The Canadian Jewish News Campus Edition - September 29, 2005

Fellowship lures Jewish leaders of tomorrow

By SHERI SHEFA

There may be a few Jewish student groups to choose from when deciding how to become more involved in the community, but how often will you get paid for your time and effort? The Maimonides Leaders Fellowship Program, in its third year of operation, offers a $500 stipend to Jews who attend a college or university in the GTA, regardless of their denomination and level of Jewish knowledge.

The fellowship, which has expanded from the University of Toronto to York University, is a 10-week program that exposes participants to ideas of leadership and teaches them about social issues in a Jewish context. Upon graduation, the student will receive the award as an acknowledgement of the time commitment necessary to fully participate in the program in lieu of other responsibilities. Rabbi Mark Zelunka, an organizer of the program, said it is meant to address “a vacuum in Jewish leadership. “Jewish people, Jewish organizations, have seen that young people are not as involved Jewishly as their parents were – whether by being involved with synagogues, taking leadership roles in Jewish organizations or giving money to support Jewish causes,” Rabbi Zelunka said.

Throughout the program, participants meet each week for two hours to work with renowned Jewish educators and leaders, such as Rabbi Michael Skobac, director of Jews for Judaism, and Adrienne Gold, a television commentator and media personality. According to the website, the guests “will speak from a classical Jewish perspective on topics crucial to understanding one’s Jewish heritage and acting in a leadership capacity on campus and in communities.” More important, Rabbi Zelunka said, is that the program provides young Jews with the guidance they need to become involved and make a difference. “Most Jewish organizations have seen the need to develop and spur on leadership development among young Jewish people. The whole idea is that we want to empower Jewish people to lead in whichever direction they see fit. We’re just giving them the tools and information that they need,” he said. The kinds of lectures that are meant to arm Jewish students with the knowledge they need to contribute to the community include, “The Real Reason Behind Anti-Semitism,” “Who Am I Really? Jewish Identity and Self-Esteem,” and” The Leader Within You: How to Change the World in Six (Easy?) Steps.”

Dave Burden, the education leadership consultant for AEP North America – a Jewish fraternity – and a Maimonides graduate, said being a part of the program was a great way to become more informed and more involved in the Jewish community. “I obviously loved the program. It was well organized and highly informative. The speakers were of a very prestigious calibre, the topics they spoke on were interesting,” Burden said.

Rabbi Zelunka said the program, which runs at 20 universities across North America, is meant to enrich the lives of those involved in hopes that they will give back to the community by teaching others what they have learned.

“I always tell the students that to represent the Jewish people, you have to know what the Jewish people represent. We don’t want just leaders of Jews, but we want a Jewish leader – Jews that lead based on Jewish ideals and values,” he said. For more information, or to apply, visit www.jewishleaders.com.

With files from Alina Olshenitsky.