Marking a major investment in day school education, Yeshiva University has launched the Gruen Fellows Program, a bold new initiative designed to identify, support and develop the next generation of Jewish leaders. Made possible by a generous gift from the Gruen family, the program provides selected high schools across North America with annual fellowship support for one student in each grade who exemplifies academic excellence, Torah values and leadership potential.
Rooted in the Gruens’ philanthropic vision, the program was built around two guiding pillars: increasing affordability for Jewish day-school families and enriching the Torah learning experience for high school students. Gruen Fellows receive both meaningful financial support and access to Torah-based leadership development that extends beyond the walls of any one school.
Rabbi Ari Berman, Ph.D., president of Yeshiva University, lauded the program as a step in strengthening Jewish education nationwide.
“The Gruen Fellows Program is more than a fellowship—it is a movement to support Jewish families, strengthen Jewish schools and develop the next generation of leaders grounded in Torah values,” he said. “We are deeply grateful to the Gruens for their vision and generosity. This initiative will create a long-lasting impact across communities.”
Participating schools nominate one incoming ninth-grade student each year to become a Gruen Fellow. Each student will be awarded an annual scholarship for all four years of high school, along with access to national programming and an eight-course curriculum developed and delivered through YU Global. Gruen Fellows also become part of a national cohort, building connection, identity and shared growth with like-minded peers across the country.
“My parents believed deeply in making Jewish education accessible and easing the financial burden on families and were particularly concerned about the enrollment drop happening at the high school level,” said Debbie Gruen, daughter of philanthropists Ronald and Ethel Gruen. “They wanted as many students as possible to continue to benefit from a meaningful Jewish education.”
The program is led by Rabbi Ari Rockoff, YU’s David Mitzner community dean for values and leadership, who has been instrumental in building Yeshiva University’s national high school network.
“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our schools, empower our students and deepen our collective commitment to Torah and leadership,” he said. “Together, we’re creating a national movement of young leaders who will shape the future of Jewish life.”
Each participating school becomes part of the Yeshiva University Network, a growing alliance of Jewish high schools committed to Torah learning and leadership. These schools will be granted access to exclusive YU programming and educational and marketing resources that strengthen their institutional missions and connect them to the broader YU community.
The program honors the legacy of Ronald and Ethel Gruen, who dedicated their lives to strengthening Jewish education. Ronald Gruen, a Holocaust-era immigrant from Czernovitz, Austria, and Ethel Gruen, a New York native, were successful entrepreneurs and philanthropists who played a central role in founding Jewish schools in Dallas and supporting Torah institutions across the country.
Applications for schools seeking to join the Gruen Fellows Program will open in March 2026.
For more information, visit www.yu.edu/gruen.
