ALEF: The ACCESS Leadership Fellowship
The American Jewish Committee’s ACCESS Leadership Fellowship (ALEF) is an eight month long cohort experience designed to bring a group of young professionals into AJC's work. The program will begin with several sessions focused on teaching young professionals about AJC's national goals and advocacy strategy. After the first three sessions, the LA cohort's sessions will shift to focus on AJC's local advocacy work - meeting with elected officials, establishing relationships with diplomats, and partnering with other community organizations.
ALEF is designed for young professionals aged 23-36 interested in becoming more involved with AJC and serves as a thorough overview to the diverse work of AJC. ALEF will enhance participants’ leadership skills, bolster knowledge of the scope and scale of AJC’s work, equip participants with advocacy skills and real-life experience, and create a cohort that will become involved within the young leadership of ACCESS.
Please click here to find the application for the ACCESS Leadership Fellowship.
Program Sessions
ALEF participants will engage in AJC’s mission: “to enhance the well-being of the Jewish people and Israel, and to advance human rights and democratic values in the United States and around the world.” The eight-part series will include sessions such as:
- AJC’s Approach to Global Jewish Advocacy" with Dan Elbaum, AJC Chief Advocacy Officer
- "Combating Antisemitism at Home and Abroad" with Holly Huffnagle, AJC U.S. Director for Combating Antisemitism
- Off-the-record meetings with legislators and diplomats
- Lobbying opportunities with local elected officials
- An inside look into AJC’s Israel advocacy approach
- Relationship building with Black-, Muslim-, and Asian-American community partners
Sessions will be held once a month on weekday evenings and will run from October 2020 through May 2021. Given the ongoing public health crisis, sessions will be via Zoom video conference until it is safe to meet in-person.
ALEF Participants
ALEF will consist of a cohort of 10-20 young professionals (ages 23-36) seeking to become more engaged in AJC and ACCESS LA. After filling out an initial application, potential participants will be contacted for an interview with ACCESS LA staff.
Responsibilities of ALEF Participants
- Attendance at each ALEF session. Participants can miss one session throughout the duration of the program.
- Program tuition is a tax-deductible $625 contribution to AJC.
Privileges of ALEF Participants
- Recognition as part of AJC’s Marshall Society
- Invitations to exclusive Marshall Society events and opportunities in the Los Angeles region and at AJC Global Forum
- Invitations to national Insider Briefing conference calls with AJC experts
- Eligibility to partake in signature ACCESS overseas missions, including the ACCESS & API Kakehashi Trip to Japan and Allianz AJC Third Generation Initiative Berlin Trip
After ALEF
After participation in ALEF, participants are encouraged to continue to stay involved in the ACCESS LA Marshall Society and to pursue future AJC leadership opportunities, such as joining the ACCESS LA Board.
Please click here to find the application for the ACCESS Leadership Fellowship.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more about the ACCESS Leadership Fellowship, please reach out to Brian Hertz, ACCESS LA, at hertzb@ajc.org.
