Earlier in March, 13 participants of the Klal Yisrael Fellowship program came to Israel for a week-long seminar to learn, network, tour Israel and meet with local social change activists. Their visit was the second of three week-long intensives of the Klal Yisrael fellowship, a 10-month program designed to empower young adults in the Reform Movement around the world to realize their collective capacity to effect change inspired by the progressive Jewish values that unite our worldwide movement. Their first seminar was held in Atlanta, GA in the US in December 2019; the final seminar is tentatively scheduled for August in Europe.
A partnership among the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) and the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), Klal Yisrael is made possible by generous funding from Betty and Arthur Roswell, who have been lifelong champions of global Reform Judaism. The participants are divided among the URJ the IMPJ, and the WUPJ, and their geographic diversity continues to grow.
Many thanks to participant Elias Rubin who created this fun video summary of the group’s Israel seminar.
During their seminar, participants met with Claire Trilling, who is living and working in Lod as part of the Yahel Social Change program teaching English at a local elementary school and supporting youth at-risk in an after school program. Claire penned this editorial on the Times of Israel, blogs, “A Day in Lod: Separate Lives in Mixed Cities” which helps elucidate the types of social issues and challenges Klal Yisrael fellows explored together. Claire is also an intern with the Abraham Initiatives, a non-profit organization that seeks to build shared society and promote political and social equality for both Arab and Jewish citizens of Israel.