Bronfman Fellowship Announces Second Cohort

The Bronfman Fellowship has selected its second cohort of outstanding Jewish college students for Campus Commons: Building Bridges with Jewish Wisdom, which empowers students to use Jewish wisdom to cut through polarization on their campuses and beyond.

This cohort of 35 college students with diverse Jewish backgrounds come from 30 campuses across 14 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada. Among them are: a participant in three humanitarian aid trips to wartime Ukraine, the leader of five film festivals, the co-founder of their university’s Interfaith Initiative, and the creator of a podcast that aims to foster thoughtful conversations around complex topics. The cohort began their semester-long program with a multi-day immersive, in-person seminar on Nov. 13.

Designed by leading Jewish educators at The Bronfman Fellowship, Campus Commons is a powerful response to the rise in polarization, social instability, and isolation on college campuses, particularly for Jewish students. According to a 2022 study by Heterodox Academy, more than 60 percent of college students report that the climate on their campus prevents people from saying things they believe because others might find them offensive. At the same time, 88 percent believe that colleges should encourage students to be open to learning from people whose beliefs differ from their own.

Campus Commons helps participants cultivate their own agency and gain real-world, actionable skills to foster environments where people can build relationships across differences. Participants explore core Jewish ideas and texts related to pluralism, as well as the latest research in social psychology, communication, and conflict management.