At a challenging time, the JCRC Youth Fellowship gives teens the knowledge, confidence and tools to lead.
It was Super Bowl Sunday 2026, just a few hours before kickoff. Twenty-seven Jewish high school juniors and seniors, gathered for a session of the JCRC’s Youth Fellowship for Jewish Identity and Leadership, watched an ad about antisemitism that would air later that evening.
A vigorous discussion followed. The ad focused on the importance of allyship – someone stepping in when another person is targeted. The teens understood that message, but their conversation quickly turned to another question: What about their own agency? What tools did they have to respond when they encountered antisemitism themselves?
Three of the Fellows decided on the spot: For their capstone project, they would make their own ad about antisemitism.
And so, they did.
The teens recreated the kind of scenario they had experienced themselves: friends hanging out when one kid starts cracking derogatory Jewish jokes. In their video, the Jewish teens initially let the comments go. But when they continue, the teens respond – calmly and confidently. They explain that their Jewish identity is important to them and that the jokes aren’t okay. Their friend gets it, sincerely apologizes, and everyone moves on.
A few months later, the Fellows presented their video at our capstone gallery walk. They talked about how making it had increased their own confidence in standing up for themselves. But the impact extended beyond them.
As part of their project, they had also shown the video to members of their athletic team, most of whom were not Jewish, and collected their reactions. The message landed. Their teammates wrote that the video helped them understand how jokes they might consider harmless or funny can be experienced very differently by their Jewish friends. “We get it now,” many wrote.
That is just one example of the impact of the Youth Fellowship – and the ripple effect it can have far beyond the teens who participate.
Launched in 2024, the JCRC Youth Fellowship for Jewish Identity and Leadership is a school-year program designed to help Jewish teens develop the knowledge, confidence, and relationships they need to thrive as Jewish leaders. Over eight monthly sessions from October through May, Fellows explore Jewish identity, peoplehood, American Jewish life, Zionism, Israel, dual narratives, and contemporary antisemitism and anti-Zionism through facilitated discussion, experiential learning, and reflection.
Rather than offering simple answers to complex questions, the Fellowship encourages teens to think critically, engage respectfully with diverse perspectives, and develop the knowledge and confidence to articulate their own informed Jewish identities.
A defining feature of the Fellowship is leadership through action. Each Fellow designs and carries out a capstone project that brings something they have learned into a Jewish, school, or peer community, creating opportunities for education and dialogue. Fellows who fulfill the program requirements – including monthly sessions, between-session assignments, and the capstone project—receive a $1,000 stipend.
And we now have data showing that the program works. An independent evaluation of the Fellowship’s second year found statistically significant growth across all ten learning outcomes measured. Fellows demonstrated increased understanding and confidence in areas ranging from their own personal Jewish stories and the collective narrative of the Jewish people to contemporary antisemitism and antizionism.
The numbers are powerful, but so are the teens’ own words. As one Fellow put it simply:
“This program has given me tools that I use in my day-to-day life now.”
Applications are now open for the JCRC Youth Fellowship’s 2026-27 cohort. The program is open to Jewish high school juniors and seniors from across the Twin Cities. Our first two cohorts have brought together teens from the city and suburbs, public and private schools, and a wide range of Jewish backgrounds and levels of practice. We look forward to building another diverse cohort this year.
At this very challenging time for our young people, it’s easy to wring our hands and ask, “What can we do?”
The answer is: There are things we can do. And this is one of them.
Rather than asking Jewish teens simply to withstand difficult moments, the Fellowship gives them knowledge, relationships, and tools. It prepares them to lead, educate, speak for themselves, and strengthen Jewish life wherever they are – at school, on campus, at camp, and throughout the broader community.
We are eager to welcome the next cohort of Jewish teens – young people ready to stand strongly in our Jewish story and prepared to lead with pride and confidence.
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To learn more visit JCRC Youth Fellowship for Jewish Identity and Leadership
Applications open through Sept. 24, 2026. Rolling admission until filled. Space is limited.