Paula Brandt

In my work as the Federation's Newcomer Engagement Associate, I meet so many Jews who are moving or want to be moving to Nashville. They come from all sorts of places for all sorts of reasons, and we bring them into Nashville’s Jewish community through our monthly Newcomer Shabbat Dinners, our quarterly Newcomer Welcome Receptions, and by connecting them with community members and organizations who can help them find what they are looking for. One of my favorite parts of this job is getting to hear these newcomers’ dynamic, engaging stories, so we are starting this new monthly feature in the Observer so you can get to know some of them and their stories too. We hope you enjoy reading these and hope you will give every newcomer you meet a smile and a warm Nashville welcome!

This month, we are featuring Paula Brandt, from Argentina. She was willing to write her answers in both English and Spanish, just for fun! If you see her around town, make sure to say, “Hi,” and let her know you read about her in The Observer.

Tell us your story. Where are you from? How did you end up in Nashville?

I'm from Cordoba, Argentina. I've been working for an IT company called Globant for 5 years in that city and last year the company decided to offer me a position here in the US.

What has your Jewish story been like up to this point? How did you get involved with Nashville's Jewish community?

I was born into a traditional Jewish family, but when I was a teenager I moved around quite a bit and did not participate in community activities until in 2013 when my cousin Ido who lives in Israel came to visit and told me about the Bria (Birthright Israel-Argentina) program and how good it had been for many of his Jewish friends who did not live in Israel, so I decided to take his advice and signed up for the program. It was an experience that changed my life. I met many people who are great friends today and since then I have been an active member of the Jewish community. When I made the decision to move to Nashville, I contacted a friend from Texas and asked for advice on who to contact in the Nashville community and without hesitation, she suggested sending an email to the local Jewish Federation.

How has your experience been in Nashville so far? Any notable memories or experiences?

I must admit that during my first days in the city I felt a little lost. Luckily it was for a short period of time because I immediately started meeting wonderful people who helped me and showed me how amazing Nashville is, and how much fun it is to live here. Everyone I met has been very friendly, and it's one of the things I like most about the city. As a good Argentine, when I was invited to watch a soccer match at the new stadium I agreed immediately. It was a very fun experience and it made me feel at home.

What do you love about being Jewish?

I am going to use some words that I read on the internet and make them my own, which I think represent the qualities that I love the most about being Jewish. Being Jewish is not only a cultural identity that schedules our traditions, being Jewish is more than that. It is an operating system that we carry inside and that drives us to see the world in a different way, giving a transcendent reason to the events in the lives of people and communities. In my opinion, being Jewish is having the sensitivity to always see what is missing, what can be changed and improved.

What do you love about being Jewish in Nashville?

I love feeling that I can be part of such a lively and active community, which is always on the lookout for organizing activities to keep the community together. I'm really looking forward to participating more during the time I'm here.

What does the next year look like for you? Is there anything that you are still looking to do or experience in Nashville?

I definitely want to get to know Nashville more, and definitely travel more around the United States. I also know that professionally I have great challenges ahead of me, which I hope to be able to overcome and continue to grow.

Cuéntanos tu historia. ¿De dónde eres? ¿Cómo terminaste en Nashville?

Soy de Córdoba, Argentina. Vine a Nashville gracias a mi trabajo en IT, en el cual llevo 5 años, el año pasado me ofrecieron una posición en los Estados Unidos la cual acepté de inmediato.

¿Cuál es tu historia judía hasta ahora? ¿Cómo te involucraste con la comunidad judía de Nashville?

Nací en una familia judía tradicional, pero en durante mi adolescencia me aleje bastante ya no participaba más en las actividades de la comunidad hasta que en 2013 vino a visitarme mi primo Ido que vive en Israel y me comento del programa de Bria y lo bueno que había sido para muchos de sus amigos judios que no vivían en Israel, asi que decidi tomar su consejo y me inscribí al programa. Fue una experiencia que cambió mi vida, conocí a muchas personas que hoy son grandes amigos y desde ese momento no me he separado ni un día de mi comunidad. Cuando supe que iba a venir a vivir a Nashville me puse en contacto con un amigo de Texas y le pedí consejos sobre con quien contactarme de la comunidad y el sin dudarlo me sugirió enviar un correo a la Federación Judía de Nashville.

¿Cuál está siendo tu experiencia en Nashville hasta ahora? ¿Tienes memorias o experiencias notables?

Debo reconocer que durante mis primeros días en la ciudad me sentí un poco perdida, pero de inmediato empecé a conocer personas maravillosas que me ayudaron y me mostraron cuán extraordinaria es Nashville y lo divertido que es vivir aquí. Todas las personas con las que me cruce son muy amables, y es una de las cosas que más me gusta de la ciudad. Como buena argentina, cuando me invitaron a ver un partido de fútbol al nuevo estadio accedí de inmediato, fue una experiencia muy divertida y que me hizo sentir como en casa.

¿Que amas de ser judía?

Voy a hacer mías unas palabras que leí en internet, que creo que representa las cualidades que aprendemos como judios y me parecen de las más significativas, ser judía no es solamente una identidad cultural que llevamos puesta y que agenda nuestras costumbres y tradiciones, ser judía es más que eso, es un sistema operativo que llevamos dentro y que nos impulsa a ver el mundo de diferente manera dándole una razón trascendente a los acontecimientos de la vida de las personas y los pueblos, A mi entender, ser judía es tener la sensibilidad de ver siempre que falta, que se puede cambiar y mejorar.

¿Que amas de ser judía en Nashville?

Me encanta sentir que puedo ser parte de una comunidad tan viva y activa, que está siempre pendiente de organizar actividades para mantener la comunidad unida.

¿Cómo se ve el próximo año para ti? ¿Tienes cosas que todavía quieres hacer o experimentar?

Definitivamente quiero seguir conociendo Nashville, aprender más sobre el lugar, definitivamente viajar más por los Estados Unidos. Y en cuanto a lo profesional, definitivamente tengo grandes desafíos por delante, que espero poder superar y seguir creciendo.