The Negev is home to a rich diversity of cultural traditions, both Jewish and Arab–Bedouin, and to many artists and cultural entrepreneurs in a range of professional fields. The Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev views cultural activity as a key avenue for forging social narratives and identities that celebrate diversity and difference, while promoting understanding, partnership, and a sense of common purpose.

The Mandel Program for Cultural Leadership in the Negev is designed for people who have the potential to be highly influential in the arts and in culture. Fellows include cultural entrepreneurs, cultural managers, visual artists, musicians, writers, theater professionals, choreographers and more, from diverse communities throughout the Negev.

The program strives to nurture outstanding leaders who will work to promote innovative discourse and action in the fields of art and culture in the Negev and to create a shared cultural space for the diverse communities of the region. By developing cultural leadership informed by vision and values, the Center hopes to contribute to the preservation of tradition and local identities, and at the same time to strengthen ties between different communities and to elevate Negev culture as a source of pride and social solidarity.

Fellows in the program immerse themselves in key challenges facing the Negev, formulate a vision, and translate it into action in the form of innovative initiatives in the cultural arena. The program helps fellows to clarify their values and identities and equips them with the necessary leadership tools to leverage culture and art for promoting social change.

Graduates of the program are furthering the program’s goals of fostering rich, diverse, and thriving cultural life throughout the Negev, and the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev sees this program as a model for cultivating cultural leadership throughout Israel.