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Prof. Seymour Fox passed away just two week after announcing his plans to retire as Director of Programs of the Mandel Foundation worldwide.
Prof. Fox was a central pillar of the world of Jewish education and served in many key positions in the field of Jewish education in North America. In essence, he was one of the leading figures in turning Jewish education into a profession.
Collaboration between Prof. Fox and Morton Mandel led to the establishment of what has become the largest foundation for Jewish education in the Jewish world and to the fouding of the Mandel Leadership Institute (MLI) in Jerusalem. Fox was appointed as President of the Mandel Foundation-Israel and at the same time MLI adopted the Jerusalem Fellows program which Fox had established. Two years later, the Mandel School of Educational Leadership was established, in partnership with Israel’s Ministry of Education. From the very beginning, the programs at MLI have aspired to train educational leadersip for Israel and Jewish communities throughout the world who can bridge the gap between theory and practice. For Fox, "the two most important characteristics of [an educational leader] ...are self-motivation and stamina in the face of failure; for it is not sufficient to choose people with excellent skills, inspiration and commitment...we must ensure their success on the rocky path of translation from vision to practice."
Fox’s influence on the curriculum and philosophy of MLI are felt on a daily basis – in each of the Institute’s programs and in the professional language that its students and graduates speak in both Israel and around the world.
May his memory serve as a blessing.
To read a more complete biography of Prof. Fox click here
To watch video clips from an evening in memory of Prof. Fox click here
Tributes written in memory of Prof Fox:
Prof. Jonathan Sarna, Brandeis University
Andrew Silow-Caroll, MJF Graduate
Mandel Graduates remember Prof. Fox
Haaretz (Hebrew)
The Jerusalem Post
The New York Jewish Week
The Forward
Dr. Daniel Gordis
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