For years, Daniel Zahn dreamed of spending time in Israel immersed in Jewish learning and culture, meeting new people and dedicating his days to what inspired him most. In the summer of 2026, that dream became a reality thanks to the Morton Stein Scholarship Fund for Orthodox Yeshivot in Israel.
The scholarship, provided through the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Jewish Community Foundation, supports local students in need of financial assistance to attend an Orthodox yeshiva, often during a gap year.
“The scholarship was what made it possible for me to forgo an income for a few months and go to Israel to get this incredible experience,” Zahn explained. “I was learning biblical Hebrew and how to read Talmudic discourse.”
But, for Zahn, the opportunity provided more than just monetary aid. It made it possible to step away from work, dedicate himself to intensive Jewish learning, and experience life in Israel in a way he had always hoped.
And part of that was building community. While in Israel, as Zahn became more observant and gained greater exposure to Orthodox Jewish communities, he became increasingly committed to “welcoming [Orthodox Jews] into the broader Jewish community and making sure that they feel connected not only to each other, but to all Jews.”
Zahn mentioned that the people he met in Israel supported him on his path of Jewish exploration and encouraged him to grow.
While growing up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Zahn and his siblings were exposed to a wide range of Jewish experiences from an early age. They all attended Jewish summer camps (including Camp Young Judea Sprout Lake, Camp Tel Yehudah and Camp Ramah). Their mother directed the local Conservative Hebrew school, Temple Beth El, which they also attended after school.
“I feel like Allentown had this good mix of getting to know all different facets of Judaism,” Zahn said.
That experience shaped his belief in Jewish pluralism and the importance of creating Jewish spaces where people from different backgrounds can feel welcome.
Zahn attended Penn State University, where he continued his involvement in Jewish life. He traveled to Israel and Poland through college programs before attending Stanford Law School, where he served as co-president of the Jewish Law Students Association.
After graduating, Zahn worked as a law clerk in Atlanta and later moved to Washington, D.C., where he continued his legal career. Throughout those years, Jewish learning remained an important part of his life. For nearly six years, Zahn studied with rabbis who inspired him to further his Jewish education.
“A lot of them had encouraged me to go to yeshiva, to take that next step in my learning,” he said.
Zahn had originally planned to attend a yeshiva program, a school for talmudic study, between college and law school, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted those plans. Once he began working, taking an extended period away from his career felt out of reach. However, once he learned about the Morton Stein Scholarship and what it provided, he was finally able to pursue this goal and attend Shapell’s/Darché Noam in Israel.
“I remember getting the [acceptance] letter and being like, ‘This is incredible,’” Zahn said. “I just remember feeling such intense gratitude.”
For the Jewish Federation’s Scholarship Fund Coordinator Leslie Knapp, Zahn’s experience illustrates why making these opportunities accessible matters.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for individuals to take that next step in their Jewish journey,” Knapp said. “The application process is intentionally straightforward because we don’t want unnecessary barriers to stand between someone and an opportunity to learn, grow and connect with their Judaism.”
The scholarship, which was created by Morton Stein in order to support education in Israel at Orthodox yeshivot, awards its recipients between $1,500-$4,200 based on net income. In 2026 alone, approximately $105,000 was dispersed to 40 applicants, including Zahn.
Since returning from Israel, Zahn has continued his legal career and hopes to use his law degree and give back in ways that advance the values he believes in through public interest work.
He credits community members who support opportunities like the Morton Stein Scholarship that made his experience possible.
“People are putting their money where their mouth is,” Zahn said. “They’re willing to say, ‘We know there are so many things that are probably going into your decision. If one of those is the financial burden, we at least want to take that off your plate.’”
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