Welcome to Ariel PJ Stewart, The Bronfman Fellowship’s New Managing Director for North America

Posted on August 18, 2025

August 2025 – The Bronfman Fellowship is pleased to welcome Ariel PJ Stewart as its Managing Director for North America. In this role, Ariel will oversee the Fellowship’s daily operations and its portfolio of new and growing initiatives, which includes its flagship Fellowship-Year experience for talented Jewish teens; and Campus Commons: Building Bridges with Jewish Wisdom, a groundbreaking new program for Jewish college students. Ariel joins at a pivotal time for the almost 40-year-old organization, as it broadens its impact on Jewish life and the world.

Ariel comes to The Bronfman Fellowship after more than a decade with The Covenant Foundation, where she served as Director of Emerging Leadership and Senior Program Officer. At Covenant, Ariel provided thought leadership for the field of Jewish education while leading initiatives focused on community building, program design, and leadership development. She also directed the Foundation’s annual Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators, stewarding the process and providing mentorship and guidance to its recipients. 

“After 13 years at Covenant, empowering Jewish organizations and educators to strive for excellence, I’m excited to bring my skills to Bronfman, a leader in pluralistic Jewish education,” Ariel said. “I’m looking forward to working directly with teens and college students, as well as alumni and educators from the Bronfman community across the spectrum of Jewish life, who are passionate about using Jewish wisdom and ideas to build a better future.” 

In addition to its core Fellowship-Year experiences for North American and Israeli teens, The Bronfman Fellowship has been amping up its reach and impact with programs like Campus Commons, an immersive leadership initiative for Jewish college students navigating deep divides and polarization on campus, which launched in 2024. The Fellowship continues to amplify the impact of its powerful network of 1500+ alumni changemakers from Israel and North America.

Becky Voorwinde, CEO of The Bronfman Fellowship, said, “I’m thrilled to have Ariel join our team at this critical juncture for Jewish life. In this time of global instability and uncertainty, we need to uplift young people to support their desire to effect positive change in the world. With Ariel on board, we are enhancing our capacity to foster pluralistic Jewish leadership that is authentic, innovative, and courageous.”

“After an extensive search, the Board enthusiastically welcomes Ariel to this important role,” added Dana Raucher, President of The Bronfman Fellowship Board of Directors and Executive Director of The Samuel Bronfman Foundation, as well as a 1989 Bronfman alumna. “This is a milestone for The Bronfman Fellowship, which in the past few years has grown tremendously and magnified its impact. With Ariel joining the outstanding team at the Fellowship, I’m confident they will achieve things we can’t even imagine today.”

Read more about Ariel in her bio below.

The Bronfman Fellowship will soon be accepting applications for its 2026 Fellowship for Jewish teens, which is the 40th cohort of this longstanding organization. The application will be open to students who identify as Jewish, are in 11th grade in the fall of 2025, and live in the U.S. or Canada. To learn more and apply, visit www.bronfman.org. For more information, please contact help@bronfman.org.

Applications are open for Cohorts 2 and 3 of Campus Commons: Building Bridges with Jewish Wisdom. The application is open to North American students who identify as Jewish and who have completed at least one year of college. Applications are rolling until September 19th or until the cohorts are full. To learn more and apply, visit www.campuscommons.bronfman.org. For more information, please contact campuscommons@bronfman.org.

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Bio of Ariel PJ Stewart:

Ariel PJ Stewart is Managing Director: North America for The Bronfman Fellowship. Previously, Ariel served as Director of Emerging Leadership and Senior Program Officer at The Covenant Foundation. At Covenant, Ariel provided thought leadership for the field of Jewish education while leading initiatives focused on community building, program design, and leadership development. Ariel also directed the Foundation’s annual Pomegranate Prize for emerging Jewish educators, stewarding the process and providing mentorship and guidance to its recipients. At Covenant, Ariel took particular pride in connecting with educators, professionals, clergy, and lay leaders from across the spectrum of Jewish life. Her experiences at Covenant greatly deepened her passion for creating meaningful impact. She continues to hold tremendous gratitude for the myriad opportunities to contribute to Jewish educational initiatives in North America, partner with outstanding educators and other stellar professionals, think creatively, and dream big.

Ariel’s background in Jewish communal leadership, nonprofit administration, and clinical social work greatly informs the perspective through which she approaches her work. Her past experience includes supporting unhoused Detroiters to access health, employment, and other essential resources. Ariel also founded and implemented a comprehensive program which trained educators in Jewish day schools, supplementary schools, and other educational settings within the Detroit Metropolitan Area in best practice for advocating for early intervention, supporting youth, and improving student outcomes. Ariel is also an experienced facilitator and mental health counselor.

Ariel graduated from American University with a B.A. in Psychology. She received her M.S.W. from the University of Michigan with a specialization in Management of Human Services and an additional focus in Interpersonal Practice. While at Michigan, she also earned a Certificate in Jewish Communal Leadership as part of the University’s Jewish Communal Leadership Program. Ariel is a proud resident of Sunnyside, Queens where she lives with her husband Elie and their two children. When not at her desk or daydreaming about the future of Jewish communal life, Ariel enjoys exploring the city, communing with nature, making art, thrifting, and decorating for any and every holiday.