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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpEhd-MsgzADirector General of
ORT Uruguay University
She was a cornerstone in the educational development of ORT Uruguay University, the first private university in the country.Her life, an example of personal resilience and tireless dedication to education, leaves an indelible legacy in the educational community and Uruguayan society.
Charlotte de Grünberg, whose life began in Belgium and was marked by the adversity of the Shoah, found in Uruguay not only a refuge but also a fertile ground to cultivate her passion for education.
View the agenda for the new Jewish year 5785, dedicated to the memory of Prof. Charlotte de Grünberg.
Life and Career of an Inspiring Figure
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Born in Liège, Belgium. Resident in Uruguay since 1952. Married to Prof. Dr. José Grünberg, she had one son and three grandchildren.
Charlotte, along with her brother and parents, survived the Shoah while living in hiding in France. The Uruguayan writer Ruperto Long wrote a book about this chapter of her life, The Girl Who Watched the Trains Go By (La niña que miraba los trenes partir), published in Spanish throughout Latin America and Spain. The book has been translated and published in Italy, Israel, and Romania.
After her arrival in Uruguay, she completed her studies in French Language and Civilization, as well as a degree in English Language and Applied Linguistics.
Between 1965 and 1967, she served as Secretary of Culture at the Alliance Française. From 1973 to 1977, she joined the neurolinguistic research team at the Clínicas Hospital, Universidad de la República.
In 1977, she became the Director General of ORT Uruguay.
From 1988 onwards, she led international projects funded by the European Union and Canada in underprivileged neighbourhoods of Montevideo and other cities, in collaboration with local governments.
In 1995, she assumed the role of General Coordinator for Latin America for World ORT.
The 21st Century
In 2000, she was appointed by World ORT as a member of the International Commission on the Future of ORT in the 21st Century.
She was recognized for her contributions to education and Jewish life, both nationally and internationally, by institutions such as the Punta del Este Jewish Film Festival, the University of Arts and Communication Sciences of Chile, WIZO, and KKL, among others.
In August 2018, she received the Scopus Award from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the first time it was awarded in Uruguay.
Since October 2019, she was a member of the Honorary Commission of the Holocaust Memorial Center of Uruguay.
In December 2019, she was awarded the Jerusalem Prize by the Zionist Organization of Uruguay. And in October 2020, World ORT presented her with the Robert Singer Award for Outstanding Senior ORT Professionals.
Under her leadership, until February 2024, ORT Uruguay University became the largest non-governmental educational institution in the country.
