THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2022 Page 11 SCHOOL | FROM Page 8 For 37 years, Bronfman Fellows have built a pluralistic community through a transformative, intellectual and deeply personal journey in which they have the opportunity to see the world through a lens broader than their own. Fellows expand their perspectives as they build community with those representing different backgrounds, worldviews and approaches to Jewish life and practice. Inspired by a stellar faculty of Rabbis and educators, Fellows explore a wide range of Jewish texts, from classic religious works to contemporary poetry and philosophy, using these sources to spark conversations, engage with stimulating existential questions and achieve a deeper understanding of themselves and one another. In addition to learning with stellar educators, Fellows also have the unique opportunity to engage with leading intellectuals, artists, and religious and cultural leaders. Past speakers have included journalist Matti Friedman, author Nicole Krauss, musician and Yiddish scholar Anthony Russell and Torah scholar Dr. Avivah Zornberg. Fellows also interact with a group of Israeli peers who were chosen through a parallel selection process by the Israeli branch of the Fellowship, Amitei Bronfman. Additionally, they have the opportunity to participate in the Fellowship’s arts tracks: workshops in areas including poetry, dance, drama, visual narrative and music, taught by leading innovators in the fi eld of Jewish art. Upon returning home from the summer in Israel, Fellows explore major themes in North American Jewish life and embark on projects to bridge the ideas and questions from their Bronfman summer with their daily lives and home communities. “My father, Edgar M. Bronfman, placed enormous faith in young people’s ability to see the world not just as it is, but as it ought to be,” said The Samuel Bronfman Foundation President Adam R. Bronfman. “He believed that young people energized by their Judaism were best equipped to both shape a Jewish ‘Renaissance’ and improve the world.” “The Fellowship is an opportunity for dynamic personal and intellectual growth in a group of carefully chosen peers,” said Executive Director Becky Voorwinde. “We seek to increase communication between young people across the Jewish spectrum including fostering bonds between Jews in North America and Israel. This program serves as a creative force that has inspired some of our best Jewish young adults to become leaders in their communities.” Alumni of The Bronfman Fellowship are leaders in their community, playing key roles in fi elds such as social justice, academia, law and the arts. There are now nearly 1,400 Bronfman Fellowship alumni across North America and Israel. Among them are eight Rhodes Scholars, four former Supreme Court clerks, 20 Fulbright Scholars, 36 Wexner Fellows and 29 Dorot Fellows. Leaders of note among Fellowship alumni include Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, author of the best-selling Series of Unfortunate Events children’s books; Jonathan Safran Foer, author of “Everything Is Illuminated”; and Rabbi Rachel Nussbaum, Rabbi and co-founder of a pluralistic Jewish community, the Kavana Cooperative, in Seattle. Others include Judy Batalion, author of “The Light of Days”; Anne Dreazen, Foreign Affairs Specialist in the Department of Defense; Itamar Moses, Tony award-winner for “The Band’s Visit”; and Rabbi Deborah Sacks Mintz, Community Singing Consultant of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute. Alumni also include entrepreneurial Jewish leaders who have founded organizations like Keshet, Sefaria and YidLife Crisis, and serve in central leadership roles at major organizations like the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, the Jewish Women’s Archive, Central Synagogue, Hillel International and the Foundation for Jewish Camp, to name a few. Our Israeli alumni have also ascended to positions of infl uence in government, civil groups, the private sector and cultural institutions. Amitei Bronfman alumni include attorneys at the Justice Department, noted journalists, successful filmmakers (including a Tribeca Film Festival winner), political advisers to Members of Knesset, members of elite IDF units and university lecturers. About The Bronfman Fellowship The Bronfman Fellowship, the fl agship program for outstanding young Jews, taps 26 North American teenagers at a formative point in their lives, the year before college, when an intense, immersive experience will have the most impact. The Fellowship is an opportunity unlike any other: a space where young people who want to see the world through a lens broader than their own can explore issues with depth, candor and joy while forming friendships to last a lifetime. Fellows wrestle with major issues in contemporary Jewish life, meet some of today’s most infl uential fi gures and expand their perspectives as they build community with those representing diff erent backgrounds, worldviews and approaches to Jewish life and practice. The year begins with an immersive summer study program that typically takes place in Israel and includes an encounter with a parallel cadre of outstanding Israeli teenagers. Programming continues throughout Fellows’ senior year of high school with a series of lively in-person and virtual seminars, gatherings and projects. Upon graduating high school, the Fellows join an alumni community that has become a model for lifelong engagement, as Bronfman alumni continue to exchange ideas and inspire one another to contribute their talents, vision and creativity to the Jewish community and the world. The Fellowship, now in its 37th year, was founded in 1987 by Edgar M. Bronfman, z”l, and refl ects his early and impassioned belief that for the Jewish people to thrive, Israeli and American Jews from a variety of backgrounds must be engaged in open and creative discourse with one another. The alumni embody his vision that young people who are enriched and energized by their Judaism are poised to contribute not only to Jewish life, but to improving the world. For more information about The Bronfman Fellowship, including how to apply, please visit www.bronfman.org. Our Mission: The Bronfman Fellowship nurtures intellectually curious young Jews from Israel and North America to build a more dynamic and pluralistic future. Our Vision: We envision a future led by people who see the world through a lens broader than their own and who value Jewish learning as an instrument for discovery, creativity, and change. What We Do: We thoughtfully select promising Jewish people with diverse backgrounds and identities who demonstrate the ability to be cultural creators, deep thinkers, moral voices and community builders. By exploring the plurality of Jewish life, and by creating a rich tapestry of Jewish ideas, we build a community rooted in meaningful relationships and an expanded sense of possibility.
12 Publizr Home