Meet Our 2013 Fellows

Rafi Glazer
Shanah: A Year of Jewish Service

Shanah is a Washington, DC based gap-year program focusing on immersive community service. Participants will take a year between high school and college to volunteer in the Greater Washington area. They will learn about the issues facing those in need and ignite their passion for social justice by taking action serving the community. This project is a part of the American Jewish Society for Service.

Wander Jew is a social-media grounded web experience providing Jews of all generations a forum to discover Jewish programmatic opportunities and travel experiences across the world. The Wander Jew website creates a Jewish webspace that capitalizes on existing social networks (aggregating social media) to crowd source information and stories from each individual’s Jewish story. In doing so, Wander Jew gives users the ability to explore travel opportunities and Jewish programs, connect with friends/user participants and share their own unique experience of traveling the Jewish globe.

Leveling the Playing Field (LPF) works to give underprivileged children the opportunity to learn life skills through athletics. LPF hopes to do this by increasing access to sports equipment. This will be accomplished through equipment drives, donation bins and partnerships with collegiate athletic departments and professional sports teams.

Israel Montessori Association (IMA) will transform elementary education and child development in Israel by introducing a professional, locally based framework for accrediting Montessori teachers and institutions. The program will concurrently enable Israeli teachers to intern and improve Hebrew language instruction in Montessori schools throughout North America, Europe and Latin America.

Host-it provides educational programming to those interested in connecting with Judaism through food. By learning to host their own
Jewish meal, young adults will become more connected to Judaism and its traditions. Participants will realize how approachable and meaningful creating a Jewish meal and atmosphere can be, as they begin to bring Judaism into their secular lives.

Capital Cultural Comedy (CCC) is a series of live comedy shows that center around people of different backgrounds and cultures. The shows bring together diverse young adults to laugh and joke and become educated about their culture and that of those around them. The program hopes to open the eyes of people in DC to break down stereotypes. Through CCC, Jews and people of other cultures will be able to laugh together and better understand their peers.

The A Shalom Alaykum Fellowship, a special project of Atlas Corps, engages experienced Israeli and Muslim non-profit professionals in year-long service fellowships in the United States. The Fellowship seeks to overcome cultural and political barriers through a shared service experience: Jewish Fellows serve at Muslim/Arab non-profits and vice versa. The Fellows will also have the opportunity to engage with the global Atlas Corps network.

The Jewish Teacher Project centralizes all information important to Judaic Studies teachers in a single portal. It is an open source website that provides discipline-specific, technology and professional development resources all in one place. The Jewish Teacher Project offers teachers a network through which they can to connect with one another across schools, regardless of denominational affiliation or geography, to share curriculum materials and discuss teaching methodology.

The Legal Access Program at the Jewish Coalition Against Domestic Abuse (JCADA) adds a legal advocate to a victim’s clinical support team who will navigate the myriad of challenges they face and guide them through the intimidating and costly legal system. This program’s comprehensive approach reduces costs by optimizing lawyers’ time while increasing victims’ access to safety for themselves and their children.

Elizabeth Weingarten
Tribelle

Tribelle is a vibrant, multi-style jewelry collection that showcases the handmade work of low-income Israeli female entrepreneurs. The collection will be featured in a number of boutique retail stores and online. These Israeli entrepreneurs struggle to grow their enterprises because they rely on small-scale local selling opportunities, or one-off online transactions. Tribelle will alleviate these problems by connecting talented makers with American retailers and a steady stream of e-commerce.

Young Leadership Programs:

• Young Leadership Monthly Updates
• Alumni Leadership Mission
• NEXT DC (Birthright Alumni)
• ConnectGens Fellowship
• Impact DC
• Masa Israel
• NeXus
• Reverse Mifgash 
• National Young Leadership 
• Taglit-Birthright Israel