A Wellspring program for teens
Applications for the Hartman Teen Fellowship are no longer being accepted.
We are now accepting referrals for 2024-2025. Know a great candidate? We will reach out to new referrals in Winter 2023/Spring 2024.
The Shalom Hartman Institute’s Teen Fellowship is an extraordinary opportunity for Jewish high schoolers in grades 10-12 to cultivate their Jewish identities and worldviews. Participants study with preeminent Hartman Institute scholars, contemplate fundamental Jewish questions, and join a community of insightful and motivated peers and mentors from across North America.
Through the Hartman Teen Fellowship, participants study new perspectives on Jewish identity, peoplehood, and values. Students grapple with pressing questions related to identity and belonging, their relationship to Israel, and important issues facing the Jewish people. Through critical thinking, understanding of Jewish ideas and values, and connection to Jewish peers and mentors, Fellows cultivate a desire for and capacity to lead meaningful Jewish lives.
Develop the capacity and the confidence to wrestle with questions that matter to teens, such as:
Be a part of the conversation.
The Shalom Hartman Teen Fellowship runs from October 2023 – May 2024 and involves four exciting components:
Community and Mentorship: Jewish tradition values learning in community. As such, the Fellowship is a collaborative learning experience. Fellows will be assigned to a shevet (home-group) of approximately 15 teens that will anchor key components of their experience. These groups are facilitated, in part, by college-age madrichim (facilitators) who are alumni of Hartman’s Hevruta gap year program. Fellows will also form chavruta (partner) learning groups, which will meet in on-going learning sessions throughout the Fellowship program. Select regional areas will also host local gatherings for Fellows in October and January.
Shabbatonim:Two in-person, weekend programs (Fri-Sun) with immersive Jewish living, learning and community. Shabbatonim will include study sessions, pluralistic shabbat observance, student-led discussion, and social programming. The Shabbatonim are also an opportunity for the full Fellowship to gather, bringing together Fellows from across North America.
In addition to studying with world class Hartman faculty, through a partnership with Hadar Institute, fellows will have the opportunity to engage and learn about prayer and ritual with experiences and classes led by Hadar faculty. Two in-person, weekend programs (Fri-Sun) with immersive Jewish living, learning and community. Shabbatonim will include study sessions, pluralistic shabbat observance, student-led discussion, and social programming. The Shabbatonim are also an opportunity for the full Fellowship to gather, bringing together Fellows from across North America.
October 27-29, 2023 (NYC)
May 17-19, 2024 (location TBA in the USA)
Virtual Community Batei Midrash: Five times throughout the program Fellows will gather as a community for virtual learning sessions with international Hartman Institute scholars. These batei midrash include teaching, text-based learning in chavruta groups, and shevet gatherings.
Sundays, once a month from 9-11:00 am PT / noon-2:00 pm ET:
Trimester Elective Classes: Each 4-week trimester (Nov/Dec; Jan/Feb; and Mar/Apr) features a course catalogue of classes within a thematic framework. Courses meet once a week for approximately 75 minutes. Courses are offered each weeknight evening. Fellows will be able to choose their electives, which will be comprised of approximately 15-20 participants.
Trimester A: Jewish Peoplehood
Trimester B: Jewish Faith and Practice
Trimester C: Jewish Ethics
Eligibility & Cost:
Note: Participants at in-person Hartman programs should be fully vaccinated against common diseases including COVID-19.
Director of Young Adult Initiatives
Teen Program Coordinator