/ Hartman Teen Fellowship

Hartman Teen Fellowship

A Wellspring program for teens

The Shalom Hartman Institute’s Teen Fellowship is an extraordinary opportunity for Jewish high school students (grades 10-12) from across North America to cultivate their Jewish identities and worldviews. During this historic and difficult time for Israel and Jews around the world, young people continue to show up with strength, courage, and pride in their Jewish identity. They have big questions, face challenging dilemmas, and are searching for a place that takes their ideas seriously.

Hartman Teen Fellows study with the Institute’s preeminent faculty as they explore critical questions related to new perspectives on Jewish identity, peoplehood, and values. They grapple with pressing questions related to identity and belonging, their relationship to Israel, and important issues facing the Jewish people. In a community of Jewish peers, Fellows cultivate a desire and the capacity to lead meaningful Jewish lives and the tools to build an informed, meaningful, and bright Jewish future.

Fellowship highlights include:

Building a community of motivated and engaged peers from Jewish communities across North America
Studying with faculty and scholars from the Shalom Hartman Institute
Exploring ideas and sharing experiences in small group setting

Testimonials

"The ideas I've heard from my groups in discussions and from the speakers and teachers have really impacted my perspectives on the Jewish world, particularly in the many discussions I've been having with friends and family about the Israel-Hamas war. At the last Beit Midrash, Yossi Klein Halevi really inspired me to see that you can believe in peace and coexistence without having to be willing to give up on other things you believe in and that it's ok to be confident in those beliefs as well as confident in the belief in peace. This has changed the way I've been thinking about these issues in my other conversations."

"I think the most major way this fellowship has impacted me would be by providing me with a safe Jewish community after October 7th, but also before the war started. Whether it be discussing ideas of Zionism, anti-semitism or just general life experiences as Jewish teens living in North America, the friends and teachers I've met and had the opportunity to discuss with have been incredibly supportive when I've needed it most."

"My experience in the Fellowship has greatly impacted my Jewish life. Since I attend a public school, the Fellowship is one of the only ways I get high level Jewish learning, which is something I take very seriously. The fellowship has given me the gift of new ideas and discussions—concepts and questions that enrich my personal conversations with my family, and allowed me to be a resource among Jewish teenagers in my community, and beyond."

"Every time I get off of a Hartman meeting, I feel much more…willing to engage in learning and conversation. I feel informed and given resources to continue that education. Apart from going to Hebrew High, Hartman helps offer a bigger community of teens who think similarly and also want to engage in those deep conversations. This often missing from my experience at Hebrew High."

Details

Mar 1, 2024

Teen Fellowship FAQ

Mar 1, 2024

Teen Fellowship 2023-2024 Schedule

The Shalom Hartman Teen Fellowship runs through the academic year, September 2024-May 2025, and includes four exciting components:

Community and Mentorship: The Fellowship is a collaborative learning experience. Fellows are assigned to a shevet (home-group) of approximately 15 teens that anchor key components of their experience. These groups are led by madrichim (facilitators) who are alumni of Hartman’s Hevruta gap-year and college-age programs. Fellows also gather regionally several times throughout the program.
Shabbatonim: Two in-person, weekend programs (Fri-Sun) with immersive Jewish living, learning and community. Shabbatonim 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. Shabbatonim are shomer shabbat and serve only certified kosher food. The Shabbatonim will be held November 8-10 and May 16-18.
Virtual Beit Midrash: Fellows gather as a community for virtual learning sessions with international Hartman Institute scholars five times throughout the program. These beit midrash include teaching, text-based learning in small groups, and shevet gatherings.
Trimester Elective Classes: The three Trimesters (Nov/Dec; Jan/Feb; and Mar/Apr) feature a catalogue of classes that meet once a week for four weeks (each class is 75 minutes). Fellows choose their electives, offered Sunday through Thursday, from within a thematic framework that includes Liberal Zionism, modern Jewish ideas, and building a Jewish life.
Eligibility & Cost:
- Open to Jewish students who will be entering grades 10-12 in September 2024.
- This highly subsidized fellowship costs $500 and includes all travel, lodging, meals, retreat expenses and educational materials for the year. Full and partial scholarships are available, please email Amalya with any questions or requests. Cost should not be a barrier to your participation. Please reach out with any access questions. We are striving to make the Fellowship as accessible as possible and would love to hear from you.