Diller Teen Fellows: Leadership Training for Jewish 10th-11th Graders
Posted on 08/12/2022 @ 06:00 AM
Why do college counselors love to recommend Diller to their clients?
- It’s exclusive— only 20 teens in 10th or 11th grade can participate each year.
- It produces leaders-teens receive real-world, hands-on experience creating and leading programs.
- It educates teens about cultural diversity— teens learn about Jewish life and meet other teens from across the globe.
- It involves international travel—our Miami teens travel for 3 weeks in Israel over the summer and gain a new understanding of themselves and the world.
Our Miami Diller Teen Fellows recently culminated their program in an incredibly moving, three-week trip to Israel where they learned about its great leaders and change-makers.
The Fellows traveled to the Upper Galilee in the North and our partnership community of Yerucham in the South. The Fellows enjoyed walking the streets of Tel Aviv and had an amazing Shabbat experience in Jerusalem.
Diller Teen Fellows explore Israel in-depth throughout the year of programming and before traveling in the country.
They experience our global Jewish peoplehood by meeting other Diller Fellows from 6 continents and multiple countries-- United States/ Canada, Argentina, United Kingdom, South Africa, Australia, and Israel.
Over the course of the year, our Miami Diller Teens develop strong bonds with their Israeli Diller counterparts, making it one of the most impactful people-to-people programs in the Jewish world.
A highlight of the program in Israel was when the Miami Fellows spent time with the families of the Yerucham Fellows in home visits. Fellows were able to build authentic connections with the Yerucham community and learn about different ways people practice Judaism in Israel.
In fact, one of the most significant impacts of Diller Teen Fellows is how the program deepens and broadens both the American and the Israeli teens’ understanding of their own Jewish identity and our many different expressions of Judaism.
In Israel, the Fellows explored the diverse culture of our sister community by cooking with the Culinary Queens of Yerucham, painting Moroccan tiles at Zuak Art Studio, and stargazing by the Yerucham lake.
In addition to working hand-in-hand with their Israeli peers to plan a Shabbaton, a shabbat / weekend experience, together as a real-world test of their leadership abilities, the teens created strong connections that allowed them to expand their worldview and understanding of the diversity of the Jewish people.
The Diller Israel experience reaches its climactic peak at the Annual Global Congress where all 32 communities from six continents explore the pillars of Diller’s program: Jewish peoplehood, leadership, Jewish identity, and tikkun olam (repairing the world).
The Miami Fellows left Israel with a better understanding of who they are as leaders and what they value in their Jewish identity.
Here is how a few Fellows characterized their experience:
“My Diller experience was one of the best perspective-changing trips I have ever been on. Meeting new people while expanding your horizons is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I am so glad to have been a part of.”
- Cayla Labgold-Carroll
“The Diller experience was an incredible opportunity to explore the land of Israel through a new perspective. The leadership opportunities I experienced with Jewish teens from all over the world allowed me to find a new love for my Jewish identity.” - Ava Perloff
pplications to join the Miami Diller Teen Fellows Cohort 10 are now open!
Teens going into the 10th and 11th grade who live, go to school or belong to a synagogue in the Miami-Dade area are eligible for the Diller program.
There are a limited number of openings for this upcoming year.
To Learn more and to apply, visit dillermiami.org or contact Ashley Shulman, Diller Teen Fellow Coordinator, ashleyshulman@caje-miami.org
