered terrible losses and trauma, and remain objective is a very difficult but fundamental task if you want to write a research based book that can contribute to the solution of the conflict.
CRH: Which will be the future of the Middle East, in particular the relationship with Israel with the Presented elect Donald J. Trump?
MSF: It is still early to know what the impact of Trump will be on the Middle East in general and Israel in particular. Regrettably, he has expressed many radical positions during the campaign that are not helpful to bring a fair and lasting peace to the region. But on the other hand, he has flip-flopped many times, and as the transition goes on, he has seemed to moderate many of his views. We will see what the future brings once he has finished to conform his cabinet and sets up policies on the different challenges of the middle east.
CRH: How many countries have the ORT network in Latin America?
MSF: In Latin America, ORT has presence in Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina and Chile.
CRH: Did you sometime met with Present Shimon Peres? How we must learn from him in the 21st Century?
MSF: Yes, on several occasions I had the honor of meeting Shimon Peres, a great statesman and a symbol for peace and Zionism. He is certainly and example to follow for the new generations, a man who had to make very difficult, and controversial, choices since the birth of the state of Israel and as Prime Minister. Yet he always kept a clear vision of peace and a moral compass that is rare in the postmodern area of relativism, pragmatism and ambiguity.
CRH: What´s next for ORT Mexico?
MSF: We are continuing to develop academic programs in areas such as human rights, gender studies and gerontology. We are planning a B.A. program in informatics for social change, which will offer for the first time in Mexico a computer related degree with the goal of training professionals in the use of technology to help in the positive transformation of society.
CRH: Did you have some future plans to create strong ties with the Jewish community schools in Mexico?
MSF: We have a very strong alliance with the Colegio Israelita de Mexico -ORT which is part of the ORT Umbrella, and work very closely with them in the training of their teachers and the development of joint programs. However, we always welcome to work and support educational institutions both inside and outside of the Jewish community, and have alliances with several educational institutions all around Mexico.
CRH: What´s next for Moisés Salinas Fleitman?
MSF: For the next few years, I´m committed to ensure that ORT University Mexico becomes the benchmark institution in our country that promotes the positive transformation of society based on the Jewish values of Tikkun Olam and social justice, and an educational leader in the nonprofit sector.
