JLIC College in Israel has received a grant from Jewish National Fund-USA. Grants are awarded to organizations that collaborate in ways that deepen impact while accelerating Israel and Zionist education and engagement.
The grant allows JLIC to expand the College in Israel program and launch Abraham’s House Israel, an initiative designed to transform young adults into passionate Zionist leaders through service, education and community building.
The expanded partnership will reach 3,500 American college students and young adults studying in Israel. Students connect directly to JNF-USA’s work through service and educational experiences. The goal is to create a deep, lasting connection between young adults and Israel that inspires them to become lifelong advocates and leaders for Israel and the Jewish people.
The Abraham’s House Fellowship will recruit and train 100 student fellows as Zionist leaders. The fellowship is built on three pillars: Zionism, service and community.
Fellows learn that leadership and service start with these simple questions: Are the basics covered? Do people have what they need? Then they show up and do the work. Through experiences at JNF-USA sites, educational programming and service projects, fellows connect personally to Israel’s development. Each fellow creates a community project based on identified needs. They lead their peers, bring other students into meaningful engagement with Israel and take that commitment with them long after they leave.
Rabbi Jonathan Shulman, director of JLIC College in Israel, stated that “we are extremely grateful for our partnership with JNF-USA. College in Israel offers the perfect opportunity to expand our work together, bringing students together to live, learn and experience Zionism while studying at Israel’s leading universities. As the world’s leading Zionist organization, JNF-USA brings unmatched vision, history and impact to this work, and together we are inspiring thousands of young adults to become proud, lifelong advocates for Israel and the Jewish people.”
Rabbi Joe Wolfson, founder of Abraham’s House, said: “Abraham’s House is based on a simple proposition: that the potential of young people and their energy to positively impact their environments is massive. Abraham’s House organizes that energy to make a significant difference to individuals in need and to causes that matter. Sometimes the projects are enormous, often they are small and local, and hiding in plain sight. That philosophy is deeply aligned with JNF-USA’s mission, building Israel through initiative and responsibility. Together we will empower our young people to create a stronger, kinder, more connected Israeli society.”
Rabbi Idan Rakovsky from JLIC at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev noted that “we’re right here in the Negev, where you can see JNF-USA’s impact all around us. They are the driving force behind the Beersheva region’s social, economic and environmental transformation. Now the World Zionist Village is coming to Beersheva, right in our area. Our fellows will build deep relationships with the people doing the work.”
In their first semester, fellows have already visited JNF-USA partners, such as Adi Negev and the Western Galilee Consortium. Connections are being built with communities from the north to the south.
Unlike a traditional funder, Jewish National Fund-USA grants aim to create synergies among their grantees—and with Jewish National Fund-USA—that meaningfully accelerate both their programs and the organization’s overarching mission.
“Our vision is clear: Every individual or organization stands together in forging a lasting bond with the land and people of Israel,” said Boruchin Center Chair Scott Schreiber. “Through these grants, Jewish National Fund-USA deepens our connection to our Zionist heritage and ancestral soil, amplifying our voices, strengthening our communities and investing in our people’s future.”
Each grant awarded emphasizes the strength of the partnership between organizations, across generational boundaries, and between American Jewry and Israel.
