(JTA) — A new Hillel International project will send hundreds of recent college graduates to campuses nationwide for training as Jewish professionals.
The two-year Springboard Fellowships will see the placement of 500 fellows in the first five years, Hillel said Wednesday in a statement.
The program is part of the organization’s Drive to Excellence initiative to increase student engagement in Hillel on college campuses.
“One of Hillel’s key roles is to build and grow the next generation of Jewish talent, both for our own movement and the broader Jewish world,” said Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Hillel International: The Foundation for Campus Jewish Life. “Through the Springboard Fellowship, we can build on the relationships we develop with young Jews on campuses across the country and around the world to provide college graduates with innovative education and skills training while serving our communities.”
The fellowship is scheduled to begin this fall with 20 fellows. The fellows will be jointly funded by Hillel International and by the Hillel campuses they serve.
A grant from the Pittsburgh-based Beacon and Shapira Foundations made the fellowship launch possible in large part.
The Springboard Fellowships are an outgrowth of the Steinhardt Jewish Campus Service Corps Fellowship that Hillel ran from 1994 to 2008.
