Area Fulbrights

Marshall Weiss

The Dayton Jewish Observer

Among the 1,200 U.S. citizens who will travel abroad for the 2006-07 academic year with Fulbright Student Scholarships are two members of the Miami Valley’s Jewish community.

Jill Abromowitz of Clayton and Jay Rothman of Yellow Springs have been awarded Fulbrights, the State Department scholarships that aim to build mutual understanding between people of the United States and the rest of the world.

Abromowitz, the daughter of Judy and Dr. Howard Abromowitz, graduated summa cum laude with a major in Russian and economics from Smith College in May. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa and received an award for outstanding work in economics.

In July, she arrived in South Korea for her Fulbright, where she will teach English as a foreign language. When she returns to the United States next summer, she will begin work in operations banking with Goldman Sachs in New York.

“South Korea is such a homogenous society, there’s really no Jewish community there,” Abromowitz said. “For Jewish connections, I’ll look to U.S. military bases.”

Rothman, president of Aria Group, a conflict resolution organization, will serve as a distinguished college professor with Jezreel Valley College in Israel. The college’s mission is to bridge the divide between “university and community, between Arab and Jew, between theory and practice.”

Last spring, Rothman assisted the college in launching its Action Research Center. This year, he will help the center refine its purpose.

According to Rothman, of the college’s 5,000 students, 30 percent are Israeli Arabs. He’ll use his own methodology to help the college and community “envision a future they want to create.” Rothman will also teach two seminars in conflict resolution, and will complete a book on conflict and collaboration.

In August, Rothman and his family will move to Israel for the year.

© 2006 The Dayton Jewish Observer