Refer a teen or apply to the Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship or Immersive!
Since the October 7th massacre and the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, Jewish teens in North America have been experiencing many serious challenges. Jewish teens with diverse political identities have been criticized by their peers and communities for expressing their beliefs around Israel and the war. Many teens and their loved ones have been targeted by Israel-related antisemitism.
The Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship and Immersive are programs for teens to safely engage with Israel across their political, cultural, and ideological differences. We are here to help you nurture a complex and caring relationship with Israel and aim to build a vibrant, pluralistic community of teen Israel organizers.
Apply or refer a teen to the URJ Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship and they’ll earn a $15,000 scholarship to Heller High in Israel. Designed for high school students ages 15-18, The Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship and Immersive are programs for teens to safely engage with Israel across their political, cultural, and ideological differences. Fellows will learn about social issues and culture in Israel and learn how to organize around Israel within their communities. Fellows will attend Heller High this coming Fall 2024 semester and will meet once a week for the semester to learn about social issues and culture in Israel and hone their leadership and community organizing skills. Upon returning home from Israel in the winter of 2024—and under the guidance of a supportive and experienced mentor—Teen Israel Organizing Fellows will spearhead an organizing project around Israel in their local communities.
If you or your teen can’t travel to Israel for an entire semester, apply or refer a teen to the US-Based URJ Teen Israel Organizing Immersive, a four month for North American teens to learn about social issues and culture in Israel and learn how to organize around Israel in their communities! Participants will travel for free to an in-person opening seminar at URJ Camp Coleman from October 18-21, 2024 before returning home to work with a mentor on a project of their choosing.
For more information about the Teen Israel Organizing Fellowship, click here.
For more information about the Teen Israel Organizing Immersive, click here.
Also, please feel free to reach out to Director of Youth Organizing – Israel Bryan Oren at bhoren@urj.org.