The Bronfman Fellowship is launching a year-long pilot for a diverse group of Jewish college students called “Campus Commons: Building Bridges with Jewish Wisdom.” The hope is that this free program will empower students to use Jewish values and wisdom to enhance social cohesion on their campuses and beyond. Participants will explore core Jewish ideas and texts related to pluralism, as well as the latest research in social psychology, communication and conflict management. Campus Commons is made possible through a seed grant from UJA-Federation of New York.

Fifty participants will be selected for the first cohort of Campus Commons. This all-expenses-paid program is open to full-time college students who identify as Jewish and who have completed at least one year of college. The cohort of Bridge Builders will be student leaders who are and are not formally involved in Jewish life on campus. For this pilot year early preference will be given to students who are from New York and/or who attend a New York college.  The deadline to apply is Oct. 21, and admission is rolling.  Students can learn more and apply at campuscommons.bronfman.org.

Designed in response to the rise in polarization, social instability and isolation on college campuses, Campus Commons will help participants cultivate their own agency and gain real-world, actionable skills to foster environments where people can build relationships across differences. Led by the Bronfman Fellowship’s faculty and staff, the program will include a three-day, in-person seminar to model building pluralistic communities; monthly Zoom sessions for learning and reflection on experiences on campus; and mentorship to assist participants in the design of their own on-campus initiatives. Upon completion of the program, participants will receive a certificate in Relationship Building Across Difference.

Campus Commons stems from The Bronfman Fellowship’s 38 years of experience in fostering pluralistic Jewish community and leadership through its flagship year-long Fellowship program for Jewish teenagers in North America and Israel, and through programming for its vibrant alumni community.  At the core of the Fellowship’s approach is a passionate belief that building trust and mutual understanding works best when Jews can learn and engage together and with other communities, drawing on Jewish texts and tradition as tools for finding common language. Young people with strong convictions, rooted in their unique Jewish identities, are best prepared to navigate complex relationships to contribute to a stronger shared society.

The Bronfman Fellowship hopes to expand the Campus Commons pilot program to other locations across the country over the next three years. For more information and to apply, please visit www.campuscommons.bronfman.org/. For questions about the program, please contact [email protected].

| RELATED: One-third of non-Jewish college students are hostile to Jews or Israel, Brandeis U study finds