The next generation is now. Following Hamas’ massacre in Israel on Oct. 7, this sentiment is more important than ever as teenagers have stepped up as leaders for the Jewish people and for their Jewish homeland. This sense of Jewish pride is firmly rooted in formative Jewish experiences and leadership programs that foster individual identity, reinforce collective responsibility and learn how to effect change for a better world.
“The work of this generation will pave the way for the future of the Jewish community in Greater Philadelphia and at-large,” said the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia’s Director of Leadership Development and Governance Lori Rubin. “Leadership comes in many forms: from combating antisemitism to championing interfaith work to advocating for Israel and social justice issues to upholding and sharing the beautiful traditions of the Jewish people through various mediums. The Jewish Federation supports the many avenues teens have to connect with their Jewish identity and become leaders within their communities.”
Raphael Lo knows firsthand the value these programs can have for teenagers after participating in the Diller Teen Fellowship, a one-year leadership training experience for 10th and 11th graders that includes workshops, cohort building activities and travel to Israel.
“Learning that we have differences was one of the most vital parts of the Diller program, but even more crucial was understanding that we can put aside our differences in order to celebrate our union as a group of unique individuals that share this identity of being Jewish,” said Lo, a 2022-2023 Diller Teen Fellow. “For this, I thank the Diller program, and the Jewish Federation for supporting this initiative, and want to express the gratitude of all the friends I have made through this experience.”
Check out these programs to find what could be the next step in your teen’s Jewish journey:
AJC’s Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT)
Today’s high school students are tomorrow’s Jewish leaders. Leaders for Tomorrow (LFT), American Jewish Committee’s education and advocacy program for teens, empowers young Jews to speak up for Israel and the Jewish people. LFT helps high school students develop a strong Jewish identity, trains them as advocates for Israel and to be voices against antisemitism. LFT gives students the tools to talk about the issues impacting world Jewry today, and the confidence to stand up for these issues in college and throughout their lives, no matter how difficult the situation. To learn more, click here.
Bronfman Fellowship
The Bronfman Fellowship is a transformative, year-long experience for a cohort of 26 intellectually adventurous young people who want to see the world through a lens broader than their own. This is an opportunity unlike any other, it’s a space where Fellows can give free rein to their curiosity and explore issues with depth, candor and joy, all while having fun and forming friendships to last a lifetime. It begins with a five-week summer in Israel for those in between their junior and senior years of high school. To learn more, click here.
Diller Teen Fellows
Diller Teen Fellows program is an incredible one-year leadership training experience for 10th and 11th graders that aims to build the next generation of committed Jewish leaders.
A part of a global network of teens, our Greater Philadelphia cohort allows participants to make connections and friendships with peers in the area as well as from around the world. This highly subsidized 12-month program includes workshops, retreats, seminars and a three-week trip to Israel where they meet teens like themselves from around the world. To learn more, click here.
Habonim Dror
Habonim Dror is a Progressive Labor Zionist Youth movement with a mission to build a personal bond between North American Jewish youth and the State of Israel and creating Jewish leaders who will actualize the principles of social justice, equality, peace and coexistence. Habonim Dror runs summer camps, an Israel summer program, a gap-year program and year-round activities across North America. To learn more, click here.
Interfaith Philadelphia: Walking the Walk
The goal for this program is to equip our youth to become Interfaith Leaders and to feel confident in being an ambassador in their own faith communities and neighborhoods. The training sessions will guide youth through recruitment, relationship development, facilitation and leadership. The skills you develop here you can carry forward to your college, career and beyond. To learn more, click here.
JEVS Human Services: Lasko Scholars Program
JEVS’ Lasko Scholars Program offers college counseling and SAT test prep for Jewish high school juniors and seniors interested in attending a four-year college or university. The program assists students with finding their ‘best-fit’ college and major selection, completing their essays, understanding financial aid and meeting other college-bound students. For more information and to register, click here.
JFCS Leadership Programs:
The Youth Volunteer Program allows participants to choose from a variety of programs that teach the history and teens (ages 14 – 17) collaborate with JFCS clients living with disabilities for virtual volunteering in a welcoming and inclusive environment. Participants will receive kits in the mail for each month with the supplies for their volunteering activity, with each project benefiting a different JFCS program or client base. Teens form new relationships in an environment which fosters inclusion and creates a sense of community. To learn more, click here.
The Teen Empowerment Program (TEP) is designed to provide teens with a springboard to become future leaders in the community. TEP enables teens to experience philanthropy and the grants and allocations process first-hand and explore the Jewish tradition of giving back to the community through volunteer opportunities with JFCS. Through TEP, teens learn community leadership, working with JFCS’ professional staff who encourage thinking about and acting upon the values of tzedakah (giving back) and tikkun olam (repairing the world). TEP plants the seeds for future leaders and philanthropists in our community. To learn more, click here.
jGirls+ Magazine
jGirls+ is an online community and magazine for and by self-identifying Jewish teenage girls, young women and nonbinary teens, designed to share their voices with the world and each other. Supported by the Jewish Federation’s Women of Vision, jGirls+' content is created by teens and curated by a teen-led editorial board. The magazine’s aesthetic is shaped by teen staff photographers.
jGirls+ accepts submissions of creative materials (fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, photography and music) on an ongoing basis from girls, ages 13-19. Published teen writers and artists are paid for their work. For more information, click here.
JRA: Junior Yellow Capper Program
Love coming to JRA? Always wanted to be a Yellow Capper? Now you CAN! JRA’s Junior Yellow Capper program gives students in grades 8-12 the opportunity to join JRA’s Yellow Cappers. This junior leadership team will assist at JRA monthly distributions and other JRA events! JRA Junior Yellow Cappers must attend a minimum of 6 JRA monthly food distributions each year. Program participants will be assigned to work with JRA Yellow Capper mentors in a variety of exciting distribution activities. Junior Yellow Cappers will also have the opportunity to help out at JRA events throughout the year. To learn more, click here.
Maccabi
Sports help grow leadership and collaborative skills. Maccabi USA builds Jewish pride through sports and promotes support for Israel, Zionism, and Jewish continuity through athletic, educational, and cultural experiences for participants of all ages. Athletic trainers, coaches, physicians and many more volunteer jobs are needed for the games. To learn more, click here.
Mordechai Anielewicz Creative Arts Competition
Leadership can show itself in a multitude of ways – including through the medium of art. Named in memory of the heroic young leader who organized Jewish resistance and gave his life fighting in the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943, the Mordechai Anielewicz Creative Arts Competition invites students in grades 7 through 12 to learn about the Holocaust and respond by means of creative expression. Students may submit original works in the form of poetry, prose, drawing, painting, sculpture, music, dance and video. To learn more, click here.
Moving Tradition’s Kol Koleinu Fellowship
The Moving Traditions’ Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist fellowship, offered in collaboration with NFTY and USY, invites young Jewish feminists of all genders to learn how to apply a Jewish feminist lens to the world, ask powerful questions, deepen their knowledge about social change and amplify their voices to share their beliefs and express a call to action. Finally, fellows hone their skills by creating a tangible social change project. To learn more click here.
Moving Traditions also has a number of other teen programs, including Rosh Hodesh for self-identifying Jewish girls, Shevet for self-identifying Jewish boys and Tzelem for LGBTQ+, nonbinary, and gender expansive teens. Learn more by clicking here.
Philly Friendship Circle Teen Leadership
The Philly Friendship Circle connects teens and young adults to youth with special needs and their families through a full range of social offerings. Inspired by the power of genuine friendships, our youth cultivate understanding, kindness and responsibility while ensuring a caring and inclusive community. The organization offers skill-building leadership opportunities for teens who wish to make a deeper commitment to their mission. These programs go hand in hand with their Fellowship Awards, which provide comprehensive leadership development, and happen to be excellent credentials on college admissions applications. To learn more, click here.
Young Judaea
Young Judaea is the oldest Zionist youth movement in the United States. For over 100 years, Young Judaea has brought together thousands of Jewish youth from across the country and around the world – of every religious, cultural, and political persuasion, through a shared commitment to Jewish values, Jewish pride, and love of Israel. With summer and year-round programs in both the US and Israel, from 3rd grade to college and beyond, Young Judaea is truly unique in its ability to offer a fun, safe, social environment that also includes a distinct focus on education, leadership, and social action. To learn more, click here.
TEEN SCHOLARSHIPS:
The Jewish Federation awards scholarships to support teen leadership development. Learn more about scholarships by clicking here.
Israel Programs Scholarship Aid Fund (IPSAF)
The Jewish Federation oversees the Israel Programs Scholarship Aid Fund (IPSAF), which provides financial support for anyone who wants to participate in a program in Israel. This fund helps teens travel to Israel with youth movements and attend educational programs. For more information and to apply, click here.
Teen Leadership Incentive Grants
Through the Teen Leadership Incentive Grants program, the Jewish Federation provides funding directly to youth movements to reduce cost barriers for teens to participate in immersive experiences that foster Jewish identity and leadership with Atlantic Seaboard NCSY, B'nai B'rith Youth Organization (BBYO), Lubavitch of Bucks County (CTeens), Union for Reform Judaism (NFTY), United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USY) and Tzofim, also known as the Friends of Israel Scouts. To learn more, click here.
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Find out more ways for teens to get involved in the community by visiting jewishphilly.org/teens. You can also see the impact that the Jewish Federation is making for teens and more by visiting jewishphilly.org/impact.