The Bronfman Fellowship has selected its 33rd cohort of intellectually curious 11th-graders from across North America, among them the president of a club that helps support youth development in the African country of Eswatini, a young physicist whose studies on cosmic ray muons have been used by high schools throughout the country, a professional jeweler who works with ancient gemstones, and an activist who spoke to a crowd of thousands about the violence spawned by white nationalism in the wake of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue.

The 26 Fellows, chosen from over two hundred and thirty applicants, will participate in a five-week program of study and travel in Israel, followed by a year of programming centered around pluralism, social responsibility and Jewish texts. 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 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.

Following a competitive application process, the 2019 Fellows are from 10 states and Canada and represent a wide range of Jewish backgrounds, including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, Reconstructionist and secularly/culturally Jewish.

Alumni of The Bronfman Fellowship are community builders, deep thinkers, moral voices, and cultural creators. There are now over 1,200 Bronfman Fellowship alumni across North America and Israel. Among them are 8 Rhodes Scholars, 4 former Supreme Court clerks, 18 Fulbright Scholars, 35 Wexner Fellows and 27 Dorot Fellows.

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.