COJECO – the Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations is proud to introduce a new initiative – the Keystone Fellowship, a program designed to cultivate and nurture well-trained Jewish leaders in the New York Metro area.

The Keystone Fellowship is a prestigious leadership experience for distinguished volunteers and philanthropists – a collaborative cohort including Russian-speaking and American-born Jewish New Yorkers. Throughout the program, participants will explore their common history, examine various models of applied leadership, tackle some of the current challenges in the Jewish community, and work jointly to steer the future development of Jewish life. This Fellowship is a unique effort to cultivate and nurture leaders capable of shaping the Jewish future and strengthening their nominating organization.

Funded by the UJA-Federation of NY Commission on Jewish Peoplehood, the Keystone Fellowship is a unique partnership bringing the experience and reach of COJECO and the reputation and expertise of the NYU Wagner School of Public Service. NYU Wagner will provide a graduate certificate from one of the top executive leadership graduate programs in North America to Keystone participants.

This year long program will include an intensive three-day retreat, an immersive learning experience in Israel, and 15 evening sessions dedicated to covering the wide range of skills and knowledge critical to contemporary leadership. The entire program will weave together a journey of exploring personal and communal Jewish identity with the practical skills of institutional leadership, deeply rooted in Jewish values.

Individuals with leadership potential can be nominated by professionals and lay leaders in the New York Jewish Community. These individuals will be invited to apply for the selection process to create the first cohort of 18 candidates. Nominations are open and the program will begin January 2015.

Information Session about the Keystone Fellowship for representatives of nominating agencies as well as potential program applicants will take place on September 18, 2014 at 6:30 pm at NYU Wagner – 295 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10012. To RSVP to the Information Session, please email leahv@cojeco.org.