The Bronfman Fellowship

The Bronfman Fellowship was founded in 1987 by Edgar M. Bronfman, in response to what he perceived as a lack of dialogue among the various Jewish denominations in North America. Edgar also dreamed of a "renaissance of Torah study,[5]" in which all Jews would not only be welcomed into the dialogue but would also be equipped with the thoughtfulness and Jewish literacy to engage in serious study of Jewish texts. In 1998, the organization launched Amitei Bronfman, its program for young Israelis. Today, the Bronfman Fellowship is one of the most well-respected youth programs in the Jewish nonprofit space.

The Bronfman Fellowship's "Bronfmanim Impact Framework" outlines four core developmental goals for Fellows: Community Builders, Deep Thinkers, Moral Voices, and Cultural Creators. Their methodology for achieving these goals is grounded both in experiential learning and in Jewish text study, facilitated by professional rabbis and Jewish educators who share the Fellowship's philosophical commitments. The Fellowship places particular emphasis on the intellectual autonomy of the young Fellows, rather than on any one particular worldview or mode of Jewish practice.

The Fellowship's approach to Jewish text study is both rigorous and creative. A broad variety of works serve as jumping-off points for conversation, including canonical texts such as the Tanakh and the Talmud, philosophy, literature, poetry, and visual art.

The Bronfman Fellowship's pedagogy is also relational, with knowledge emerging not from one rabbi or text but from ongoing conversations among Fellows and faculty. One of the first traditional texts which each Fellowship cohort studies is a famous line of Pirkei Avot which translates to “make for yourself a teacher, acquire for yourself a friend.” This text is used to introduce one of the core tenets of the program: that connecting with others on a deep, personal level, and engaging in challenging dialogue with them, allows friends to become teachers, and teachers to become friends. Nuance and disagreement are embraced, and the Fellowship intentionally selects as religiously and politically diverse a cohort as possible. Every single Fellow serves both as a friend and as a teacher for their peers.

The Bronfman Fellowship program consists of three dedicated group experiences, regular video conferences throughout the year, and a culminating project.

The first of these experiences is the Immersive Summer Experience, which takes place in Israel (with the exception of the 2020 cohort, whose program was fully remote, and the 2021 cohort, whose program is being held in the United States). Fellows spend five weeks in Israel, engaging in deep learning and forming lifelong bonds while traveling the country. They also have the opportunity to live in a homestay with an Israeli Fellow ("Amit") during part of the trip.

In December, the Israeli Amitim come to the United States for their own immersive travel experience, as well as a weekend retreat and a homestay with the American Fellows.

In the Spring, Fellows embark on a five-day exploration of American-Jewish identity in a Northeastern city, typically New York City or Washington, D.C.

Throughout the Fellowship Year, Fellows work on their Beyond Bronfman project, a process of deep exploration of a question or idea, which culminates in an artifact which Fellows then share with their peers.

Following the Fellowship Year, many Bronfmanim stay involved with the community through the Bronfman Fellowship's extraordinarily active alumni community. Alumni programs have included collegiate gatherings, regular lectures and classes, and mentoring programs. Alumni are able to take advantage of a vast network of professionals and Jewish leaders.

• Edgar Bronfman, Sr.

• Bronfman Fellowships 25th Anniversary Magazine