Gap Year Fellowship

Are you spending your gap year in Israel and looking for something more?

The Smol Emuni Gap Year Fellowship will deepen your gap year with serious Torah learning, courageous conversations, and new friendships. Together, we’ll ask the hardest and most important questions about Israel, Judaism, Zionism and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We will learn the history of the region, hear from activists and study early and contemporary religious texts.

Why Join?

Your gap year is the perfect time to ask big questions and grow as a Jewish leader. The seminar combines:

  • Serious Torah learning in the beit midrash setting.

  • Courageous conversations with Israel’s top thinkers and activists.

  • New friendships with observant American and Israeli peers who care deeply about peace and justice.

This is a chance to learn, grow, and make your gap year unforgettable.

Ready to Apply?

Application will open on September 1 and are due by September 21.

Please feel free to share this with friends who would be excited about this program.

2025-2026 Program

Program (fully funded) Includes:

  • 8 Friday Seminars in Jerusalem (October–May)

  • 2 Shabbatonim (late November + end of May)

  • Special tour + shared programming with Israeli Smol Emuni students

  • Cost of transportation, lunch and shabbatonim will be covered

Fellows Will Learn

Each session brings together beit midrash study and conversations with top leaders and thinkers at the intersection of Torah, ethics, and human rights. You’ll learn leading scholer, thinkers and activists such as:

  • Mikhael Manekin – Author and activist, director of the Alliance Fellowship.

  • Hagit Ofran – Settlement Watch co-director at Peace Now.

  • Rabbanit Leah Shakdiel – Orthodox feminist leader and educator.

  • And other incredible scholars and activists.

You’ll also connect with Israeli and American Orthodox and observant peers, building friendships and networks that last far beyond your gap year.

About Smol Emuni

mol Emuni is a community of Orthodox and observant Jews committed to justice, equality, and dignity for Jews and Palestinians alike. Rooted in Torah, we are building a courageous Orthodox Jewish voice for peace and calling for an end to the occupation.

  • Mikhael Manekin

    Israeli scholar and theologian, activist and founder of Smol Emuni Israelon goes here

  • Esther Sperber

    Architect, writer and founder of Smol Emuni US

  • Shalhevet Schwartz

    Teaches and studies at Yeshivat Drisha. A graduate of SAR and Yale, she is a member of solidarity activists group, Bnei Avraham

  • Eliana Padwa

    Graduate of Brandeis University, she taught history before moving to Jerusalem from New York to pursue human rights activism in the West Bank through Smol Emuni and other groups.

  • Yaaqov Lawrence Shenkin

    Studied at Yeshivat HaKotel and Machon Lev, and a member of Bnei Avraham. Will be acting as a Beit Midrash guide.