Diller Teen Fellows

 

LOS ANGELES/TEL AVIV DILLER TEEN FELLOWS

 

MISSION

The Diller Teen Fellowship is an international partnership that inspires and empowers Jewish teens to be active, effective leaders with a strong Jewish identity, a sense of belonging to their community, the Jewish people and Israel, and a responsibility to the betterment of the world.

 

VISION

The Diller Teen Fellows Program will serve as a premiere leadership program for Jewish teens, exemplifying excellence in pluralistic Jewish informal education.  Communities will be strengthened by diversity through an emphasis on Jewish Peoplehood.  Program alumni forn an international network of Jewish leaders who will creatively and collaboratively engage in the betterment of their communities and the world.

 

THE PROGRAM

Diller Teen Fellows participate in a Jewish educational training series and create and implement social service projects during nine Sunday workshops and four intensive weekend retreats (including one with the Tel Aviv group) throughout the program year, which runs from September to September.  The program also includes a three week Seminar in Israel, the Diller Teen Leadership Congress, and a ten day peer-to-peer exchange in North America with their Israeli counterpart group.

 

FOUR PILLARS

  • Leadership
  • Tikkun Olam 
  • Judaism & Jewish Identity 
  • Israel

 

CORE VALUES

  • Excellence
  • Pluralism
  • Responsibility
  • Partnership
  • Peoplehood

 

HISTORY

The Los Angeles/Tel Aviv Diller Teen Fellows program began in the Fall of 2007, and has been generously supported by the philanthropy of Helen DIller, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and Westside Jewish Community Center.

The hope and belief of Helen Diller is that by investing in our teens today we will be creating the future generations of Jewish leaders worldwide who will be committed to the Jewish community, Israel, and community service.  The Helen Diller Family Foundation, a supporting foundation of the Jewish Community Endowment fund of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin, and Sonoma Counties, created this international initiative to promote Jewish teen leadership.

The Diller Teen Fellows program was first implemented in San Francisco/Upper Galilee in 1996.  Since its inception, the program has grown to include 8 North American/Israeli partnerships.  Each local community develops a selective year-long program for a cohort of twenty 11th graders, focusing on leadership training, tikkun olam (social action), Judaism and Jewish identity, and connection to Israel and Jewish peoplehood.

 

APPLICATIONS

Diller Teen Fellows Program is looking for Jewish students entering the 11th grade who represent the the best and the brightest of their peers and are committed to serving their community, honing their leadership skills and developing a lasting connection to Judaism and Israel.  Applications are now being accepted.

Applications for the 2011-2012 Los Angeles Diller Teen Fellows cohort are now CLOSED.   

The application process for the 2012-2013 will open in Early 2012.

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For more information on the Los Angeles Diller Teen Fellows Program, please email Diller@westsidejcc.org or contact Shoshana Hirsh, L.A. Coordinator at 323.556.5207, or Stephanie Kane, Diller Program Assistant at 323.556.5215

 

TESTIMONIALS

“Diller is about taking a bunch of Jews with different practices and beliefs and instead of separating them, putting them together in a group.”          

                ~ Diller Teen Fellow, Cohort 2010

“I’ve done a lot of leadership programs but I think this one teaches even more leadership skills and how to interact in another culture.”              

                ~ Diller Teen Fellow, Cohort 2010 

 

 

The Los Angeles Diller Teen Fellows Program is a partnership of the Helen Diller Family Foundation, The Federation of Greater Los Angeles and the Westside Jewish Community Center