Posted on July 1, 2025
Outstanding High School Students from Diverse Jewish Backgrounds Selected to Study Together and Join a Dynamic Community of North American and Israeli Leaders
July 2025 — The Bronfman Fellowship has selected its 39th cohort of 26 intellectually curious 11th-graders from across North America, among them a documentary filmmaker who is working on a series of films about contemporary Yiddish language in America, the inventor of a smart technology traffic signal and a device that allows people who are blind to navigate a school building independently, and the founder of an intergenerational coalition that unites teens and older adults to eliminate voting barriers. The Fellowship is committed to cultivating pluralistic Jewish leadership, which it believes is even more needed at this time of profound global uncertainty, political polarization, and rising antisemitism.
The 26 Fellows, who come from a broad spectrum of the Jewish community, will participate in a transformative, free Fellowship-year experience in which they explore a rich, complex tapestry of Jewish texts and ideas in conversation with one another and a faculty team of leading rabbis, educators, and artists. They also interact with a group of Israeli peers who were chosen through a parallel selection process as part of the Israeli Fellowship, Amitei Bronfman. The new class of Fellows will join a vibrant, lifelong alumni community that includes some of today’s most exciting Jewish writers, thinkers and leaders.
The Bronfman Fellowship year includes an extended summer seminar and two shorter seminars in the winter and spring. This summer, the program begins in Maryland and New York City – with the possibility of an optional trip to Israel at the end of July.
The Bronfman Fellowship was founded in 1987 by Edgar M. Bronfman, z”l, formerly CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd. and a visionary Jewish philanthropist. Mr. Bronfman passed away in December 2013.
“Edgar Bronfman would have relished the opportunity to get to know this year’s Fellows,” said Becky Voorwinde, Executive Director of The Bronfman Fellowship. “They are a passionate, inquisitive, talented and incredibly bright bunch. I look forward to seeing them challenge and inspire one another and their communities throughout their lives.”
Adam R. Bronfman, president of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation, said he was “impressed and heartened” by the new cohort. “The energy, diversity and intellectual firepower of this group speak to my father’s belief that young people can change the world in ways that previous generations couldn’t have envisioned,” he said. “My father treasured the Fellowship as an investment in the Jewish future, and I am proud to continue his work. It brings me joy to witness the magic that happens when Jews from all backgrounds come together to access Jewish wisdom and have important conversations. I look forward to getting to know the 2025 Fellows personally, and to joining some of those conversations myself.”
Following a competitive application process, the 2025 Fellows are from 13 states and the District of Columbia, Canada, and Japan, and represent a wide range of Jewish backgrounds, including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Just Jewish and secularly/culturally Jewish.
The Fellowship promotes the study of Jewish texts, traditions, history and culture as a way for Fellows to expand their perspectives and engage with one another and the world. The Fellows will study with an esteemed faculty, including Dr. Evan Parks, Director of Faculty, a Germanic Languages scholar from Columbia University; Rabbi Hannah Kapnik Ashar, the founder and director of Rahmana, a women’s prayer initiative; Dr. Yitz Landes, Assistant Professor of Rabbinic Literatures and Cultures at the Jewish Theological Seminary; and Lead Facilitators Yahel Halevi, a BA student at the Glasgow School of Art, and educator Devora Bengualid Goldstein. The Fellows will also participate in arts workshops led by contemporary Jewish artists including acclaimed painter Joshua Meyer; multidisciplinary artist Anat Keinan; and Marisa Scheinfeld, photographer and founder of Borscht Belt Historical Marker Project.
In addition to learning with stellar educators, Fellows also have the unique opportunity to engage with leading intellectuals, artists, and religious and cultural leaders. Past speakers have included journalist Matti Friedman; author and professor Dr. Mara Benjamin; musician and Yiddish scholar Anthony Russell; and Torah scholar Dr. Avivah Zornberg.
The Bronfman Fellowship alumni community includes some of today’s leading Jewish cultural creators, deep thinkers, moral voices, and community builders. There are now over 1,500 Bronfman Fellowship alumni across North America and Israel. Among them are 9 Rhodes Scholars, 4 former Supreme Court clerks, and 20 Fulbright Scholars. Leaders of note among Fellowship alumni include Daniel Handler, a.k.a. Lemony Snicket, author of the best-selling Series of Unfortunate Events children’s books; Jonathan Safran Foer, author of Everything Is Illuminated; and Rabbi Angela Warnick Buchdahl, the first woman to be named Senior Rabbi at New York’s Central Synagogue and the first Asian-American person to be ordained as a rabbi and cantor. Others include Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, renowned opera singer; Anne Dreazen, Principal Director for Middle East Policy at the Department of Defense; Dara Horn, author of People Love Dead Jews; Itamar Moses, Tony award-winner for The Band’s Visit; Raphael Rosen, co-founder and CEO of Carbon Lighthouse; and Rabbi David Wolkenfeld of the Ohev Sholom Congregation in Washington D.C. Alumni also include entrepreneurial Jewish leaders who have founded organizations like Keshet, Sefaria, and YidLife Crisis; and serve in central leadership roles at major organizations like The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America, the Jewish Women’s Archive, Central Synagogue, Hillel International and The Foundation for Jewish Camp, to name a few.
Our Israeli alumni have also ascended to positions of influence in government, civil groups, the private sector and cultural institutions. Israeli alumni include attorneys at the State Justice Department, noted journalists, successful filmmakers (including a Tribeca Film Festival winner), political advisers to Members of Knesset, members of elite IDF units and university lecturers.
About The Bronfman Fellowship
The Bronfman Fellowship cultivates Jewish leaders in Israel and North America, providing spaces for them to imagine authentic leadership and foster pluralism. While it began as a summer program, its impact today is much deeper and focuses on four initiatives: The Bronfman Fellowship for North American teens, Amitei Bronfman for Israeli teens, Campus Commons for North American college students, and the Alumni Leadership Network.
The Bronfman Fellowship, the flagship program for outstanding young Jews, taps 26 North American teenagers at a formative point in their lives, the year before college, when an intense, immersive experience will have the most impact. The Fellowship is an opportunity unlike any other: a space where young people who want to see the world through a lens broader than their own can explore issues with depth, candor, and joy, while forming friendships to last a lifetime. Fellows wrestle with major issues in contemporary Jewish life, meet some of today’s most influential figures, and expand their perspectives as they build community with those representing different backgrounds, worldviews, and approaches to Jewish life and practice. The year begins with a five-week summer study program that takes place in the U.S. and Israel and includes an encounter with a parallel cadre of outstanding Israeli teenagers. Programming continues throughout Fellows’ senior year of high school with a series of lively in-person and virtual seminars, gatherings, and projects. Upon graduating high school, the Fellows join an alumni community that has become a model for lifelong engagement, as Bronfman alumni continue to exchange ideas and inspire one another to contribute their talents, vision, and creativity to the Jewish community and the world.
The Fellowship, founded in 1987 by Edgar M. Bronfman, z”l, reflects Mr. Bronfman’s early and impassioned belief that for the Jewish people to thrive, Israeli and American Jews from a variety of backgrounds must be engaged in open and creative discourse with one another. The alumni embody Mr. Bronfman’s vision that young people who are enriched and energized by their Judaism are poised to contribute not only to Jewish life, but to improving the world.
For more information about The Bronfman Fellowship, including how to apply, please visit www.bronfman.org.
Contact Information
Stefanie Weisman
stefanie@bronfman.org
The Bronfman Fellowship
Following is a list of 2025 Bronfman Fellows. Pictures available upon request.
California
Los Angeles, CA. Maccabee Cohen has been involved in film since 2017, after winning tickets to ‘The Lego Ninjago Movie’ for his stop-motion film: ‘A Ninjago Conversation.’ Cohen’s parents raised him as a Modern Orthodox Red Sox fan–both of which he found often frustrating but ultimately rewarding. Cohen spent his adolescence under the academic aegis of several schools. In early adolescence, Cohen attended the Maimonides Academy before transferring to the Brawerman Academy at Wilshire Boulevard Temple and the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth in the third grade. As a student at the Crossroads School for Arts and Sciences, where Cohen attends high school, Cohen produces documentaries, several of which have been screened in over twenty film festivals around the world, and which have been featured in Variety Magazine, and which were all politely rejected by the New York Times Op-Docs program. Cohen studied documentary filmmaking at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts for a semester under two academy-award-winning documentarians and is now working on a series of films centering on contemporary Yiddish language in America. The film Cohen produced at USC, ‘Yiddishtown,’ is set to premiere at the Poppy Jasper International Film Awards, and will be featured in Variety Magazine’s festival screening lineup. Cohen is currently a junior in high school.
Los Angeles, CA. Caroline Cosgrove is a current Junior at Harvard Westlake High School in Los Angeles, California. She is a member of a conservative synagogue, Sinai Temple, and went to Sinai Akiba Academy, a religious elementary school. She comes from a conservative household, with a large extended family that deeply practices cultural aspects of Judaism. Caroline is a member of her school’s student government, as well as the captain of her school’s ethics bowl team. She is passionate about linguistics, and takes three languages, German, Spanish, and French, in school. Caroline volunteers with senior citizens at local senior living centers through a program she created called Senior Connect, in which she gathers a group of teen volunteers and provides technology support for the elderly.
Los Angeles, CA. Sophie Katz attends Shalhevet High School in Los Angeles, a modern Orthodox Jewish high school. She is the Editor-in-Chief of her school’s award-winning, student-run newspaper, the Boiling Point, and has participated in many journalism courses and workshops during her high school years. Sophie loves writing in-depth feature pieces and localizing national and international news. She also is a grade representative on her school’s Agenda Committee, which plans and facilitates weekly school-wide discussions about moral questions, current events, and school affairs. She is a member of B’nai David Judea, an Orthodox synagogue, and helps lead teen services and programming for girls. Sophie is an aspiring musician and lives with her parents, three siblings and their dog.
Piedmont, CA. Myriam Bayen is a junior at the Head-Royce School in Oakland, CA. She is currently conducting research where she is working on optimizing the hyperparameters of an algorithm designed to solve the Pickup and Dropoff Problem with Time Window (PDPTW), a problem aimed at improving the efficiency of paratransit systems. At school, she also co-runs an after-school program to help 2nd through 4th grade girls improve their math skills and feel more confident. She recruits mentors, designs the curriculum, and has fundraised over $1,000 for the program. She is also a co-president of the Computer Science Club and a member of the Community Engagement Board. Myriam is a member of the Temple Beth Abraham community and identifies as a Conservative Jew.
San Francisco, CA. Cruv Milgrom, a Junior at Abraham Lincoln High School, is a leader in Freedom City (teen group) and a regular Torah reader at The Kitchen, part of the Jewish Emergent Network. When not in school or synagogue, Cruv makes the most of beautiful Northern California; he enjoys surfing, mountain biking, skiing, and playing soccer. He spent his previous summers at Camp Ramah in Northern California.
Colorado
Denver, CO. Micah Gruenwald lives in Denver, CO, where he attends Thomas Jefferson High School, goes to conservative synagogue Rodef Shalom, and is the co-president of his youth group chapter, USY’s Mile Chai Youth. Before Thomas Jefferson, Micah also attended Denver Jewish Day School for 9 years. He is also a proud alum of Camp Ramah in the Rockies. Additionally, Micah races mountain bikes for South High School, and road bikes for Front Rangers Cycling Club, a true passion of his; he also serves on the board as a youth liaison for Front Rangers. Furthermore, Micah competes for Thomas Jefferson High School in both Speech and Debate and Robotics. He particularly competes in the speech category Original Oratory, and serves as a coder for his robotics team, Sparta Robotica, team 3648. Micah also sits as president of his school’s Jewish Student Connections club, run through Jewish Colorado. Besides that, Micah is an avid fundraiser for Children’s Hospital of Colorado, through their annual event “The Courage Classic.” He has raised over $150K in the last 5 years through the event, in memory of his late brother, Koby Gruenwald. Micah is excited to accept the title of Bronfman Fellow, and looks forward to the coming year.
District of Columbia
Washington D.C. Mira Soskis is a student at Washington Latin and a member of D.C’s Hill Havurah. They participate in Model U.N and help run their school’s Underwater Robotics and philosophy clubs. They are also a Lily McKee fellow at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Mira enjoys philosophy, the history of religion, and language learning.
Florida
Miami, FL. Max Feldman is a junior at Ransom Everglades School in Miami. A dedicated student, activist, and community leader, Max serves as a founder and leader of a Jewish Youth Climate Movement Kvutzah at his temple, where he works to engage young people in climate action through a Jewish lens. He recently became a board member of that same organization. He is also a committed member of Temple Beth Sholom, where he initiated the Teen Banned Book Club to foster discussions on literature and censorship. Passionate about environmental advocacy, Max serves as Vice President of the Miami Youth Climate Summit and Secretary of the Ransom Everglades Environmental Sustainability Council. His leadership extends to Breakthrough Miami, where he developed an environmental science curriculum for elementary students as a Lead Changemaker. With a strong academic record and a deep commitment to social justice, Max looks forward to exploring Jewish identity and leadership through the Bronfman Fellowship.
Massachusetts
Boston, MA. Liana Galper is a Junior at Gann Academy in Waltham where they are the Student Council Clubs Officer, Gender Sexuality Alliance Co-leader, Red Curtain Drama Club Treasurer, Improv Co-Captain, and Admissions Fellow. They are currently a Jewish Women’s Archive Rising Voices Fellow and Keshet Youth Speaker and Steering Committee member. Liana has studied painting at Rhode Island School of Design Pre-College and the New Art Center.
Natick, MA. Boaz Webber lives in Natick, MA. He grew up attending a pluralistic Jewish day school until 8th grade, then his local public high school for two years. He is currently in his first year at Maimonides, a Modern Orthodox high school. Before transferring, Boaz was on Natick High School’s student council, helping organize and run the community. Boaz also competed in soccer, indoor track, ultimate frisbee, and outdoor track at Natick High School. Boaz has spent the past two years as a Hartman Teen Fellow, engaging in Jewish pluralism and dialogue across denominations. Boaz spent his last two summers at Camp Ramah in New England. In his free time, Boaz loves reading, studying Jewish texts, learning philosophy, and spending time with friends and family. Boaz also is a member of the Maimonides Model UN team and is part of HaZamir’s Teen Leadership program. He lives with his two younger siblings, parents, and dog. Boaz was raised in a Conservative Jewish household, and is now most closely affiliated with Modern Orthodox Judaism. Boaz has been involved in both USY and NCSY, and loves engaging in Jewish communal/religious activities and spaces. Boaz speaks Hebrew at home with his family–his mother is Israeli–and visits Israel often.
Minnesota
St. Louis Park, MN. Benny Marmor is a student at Breck School and an active member of his synagogue. He serves as an editor for the school newspaper and a key member of the robotics team. He has conducted award-winning research on a robotic system designed to detect nutrient deficiencies in greenhouse basil. As a participant in the Hartman and Tikvah Solomon Fellowships, he is eager to join the Bronfman Fellowship, embracing this new opportunity to learn and grow alongside his peers while deepening his commitment to community engagement.
Nevada
Las Vegas, NV. Theo Birdsong is a junior at Clark High School in Las Vegas, NV, where he is a student in the magnet Academy of Math, Science, Arts, and Technology. Theo plays on the varsity soccer and volleyball teams at Clark, where he is also guitarist in the Jazz Band and a rock band, Low Tide. Outside of school, Theo enjoys nature as an avid hiker, mountain biker, and skier. He is a member of Temple Sinai, a Reform synagogue, and a co-founder of Clark High School’s Jewish Student Union, a group that provides a community of sharing for the school’s Jewish students and educates all interested students about Judaism. He is the first student from Las Vegas to be selected as a Bronfman Fellow.
New Jersey
Englewood, NJ. Marc Dweck is an eleventh-grade student at The Frisch School. While Marc identifies as Sephardic, Marc’s Jewish heritage is a blend. His mother is a first-generation American descended from Holocaust survivors, and his father’s side is deeply connected to the American Syrian-Jewish community. Marc lives in Englewood, NJ, and is a member of the Benaroya Sephardic Center at Congregation Ahavat Torah. Marc will serve as the editor-in-chief of his school newspaper, The Paw Print, in the coming year. He currently participates in various extracurricular activities. He competes with the varsity debate team, rows with the crew team, and plays tennis on the varsity tennis team. He leads discussions in the Media Literacy and Current Events Club, and serves as editor of two STEM and ethics publications. Marc also excels in Science Olympiad, College Bowl, and varsity VEX robotics, where he teaches underclassmen as coding captain. Additionally, Marc has served in his school’s student government as a grade representative on the Student Council Executive Board. Marc’s exceptional leadership and dedication to fostering positive change in his community have not gone unnoticed. In June of ninth grade, he was presented with a Certificate of Commendation from the mayor and City Council of Englewood for calling attention to pedestrian safety and inventing a smart technology traffic signal with two classmates. Marc is looking forward to spending time in Israel as a Bronfman Fellow this summer where he will learn from leading scholars and share ideas and experiences with other Fellows.
New York
Brooklyn, NY. Phoebe Barowitz is a junior at Saint Ann’s School in Brooklyn, New York where she is a leader of the Jewish Student Alliance, a basketball player and a founding member of an Infinite Jest reading group. She is a poet and sculptor who was recently awarded four Scholastic Awards for her work. Outside of school, she is an active member of Brooklyn Heights Synagogue and was a 2024 Kol Koleinu Fellow. An avid news reader, she is the host and founder of “Phoebe Reads the Times,” a current events podcast. She has spent her last three summers working as a surf instructor at Stacey’s Surf Camp in Margate, New Jersey.
Brooklyn, NY. Oren Milgrom-Dorfman lives in Brooklyn and attends Bard High School Early College Manhattan. She went to Luria Academy, a Montessori Jewish day school in Prospect Heights, for elementary school, and then entered the public school system in 6th grade. For the last two years, she’s been a Hartman Teen Fellow and a part of the BookMatch Teen program, which allows teenagers like her to recommend books to their peers across the country. She is also one of the co-presidents of her school’s Jewish Student Alliance, where she facilitates conversations about being Jewish in a public high school and plans events like an upcoming Purim party. She loves to read and write, and her poetry and short stories have been recognized by various awards and publications, including the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards and the Brooklyn Public Library Teen Writing Contest. She enjoys spending time outdoors and spent a week last summer backpacking through the Pacific Northwest with Outward Bound. She’s thrilled for the opportunity to wrestle with complex Jewish issues on the Bronfman Fellowship this summer!
Brooklyn, NY. Yalei Ravin is a junior at The Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York City. She is passionate about justice and equality, and she has been part of her school’s Social Justice minyan for two years. She is also the leader and co-founder of the Jews of Mixed Cultures club at her school. She loves art and dance; Yalei is currently a member of the Ephyras Dance Company and has also been a part of the Brooklyn Museum’s Studio Art program for six years. She spent the past summer interning at Mount Sinai Hospital, studying HIV and its antibodies. A member of the Park Slope Jewish Center, she deeply values her Jewish identity, and is looking forward to an incredible summer of learning.
Brooklyn, NY. Emily Tarrab is a junior at the Yeshivah of Flatbush Joel Braverman High School in Brooklyn, New York. She is a Modern Orthodox Jew of Lebanese and Syrian heritage. For the past three years, she has been an editor of her school’s award-winning newspaper, The Phoenix, as well as the literary editor of Pegasus, the school’s literary magazine. Her writing has earned several Scholastic Writing Awards. Passionate about public advocacy and civic engagement, she focuses on combating antisemitism and garnering support for Israel. As co-president of Flatbush’s Students Supporting Israel chapter, part of a national grassroots movement, she organizes lobbying trips to the Capitol and mobilizes her peers to contact their local representatives and sign petitions. She values meaningful conversation and understanding different perspectives, having been an alumna of the American Jewish Committee’s Leaders for Tomorrow program. Driven by her commitment to sustainability and environmentalism, Emily conducted innovative lab research at Stony Brook University, exploring the effects of a biopolymer derived from bacteria on plant growth and gene expression. Her work aims to combat erosion and contribute to the development of a genetic sequence for anti-erosion GMOs. In her free time, Emily enjoys playing tennis with friends and exploring jazz clubs with her family.
New York, NY. Olivia Meyer is a junior at The Dalton School in New York City, where she is on both the Varsity Volleyball and Parliamentary Debate teams, and is a co-head of the school’s pluralistic Torah Study group and Science Olympiad team and is a Peer Tutor. She also co-coaches the school’s Middle School debate team and enjoys watching middle schoolers gain public speaking skills and grow into confident debaters. She has volunteered extensively as an Integrator at the National Museum of Mathematics in NYC, for which she received a Gold Presidential Service Award in recognition of her volunteer work. Olivia is a member of Central Synagogue, a reform congregation at which she celebrated her Bat Mitzvah. Olivia focuses on Jewish advocacy through the American Jewish Committee, where she now facilitates the Leaders For Tomorrow program as a Fellowship alumna. She is currently working on developing programming for a second year of the LFT fellowship. Her advocacy extends to the climate as well — she serves as the Director of Education and Training for the Jewish Youth Climate Movement’s National Leadership Board. Volleyball is one of Olivia’s passions. She has played on her school’s varsity team since ninth grade, and in the off-season plays for NYC Volleyball Academy’s U17 team as a libero, where she has served as captain for the last two years. In her free time, Olivia loves to pick up the guitar and learn her favorite Eagles songs.
New York, NY. Sylvie Raab is a junior at the Ramaz School in New York City. Sylvie is passionate about civic engagement, languages and urban gardening. She founded GenBallot, an intergenerational coalition that unites teens and older adults to eliminate barriers to voting and promote civic education. She also serves on the NextGen Executive Board of DOROT, a non-profit dedicated to enhancing the lives of older adults and fostering friendship and respect between the generations. Sylvie is a YouthBridge-NY fellow serving on the Criminal Justice Committee, where she enjoys analyzing policy issues with a diverse group of NYC teens. A heritage Spanish speaker, Sylvie tutors a Peruvian college student in English as a second language. She has also recently started learning Korean through Virtual NSLI-Y, a U.S. Department of State-funded scholarship. Sylvie is excited about urban ecological restoration and greenery. Last summer, she interned at Wave Hill, a community garden and forest in the Bronx, where she removed invasive plants, stabilized eroded slopes and analyzed soil at various locations to help the horticulturists select suitable plants. She is now a tree steward with the NYC Parks Department, caring for the street trees in her neighborhood.
Ohio
Columbus, OH. Maayan Cohen is in her Junior year at Bexley High School. She has been involved in her Jewish community ever since moving to Bexley and attending the Columbus Jewish Day School. She has engaged in synagogue events and with local Jewish foundations since middle school. Currently, Maayan’s activities in the Jewish community include participating in the precollege program Better to Learn through Brandeis University, volunteering with Wexner Service Corps., and teaching at Temple Israel’s Sunday school. Her current academic pursuits include the Global Scholars Diploma program, and Advanced Placement classes. Maayan is grateful to be a Bronfman fellow and is excited for the experiences to come.
Oregon
Portland, OR. Eitan Miller Feder is a junior at Grant High School where he is a member of the Jewish Student Alliance, National Honor Society, and co-leads the advanced physics and chemistry club, and the Dungeons and Dragons club. He went to Portland Jewish academy through eighth grade and continues his Jewish education through the Havurah High program at Havurah Shalom.
Tennessee
Memphis, TN. Elijah Schaffzin is a Junior at University High School in Memphis, TN. He is an active participant in Memphis’s Jewish community, attending Beth Sholom Synagogue and founding Memphis’ chapter of the Jewish Youth Climate Movement (JYCM). Additionally, he serves on the national leadership board of JYCM and is investigating the organization’s impact in research with a University of Memphis professor. Since freshman year, Elijah has been an active member of his school community, serving as editor-in-chief of the student newspaper for the past three years and as both president and treasurer of his school’s student government organization. Elijah has a deep interest in policy and law, and is proud to have been involved in proposing bills relating to environmental racism and Black maternal health as an intern with U.S. Congressman Steve Cohen last summer. Elijah’s hobbies include spending time in nature, following the Supreme Court of the United States, and reading poetry. Elijah looks forward to collaborating with and learning from the Bronfman staff and other fellows this summer!
Texas
Dallas, TX. Saul Rosen is a Reform Jew from Dallas, TX. He attends Temple Emanu-El with his family and has grown up in the synagogue since he was sent to daycare there. Outside of school, Saul is passionate about food and especially the growing food scene in Dallas. He is also a cheesemonger at a local shop and has become passionate about the vast world of cheese. He is the president of two clubs at his school: the Diversity Discussion Group, where he leads students in intense discussions about current events and the world we live in today, and the Cheese Club, where students get to try various cheeses from around America and Europe to learn about their origins and stories.
Washington
Seattle, WA. Yona Pianko is a junior at Lakeside High School in Seattle, Washington. At school, she founded and runs the Jewish Student Union, leads the Outdoor Club, and serves on the Student Library Board. Outside of school, Yona is a member of the Cirrus youth performance troupe at SANCA, which performs around the Pacific Northwest. Yona is a partner and active youth leader in the Kavana Cooperative, a non-denominational Jewish community in Seattle. She has also been the recipient of the Hartman Teen Fellowship and the Rising Voices Fellowship of the Jewish Women’s Archive.
Canada
Toronto, Canada. Diego Castillo Schwartz attended primary school at a Hebrew day school where he acquired his love of reading and Jewish scripture. From his grandparents he learned the importance of understanding Jewish history and Holocaust remembrance. As a part of this, Diego is currently studying Hebrew at Beth Tzedec Congregation. He lays great importance on community work, volunteering in a long-term care facility at Providence Hospital, teaching English to newcomers to Canada and at Helping Hands Uganda. He has three winning entries in the UJA Creative Writing Contest and a Silver Key from the Scholastic Arts and Writing Awards.
Japan
Tokyo, Japan. Micah Epstein is a Junior at the American School in Japan. An avid fencer and leader in debate, Micah is accustomed to solo travel and to interacting with people from a variety of backgrounds and interests. A US citizen and daughter of an American father and Chinese mother, Micah has grown up in Japan and speaks English, Chinese, and Japanese fluently. Micah’s interests are wide, ranging from the molecular biological study of senescent cells to the history of Jews in America to the finer points of debate. She is thrilled to join the other acceptees to The Bronfman Fellowship and explore, debate, and learn about the varieties of Jewish experience. She hopes to use what she gains from this experience to strengthen the BBYO Japan chapter once she returns home.