Teens and young adults have many stressors today. Parents of teens and young adults also have many stressors. A huge stressor that both groups share revolves around preparing for and shaping the college experience, and this is often compounded for Jewish parents.
Jewish parents want to help keep Jewish life, growth and vibrancy front and center for their children during the college years. They want to help their children understand that being Jewish is exciting, challenging, fun and something to be proud of. Some want to help their children build a Jewish career path. And many want to foster and build their children’s connection to Israel and to other Jewish peers from around the world.
It is difficult for parents to know where to turn to accomplish these goals. For families looking for financial assistance or students seeking professional opportunities during or after their college years, there are many Jewish-centered college internships and scholarships out there, and many resources available.
StandWithUs was founded in 2001 and is an international and nonpartisan Israel education organization that inspires and educates people of all ages and backgrounds, challenges misinformation and fights anti-Semitism. One of its many programs is the prestigious StandWithUs Emerson Fellowship. Founded in 2007, the program selects, trains and mentors student leaders on campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Brazil to educate about Israel and confront anti-Semitism. Throughout the year, Emerson fellows organize impactful Israel programs designed to engage and educate their peers, including bringing in speakers and creating educational and cultural events. They also monitor and respond to anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity on their campuses. Emerson fellows attend two conferences, an intensive training one in August, which was virtual this year; and StandWithUs’ annual “Israel in Focus” International Conference, planned for January 30-31, 2021.
Link for the fellowship: https://www.standwithus.com/emerson-fellowship
Link for the conference: https://www.standwithus.com/swuconf2021
Hillel International is another source for college scholarship information. Scholarships are open to Jewish students who are attending or preparing to attend accredited four-year colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada and meet the individual scholarship requirements. The Handeli First Year Student Scholarship is a scholarship for current high-school seniors or students currently on a gap-year program. Applicants must demonstrate a record of leadership and/or volunteer service in any aspect of their local community and must also self-identify as Jewish. The Hillel Campus Leadership Award is open to current college freshman, sophomores or juniors. This scholarship is awarded annually to a full-time student seeking a bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university. The student must demonstrate extraordinary leadership abilities, have a minimum GPA of 2.5, self-identify as Jewish and commit to attending at least one Hillel event in the upcoming school year. Hillel is also having its first virtual college fair November 22-24, 2020. Scholarship applications will go live in mid-November and applications will be due on March 15, 2021. All scholarship details and the link to the application will be available at hillel.org/scholarships. The Campus Leadership Award and the Handeli Scholarship will be awarded to four students in total (two per scholarship). To search for more than 600 college scholarships across the U.S. and Canada, go to Jewish Scholarships Portal.
The Jewish National Fund is another great resource. A wide variety of internships are available at JNF-USA. College students interested in marketing, PR and communications can apply to intern with the organization’s marketing department. The internship will provide students with an opportunity to potentially gain skills in social media, campaign planning, copywriting, press release drafting and office administration. Internships are also available in the IT department, where the internship may provide opportunities in database management, website administration and data analytics. Students interested in applying for an internship with Jewish National Fund-USA should email their resume to [email protected]
Onward Israel offers exciting resume-building opportunities, such as internships, academic study and fellowships, all providing a global, cross-cultural experience in Israel. Its programs are open to college students and young adults. Onward Israel offers highly subsidized mid-length internship and immersive living experiences in Israel. This year, as a response to the economic hardship that many young people are facing as a result of COVID-19, Onward Israel has established an additional scholarship fund to make programs even more affordable and accessible. Due to COVID-19, there is also a remote internship model, as well as a variety of internship models, featuring both hybrid and in-person internships. For more information visit www.onwardisrael.org�
Students Supporting Israel is another interesting organization. Although not exclusively Jewish, its members are almost overwhelmingly so. Its mission “is to be a clear and confident pro-Israel voice on college campuses and to support students in grassroots pro-Israel advocacy.” SSI is currently running an SSI-U program that features 12 lectures (one lecture per week) with a “fall break” and one final project—giving students a stipend upon completion. Lectures are based on various Israel- and Zionism-related topics and are open to current college students or high-school seniors. For more information: www.SSImovement.org/ssiu�
SSI’s Campus Coordinator program serves as an internship-like opportunity, with a stipend each week upon completion of tasks. Campus coordinators will work closely with the SSI national team and will train on promoting SSI’s message and building a grassroots network. For more information: www.SSImovement.org/campuscoordinator
Susan R. Eisenstein is a longtime Jewish educator, passionate about creating special innovative activities for her students. She is also passionate about writing about Jewish topics and writing about Israel. Susan has two master’s degrees and a doctorate in education from Columbia University.
