St. Louis area teens are encouraged to apply for the Hy C. Miller Israel Scholarship Fund, which offers a month-long Israel trip, including airfare from New York, for $1,999 (and in some cases less).

The trip, called the Jerusalem Journey (TJJ), also includes all hotels, meals and touring.  For four weeks, participants will travel across the country and participate in a variety of activities while learning about their Jewish heritage. Over 400 teens from across North America participate on TJJ, which is one of the flagship Israel summer programs under the auspices of International National Conference of Synagogue Youth, and is designed specifically for students from public school and non-Jewish private school backgrounds. 

The generosity of the Miller Fund helps provide top Israel teen summer experiences for a fraction of what other teen trips cost, said Rabbi Mike Rovinsky, Director of St. Louis NCSY.  

As in previous years, teens from the St. Louis area will share a bus with teens from Kansas City, Minneapolis and Chicago.  Rabbi Gershie Meisel, a popular St. Louis Jewish Student Union club leader, will serve as leader of the Midwest bus. 

The scholarship fund was established by Yale and Gail Miller in memory of their father and father-in-law Hymen C. Miller. Miller realized that American bred teens of the 1920s were quickly becoming apathetic towards their Jewish identity. Consequently, he helped developed cutting edge programming to engage and inspire the next generation of loyal Jewry.

All Jewish teens attending non-Jewish high schools are eligible to receive funds.  For more information, contact Rabbi Rovinsky at [email protected] or 314-498-6279.