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About the Fellowship

The T’ruah Israel Fellowship offers a select group of six students spending the academic year in Israel the opportunity for intensive study, experiential learning, development of a rabbinic voice, and cohort building. Fellows participate in monthly study sessions, special opportunities to see human rights issues on-the-ground (in addition to the regular Year-In-Israel program), and leadership training. Fellows also take leadership roles in guiding and facilitating the Year-in-Israel program for their fellow students.

“The T’ruah Fellowship provided me with a unique and important opportunity to deepen my learning during my year in Israel. The fellowship cohort was an important space for me to process my personal experiences and evolving relationship to Israel while also helping me develop a more robust sense of the role I play as a rabbinic voice in shaping discourse around human rights issues in Israel and Palestine.”

—Ari Witkin, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

How it works

The Fellows work directly with T’ruah’s Rabbinic Educator in Israel (Rabbi Ian Chesir-Teran) and Israel Program Manager (Neta Hamami Tabib) to achieve a successful Year-in-Israel program.

At times, they will also work closely with T’ruah’s Director of Leadership and Learning (Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson) and other staff. There will be opportunities during the year to meet T’ruah leadership.

Topics vary from year to year but may include:
• Visiting an Israeli military court to learn about the legal system for Palestinians in the West Bank.
• Practicing how to lead a difficult conversation about Israel.
• Meeting with Palestinian-Israeli leaders and activists to better understand their approaches to being citizens of Israel.
• Learning from Israeli rabbis about how they use their rabbinic voices for human rights.

Israel Fellows plant trees in the South Hebron Hills.
Fellows study and debrief after a tiyyul.

Meet past Israel Fellows >>


Information for Applicants

There will be no Israel Fellowship for the 2023-2024 academic year. All rabbinical and cantorial students spending the year in Israel are welcome to participate in our robust calendar of human rights educational trips and events through our Year-in-Israel Program.

What is the time commitment?

During the school year, we anticipate a time commitment of no more than 15 hours per month, as follows:

  • 6-8 hours on a tiyyul one Friday per month (or an evening program)
  • 3 hours of fellows’ programming (one Monday night per month)
  • 4 hours spent on miscellaneous: recruiting, writing, program planning, etc.

What is the compensation?

The stipend for this position is $750. Additionally, fellows will participate in Year-in-Israel trips free of charge. As appropriate, we will facilitate applications to your rabbinical/cantorial school for course or volunteer credit.

Who Is qualified to be an Israel Fellow?

This fellowship is open to any North American rabbinical or cantorial student spending the academic year in Israel. We are especially interested in students with proven strength in peer leadership, curiosity about new experiences and openness to different opinions, interest and experience in interdenominational learning environments, exceptional organizational skills, demonstrated interest in human rights/civil rights/social justice, and an ability to work with people of different backgrounds and ideologies.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming people, people of color, and those who grew up poor or working class are encouraged to apply.

Other questions? Please email Rabbi Lev Meirowitz Nelson: lev@truah.org.

The T’ruah Israel Fellowship is funded in part by grants from the Vivian & Paul Olum Charitable Foundation and the Foh’s Foundation.

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