Jewish Teens Changing the World, One Mitzvah at a Time

Winner of the 2019 Irving Fain Social Justice Award, the Social Justice Teen Fellowship program is an exclusive, action-oriented program for 11th and 12th graders that seeks to empower Fellows to take responsibility and action for significant social, economic, and environmental problems, both within and beyond the Jewish community.

Limited to a small group of motivated teens, Temple Beth Am’s Social Justice Teen Fellowship combines Jewish text study with social justice activities and includes a 4-day social action trip. This unique year-long program develops a commitment to the Jewish people and community service. Our Fellows become active participants, leaders and agents for change in the Jewish and wider global community. Our programs are guided by the following values:

Jewish Learning: Our Fellowship program provides a framework and a springboard to prompt advocacy and action through the study of Jewish texts.
Social Activism: Judaism calls for responsible engagement with the world around us. Our program brings teens in contact with real social justice issues within our communities and empowers them to apply their talents to bring about solutions and/or alternatives in order to “repair the world.”

For more information, Tamara Donnenfeld, Director of Lifelong Learning, 786.364.9416, [email protected].

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Applications are due by August 10, 2024. Program tuition (includes 4‐day Social Action trip expenses and airfare): $1,300 (Cost does not include airfare). Scholarships available.

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Program Highlights

  • Eight Saturday or Sunday social action programs
  • Temple Beth Am Social Justice Speaker Series programs
  • A 4-day social action trip to Comalapa, Guatemala

Reflection is a crucial aspect of the SJTF experience.

As part of SJTF’s yearlong initiative, teens actively participate and contribute to a blog. The Social Justice Teen Fellowship blog provides participants with a physical reminder of the program and ensures continued reflection of their social justice explorations.

SJTF Blog