The Dorot Fellowships aim to assemble and nurture a network of young Jewish lay leaders to enliven the American Jewish landscape. Between ten and fifteen Dorot Fellows are chosen each year to live in Israel, where they participate in both individual and communal learning experiences in order to develop their understanding of Israeli society as well as their leadership skills.
Each fellowship provides up to $7,000 toward the cost of an individual’s personal learning program as well as a $20,000 living stipend, which is designed to cover one round trip to Israel and typical basic living expenses.
The Dorot Fellowships are open to American and Canadian Jews who will be between the ages of 22 and 29 upon taking up the fellowship. Non-American and non-Canadian citizens may be eligible, but only with prior approval from the program. All candidates must be (or have been) residents of the U.S., having graduates from a U.S. high school, and must intend to reside permanently in the U.S. The fellowships are intended for future Jewish lay leaders, but do not require that candidates have previous experience in Israel, knowledge of Hebrew, or a particular affiliation with any denomination or movement. The program values a variety of models of leadership (reform, innovation, and creation) and seeks candidates who are active in conventional, as well as unconventional, forms of civic and Jewish engagement, and so seeks candidates who are committed to improving their capacity to exercise the leadership required to create new forms, and reinvigorate existing forms, of Jewish expression.