NEW YORK – Twenty-one elite Jewish student leaders from university campuses around the globe will form the third cohort of the Ronald S. Lauder Fellowship, the World Jewish Congress announced today. These promising young people from 14 countries are set to undergo leadership training, engage with high-level global figures and develop bonds across continents that will fuel long-term collaboration.
“This generation of advocates will play a critical role in ensuring the future of global Jewry, starting with university campuses, which have unfortunately seen a surge in antisemitic and anti-Israel activity,” World Jewish Congress President Ronald S. Lauder said. “The Fellowship will equip this cohort of outstanding student leaders, who hail from such countries as Argentina, Sweden and South Africa, with the skills and resources to make a positive difference in their local communities and on behalf of the Jewish people for years to come.”
During the one-year program, the cohort gathers in New York City and in cities across Europe to develop advocacy tools. With support and guidance from the World Jewish Congress, Lauder Fellows develop personalized work plans to implement their unique initiatives. Previous Fellows have led events on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and helped to create a memorial honoring the victims of the Yom Kippur shooting in 2019 at a synagogue in Halle, Germany.
The outgoing 2020-2021 cohort of Lauder Fellows has launched myriad projects, including the 2021 Israel Summit, the largest student-run pro-Israel event in history, and the Rimon Movement, an international student effort focused on reimagining Israel education on college campuses. Also, one Fellow was awarded funding to teach peacebuilding to children in Afghanistan and the former Soviet republic of Georgia. “I would recommend the Ronald S. Lauder Fellowship to young Jewish leaders who want to leave a mark on their community,” said former Fellow Caterina Cognini, of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice (Italy). “The Fellowship gives you the opportunity to meet and engage with other activists from all around the world and create connections between countries and continents.”
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