Applications for the 2025 Bronfman Fellowship are now closed. To apply next year, you must be in 11th grade in the fall of 2025, be from the U.S. or Canada, and identify as Jewish. Sign up here and we’ll let you know when our application opens (in the fall of 2025).
Want to refer a teen? Do that here. If you are an adult who works with teens and want to be added to our general email list, please fill out this form.
We are looking for outside-the-box thinkers who are passionate about deep dialogue and intellectual exploration. People who enjoy having philosophical conversations late into the night, who love to learn, and who aren’t afraid to ask the Big Questions. You do not need to be a top student to be a Bronfman Fellow; we value innovative thinking and creativity more than a high GPA. There’s no “typical” Bronfman Fellow: we’re looking for people with a diverse set of backgrounds, talents, and interests, who can bring many different perspectives to the group, and who want to explore their Jewish identity in an intellectually stimulating environment.
The Bronfman Fellowship is for intellectually adventurous young people who want to see the world through a lens broader than their own. An opportunity unlike any other, it’s a space where Fellows can give free rein to their curiosity and explore issues with depth, candor, and joy, all while having fun and forming friendships to last a lifetime. The reasons to apply are virtually limitless – here are just a few:
We are committed to building a community from as wide a Jewish spectrum as possible, including but not limited to diversity in religious and cultural affiliation, race, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, place of origin, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, and political views. As a diverse community, we have the opportunity to learn from one another and to appreciate and value distinctiveness as a source of strength.
We seek to identify Fellows who represent the widest possible range of Jewish affiliation, background and observance. Some Fellows are religiously observant and attend Jewish day schools, others have never had a Bar or Bat Mitzvah or consider themselves atheist. We welcome applications from anyone who is interested in serious discussion and exploration of what Jewishness means for him/herself and for others. There is no religious requirement for the program other than that you self-identify as Jewish. Read more about our commitment to inclusion, pluralism and diversity on the Fellowship.
Yes. We have many Fellows from interfaith families. There is no religious requirement for the program other than that you self-identify as Jewish.
Our program allows for participants to maintain their Shabbat observance. We are fully Shomer Shabbat (Shabbat observant) and do not travel on Shabbat. All of our food meets OU (Orthodox Union) Kosher standards. Our educators are supportive of Fellows’ halachic commitments, and are available to answer questions and provide guidance. We strive to ensure that the religious and spiritual needs of all Fellows are met and respected.
No, we want as diverse a group of Fellows as possible, including those who have gone to a Jewish camp for years and those who do not identify with any particular denomination. Read more about pluralism on the Fellowship.
No! The Bronfman Fellowship is a nonpartisan, apolitical organization. We are committed to bringing people together from a wide spectrum of beliefs, backgrounds, and affiliations.
Each year we choose 26 Fellows.
We have Fellows from all over the United States and Canada. Since the Fellowship’s founding in 1987, they have come from more than 320 cities, representing 41 states plus the District of Columbia, and four provinces.
Fellows have a range of educational backgrounds including those who attend public school, private school, and some who attend private Jewish high schools.
To apply for the 2026 Fellowship cohort, you must be in 11th grade in the fall of 2025.
To be notified when the application opens, please fill out our interest form.
We welcome all identities, orientations and genders to apply to the Fellowship. We strive to maintain an open atmosphere and encourage Fellows to bring their whole selves to the program. Fellows have ample opportunity to self-identity around gender and sexuality, and to explore and engage with LGBTQ Rabbis and thinkers through their writing or as speakers. We have been trained by Keshet, an organization that works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews in Jewish life, and have been designated an LGBTQ safe zone by them.
Yes! Give yourself the chance. You do not need to be a top student to be a Bronfman Fellow; we value innovative thinking and creativity more than a high GPA. The best applications are ones where the applicants can be themselves. Show us how you think and what you care about.
In addition, many students say that applying to Bronfman and thinking deeply about our essay questions has helped them articulate their thoughts and what’s important to them, and prepare them for the college application process. Applicants are also given access to information about other wonderful Jewish experiences.
We ask for two (2) short essays and several short answers, a brief video response, two (2) recommendations from individuals who know you well (at least one of these recommendations must be from a teacher. The other can be any non-relative who knows you well, including another school professional, Rabbi, employer, etc.) and your high school transcript through Grade 10. We do not require any sort of standardized test scores.
To apply for our next Fellowship cohort, you must be in 11th grade in the fall of 2025, be from the U.S. or Canada, and self-identify as Jewish. To be notified when our application opens, please add your name to our interest form. Applications generally open in early fall.
When you fill out your application, you will be asked to enter the names and contact information for your two recommenders, who will then be contacted electronically. They can submit their recommendations through our online application system.
Recommenders should speak to your personality, both academically and socially. If they can provide examples of what makes you stand out and their sense of your potential, this will help provide us with a full picture of you. Recommenders do not need to discuss your Jewish background or identity unless they have particular insight into this aspect of your identity.
The application changes from year to year. Click here for a preview of the most recent application. This is to help you prepare your application, but it cannot be submitted. The application must be completed online.
No, there is no application fee.
The application deadline for the 2025 cohort is December 2, 2024. The deadline for supplementary materials (recommendations and transcript) is December 6, 2024.
The review process is highly rigorous and we strive to make it careful, thorough, and fair. For this reason, multiple reviewers are involved at each stage. At the first stage, each application is reviewed and discussed by at least four members of our selection committee, a diverse and representative group of alumni, faculty and staff. Candidates who move to the next stage as finalists are then invited for an in-person interview with two interviewers and a one-hour virtual group workshop with other applicants that is led by young alumni.
See our application roadmap for the timeline.
When reviewing applications, we look for the following qualities in applicants:
While high grades and a challenging course load are important, we are more interested in the qualities listed above.
We are also committed to building a community from as wide a Jewish spectrum as possible, including but not limited to diversity in religious and cultural affiliation, race, ethnicity, spiritual beliefs, place of origin, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, physical abilities, and political views.
Candidates are notified by mid-January if they will be invited to an interview, which will take place in-person in February.
Letters of notification are sent by email by early March.
No. However, each year we select several alternates from the pool of candidates interviewed in the instance that one of our selected Fellows cannot participate in the Fellowship.
Our reviewers look to the essays on our application as a way of understanding how an applicant thinks. Our best advice – use your own voice.
The Bronfman Fellowship is a need-blind, merit-based program. We do not ask for any financial aid forms.
We are an all-expenses-paid program, and ensure that financial need is never a barrier to participation; subsidies are available for any ancillary fees related to the programming, if needed.
For questions, call 518-660-3090 or email help@bronfman.org.
The Fellowship Year begins with a transformative summer experience in Israel and the U.S. between 11th and 12th grade. After the summer, you will continue through a year of learning, seminars, and additional projects. The group meets virtually every month during the school year and in-person for seminars in the winter and spring, usually in the Northeast U.S. Click here to read more about the Fellowship Year.
Dates for the 2025 Fellowship Year:
See our application roadmap for more information.
We cover our Fellows’ expenses during the Fellowship year, including round-trip transportation between New York and Israel, educational programming, and room, board and travel while in Israel. Room and board at orientation and the Winter and Spring Seminars are also included.
We are committed to ensuring that financial need is never a barrier to participation. Additional subsidies (based on need) are available to defray costs of travel to New York for the summer program, and for follow-up alumni activities.
The Bronfman Fellowship is working with public health experts and doctors to carefully review programming plans against the most up-to-date information from the CDC and local health departments. We take the health and safety of our Fellows and staff very seriously. All Fellows and staff are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID two weeks prior to the first in-person seminar. Medical exemptions will be considered by our medical advisory team. All other details for COVID risk mitigation will be developed throughout the year and communicated in a timely manner to Fellows and their families.
Fellows participate in college-level seminars daily, rotating classes taught by our Faculty on a variety of topics. These seminars are not graded in any way, nor do Fellows receive tests or homework; the Fellowship promotes learning for learning’s sake and strives to intellectually challenge our Fellows. Each day revolves loosely around a particular theme, such as “Language, Text, and Identity” or “The Challenges of Democracy.” To explore these topics, we bring in headline-making speakers and undertake relevant site visits to spark discussion. We also ask Fellows to keep a written journal and share their writing in weekly discussion groups. Fellows frequently have the opportunity to go on hikes, do art projects, play music, and do other fun activities (see below). Read here about a day in the life of a Bronfman Fellow during the summer.
We always incorporate fun activities into the Fellows’ daily schedule. We often go on hikes, and there are opportunities for camping and cook-outs under the stars. Fellows are able to express themselves through art projects, singing and playing music. When safe, we have attended concerts, art shows, and street fairs in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.
At our home campus, Fellows enjoy impromptu games of frisbee and basketball, as well as yoga and morning jogs. At the end of the day, Fellows are often found hanging out in the Mo’adon (common room), writing and reading for fun, kicking back for our weekly movie night, or continuing an exciting conversation begun earlier in the day.
The Bronfman Fellowship is, above all, a space of learning for learning’s sake. An intellectual program without tests, homework, grades, or judgment, where Fellows can give free rein to their curiosity and explore issues with depth and candor. The Fellowship strives to intellectually challenge our Fellows, and provides many formal and informal educational opportunities. During the Fellows’ summer in Israel, each weekday begins with an intensive and intimate educational seminar facilitated by faculty members who are experienced rabbis and educators. The seminars encompass a variety of topics, selected by faculty to allow for rich debate and discussion as well as close-reading of varied texts. In recent years, our seminar topics included poetry in conversation with the Bible, Jewish and Palestinian nationalism, and theological variation in Jewish history. Many of the most powerful academic experiences on Bronfman come from the interaction between peers as they think about big ideas together. Read more about what the Fellows learn.
No, Fellows are not given any homework or assignments outside of their daytime seminars. In this unique learning atmosphere, Fellows are able to pursue interests, passions, and modes of thinking that they may not be able to explore during the school year.
Fellows will have a full schedule during Fellowship seminars and shouldn’t expect to have time for school work, studying or essay writing. Fellows should not enroll in classes or assume they will get work done during the scheduled seminars.
Our Director of Faculty and Community Manager are the lead staff members on-site, overseeing our educational team.
Our faculty teaches the Fellows and leads them in facilitated conversations. They consist of professors, Rabbis, and Jewish educators and artists with extensive experience, including a number that have been consistently named to Newsweek’s Top 50 Rabbis list. Read more about our faculty here.
In addition, two alumni madrichim (counselors) and a logistics coordinator are there to provide support, lead additional conversation sessions, and maintain security.
Fellows are housed in dormitory-style accommodations with 3-4 Fellows per room. There is plenty of indoor and outdoor common space for the Fellows to use, and a kitchenette available between meals.
Yes! All of our food meets OU (Orthodox Union) Kosher standards.
We accommodate all dietary restrictions to the best of our ability, and are happy to consult with each Fellow to ensure that their needs are met. We seek to partner with Fellows and their families when managing a food allergy. We have had Fellows with a wide range of food allergies over the years, and would not want this issue to prevent someone from participating in the program. If a Fellow has severe and/or life threatening food allergies, we work with their family to develop a plan that will allow for a safe and nutritious experience. Be mindful that Fellows may travel during the course of the program, and we have less control over food options when on the road. We are able to provide sealed meals in the main dining hall that can accommodate most needs. If specially prepared meals are required from an outside caterer, the added cost will need to be incurred by the Fellow’s family. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about your unique situation.
Similar to food allergies, we seek to partner with Fellows and their parents to make sure everyone’s medical needs are accounted for on the Fellowship. That being said, the Fellowship involves travel around Israel, long days, and other elements that may be challenging to overcome. If there are special accommodations you would require to be a participant on The Bronfman Fellowship, please contact us to discuss the possibilities.
We encourage our Fellows’ passions and are happy to accommodate any practice that they feel they need to continue during the summer. We have a huge campus with ample outdoor space for all sorts of athletic activities. We encourage Fellows to bring musical instruments, art supplies or anything else they might use.
Our curriculum allows time and space for Fellows to pray on their own daily, and works with the Fellows to organize group services on Shabbat.
We strive to make Shabbat a comfortable and meaningful experience for all of our Fellows. We are fully Shomer Shabbat (Shabbat observant) and do not travel on Shabbat. Shabbat is a brilliant communal experience on the fellowship. Fellows partake in the vibrant spiritual life of Jerusalem and attend services on Friday night.
Fellows share communal meals and are invited to faculty homes for intimate Shabbat lunches. They also study core Bronfman texts with a faculty member on Shabbat afternoon, and entertain one another with Parsha Players – an age-old Bronfman tradition of improvisational performances of the weekly Torah portion.
Bronfman runs a parallel Fellowship in Israel called Amitei Bronfman for young Israelis in their junior year of high school. We select a cohort of teens from diverse backgrounds to participate in a Fellowship year made up of eight seminars, one of which involves a trip to the US.
A highlight of the Fellowship is the opportunity to meet with these Israeli peers. The cross-cultural exposure to a group of diverse young Israelis provides for a nuanced and fun encounter. The Israeli and North American Fellows typically get to engage with each other during seminars in Israel and the U.S.
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