Jonathan Bouzali
Jonathan Bouzali was born in 1984, the son of Argentinean immigrants who settled in Mexico City. At the age of 14, he started his professional career by giving guitar lessons, becoming the director of tbe music school where he began as a teacher in only two short years. At the age of 18, Jonathan founded and directed his own music school, Music House, where he also worked as a producer for concerts and music festivals. At that time he started receiving offers from Televisa (Mexico´s leading television network) and advertising agencies to start working for them on national TV programs and other commercial, promotional and advertising projects. The first campaign he ever produced was the Mexican Red Cross national campaign. He was 21 years old. With dozens of TV, cinema and radio spots and lots of media campaigns for well-known companies, he continued working in the publicity and production industry, accruing a diversified and important portfolio of projects while working with some of the best known national and international brands and companies.
As the founder and General Director of Music House for nearly 10 years, Jonathan has worked to improve the music education sector. Music House is considered one of the best music schools for young Jewish students, having successfully introduced several young artists to the Mexican music scene. This is accomplished daily with the help of more than 15 respected and qualified teachers who provide musical education to more than 150 Mexican Jewish youth through innovative educational programs, all of them created by Jonathan. KUTER Production Company, of which Jonathan is the founder and General Producer, has accomplished a diverse and important portfolio of projects that include national advertising campaigns, multimedia and interactive productions and music videos. Jonathan has also worked for some internationally known brands such as PepsiCo, Yakult, Kellogg’s, Pfizer and Sony Music. Jonathan prides himself on doing pro bono work whenever the opportunity arises. He produced a trailer for Mexico’s Jewish Film Festival.
Irit Bonder
Growing up in the Jewish community in Mexico, Irit Bonder was involved in the Habonim Dror youth movement where she was a madricha. She also visited Israel several times, including studying in the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzeliyah. These experiences contributed to her interest in international affairs, which led her to receive a B.A. in international relations. For three years, she worked for a consulting firm that planned political campaigns and communications strategies for various departments of the Mexican Government, including the Department of State. One of the objectives of this particular project was to improve the perception of Mexico abroad. Last year she began an M.A. program in communications from Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), where she is researching the effects of new information technologies on the migration phenomenon and the effects of the violence in Mexico on U.S. citizens.
Jewish traditions and culture have always emphasized the importance of education. For the Jewish people, education is a valuable tool for the spiritual and material development of its people. Like history itself, education has always been in a state of change. In today’s world, globalization and new technologies have made education a key factor for the economic development of any country. As such, competitiveness (the ability to attract and maintain different kinds of investments) is based on the capabilities and talent of the people who live in certain places. These capabilities can only be increased by education. Mexico suffers from a population that is overwhelmingly uneducated. Due to a lack of material resources, combined with the absence of sufficient social support, even in the 21st century many citizens lag behind. For this to improve, all of society must become involved. What is needed is significant financial support coupled with the implementation of appropriate educational programs. Only in this way will Mexican children be given the opportunity to access formal education.
Jimmy Salinas
Jimmy Salinas is the National Executive Director of ORT in Mexico. ORT is considered to be one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the world dedicated to education and training, which has roots in over 100 countries. In Mexico, Jimmy is responsible for defining and implementing its strategy and with overseeing its projects and day-to-day operations. He mainly works on the development and execution of educational projects with other governmental and non-governmental organizations across the country. Jimmy likes to study. He has a technical degree in computer science and programming, an emergency medical technician/paramedic degree, a B.Sc. in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at San Antonio and an M.Sc. in biomedical engineering from Tel Aviv University. He is currently finalizing his Ph.D. dissertation in the field of innovative education.
Jimmy’s current innovative work is centered on the field of education. He is continuously creating new projects that have a direct impact on society. For example, a few years ago he created the first Latin American Congress on innovative education. Today, more than 5,000 teachers attend this four-day Congress every year from countries all over Latin America. He also created the first Ibero-American Summit on Institutional Development for non-governmental organizations, which was held in Mexico City in 2011 and drew over 600 NGO’s. Jimmy is currently leading the creation of ORT’s University Graduate School in Mexico City, where different options of masters degrees in business development and entrepreneurship will be offered to an elite selection of students. This unique university will also offer continuing education courses in business administration and development and will include a very innovative online start-up business incubator program for entrepreneurs.
Isidoro Hamui
Born and raised as the eldest son of an Aleppian-descended Jewish family in Mexico City, Isidoro Hamui found himself ill-adapted to the Jewish mainstream. After majoring in hospitality management, he traveled the globe, learned from different cultures and worked in the service industry in places like Brazil, Paris, Israel and Madrid. It was during this time that Isidoro found his passion and a lifestyle that countered the traditional way of working. As a Zionist and traditional Jew, Isidoro has studied gemara, halacha and chumash, always looking for an answer to life’s questions, even if those questions become more and more complex and the answers more simple. Isidoro believes that answers come only from within and that no one but ourselves can solve them. Languages, arts, music, architecture, photography and leisure, are part of this young man’s passions. He is currently exploring progressive ideas for the Jewish community through the creation of hip, horizon expanding options within the hospitality industry.
Isodoro is interested in going beyond Mexico City’s community to connect, network and unite young Jews who are into alternative lifestyles. Last year an opportunity arose. An old synagogue in Mexico City Center opened its doors for Isidoro and Michel, two Mexican Jews from different backgrounds who are united in their complaints about the homog of the large homogenous Jewish community in Mexico. After learning about Jewish salons in Mexico City from Alan Grabinsky, Isidoro and Michel partnered with various young Jews, creating a platform to explore, network, develop professionally and create. With the additional support of a few sponsors, Hip-Purim came into being, growing Hip’s networking power and bringing together musicians and artists. This year’s projects include partnering with the Festival Internacional de Cine Judio (Mexico’s Jewish film festival), Ku Colectivo (an art gallery) and more. They plan to expand into screening movies, showcasing art and offering sustainable travel.
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