Diller Applications Are Open!
Posted on 05/12/2023 @ 06:00 AM
Last month CAJE’s Diller Teen Fellows embarked on a weeklong cultural exchange with their counterpart Dillers from our partnership community of Yerucham, Israel.
The Miami Diller Fellows welcomed the Yerucham teens into their homes and hosted them for the week-- an incredible experience for our teens and their families.
While our Miami Fellows were in school during the day, the Yerucham Fellows toured Miami and learned about what Judaism looks like in the diaspora.
They visited synagogues across Miami and engaged in dynamic conversations with Rabbis and other members of the clergy.
They also had the opportunity to explore Wynwood Walls, the Frost Museum, the University of Miami campus, and more.
The highlight of the week was spending Shabbat together at our Sikkum Shabbaton.
There the Miami and Yerucham Fellows learned about each other’s Shabbat traditions and explored their Jewish identities, including what they felt was similar and what was very different. (Remember many of our Yerucham Fellows have grown up in traditional or Orthodox families of Mizrachi and Moroccan descent.
We ended the weekend with a huge bonfire to celebrate being together.
JCM really opened my eyes to see how different people could follow the same religion, but in different ways. I am so happy to have met the Yerucham teens, because not only did we become great friends and make amazing memories together, but they also helped me expand my own Jewish identity. -Nicole Klenicki Cohort 10
In July, the Miami Fellows will be visiting Yerucham and spending time with their new friends as well as touring Israel and experiencing the Global Diller Congress with teens from 6 continents and many countries around the world!
Diller Teen Fellows is a pluralistic and immersive leadership program that invites a select group of 20 Jewish teens in Miami to step up, lead their communities, and repair the world along with Diller Fellows from around the world.
Who is eligible?
Jewish 10th and 11th graders (2023-2024 school year) who are interested in growing their leadership skills and connecting with a diverse cohort of teens from Miami-Dade County.
The Diller Teen Fellows program includes monthly workshops, three Shabbat experiences, a weeklong cultural exchange with Israeli teens before Passover and a three-week trip to Israel in July.
Diller was an extremely transformational experience for me. I grew as leader, made close friends, and had the time of my life on the Israel trip. I have carried the skills that I learned in Diller into many different aspects of my life and cherish all the memories I made.
-Eli Borovich Cohort 9
Through experiential education and hands-on volunteering, Diller provides teens with the tools to become a force of change throughout their lifetime.
Each element of the Diller year focuses on leadership development, Jewish Identity, self-management, and connection with international Jewry.
Diller Fellows create networks and connections with Jewish teens from around the world who have similar values and passions.
Please visit our website at dillermiami.org for more information and to apply. Applications are due on Friday, June 2nd.
