COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

Learning Leadership Skills Today. Changing the World Tomorrow.

THE JEWISH FEDERATION of Greater
Philadelphia helps teens develop their leader-
ship skills in a way that draws a connection
between Jewish tradition and contemporary
issues. The Diller Teen Fellowship is an incred-
ible one-year leadership training experience
for 10th and 11th graders that aims to build the
next generation of committed Jewish leaders.

Through monthly leadership programming,
Diller inspires and empowers a global network
of teens by equipping them with the skills,
confidence, knowledge and Jewish values they
need to help create a better world. Fellows in
the Philadelphia-area cohort build meaningful
connections with teens in the cohort’s partner
on Jewish values. The Philadelphia cohort
made a grant to Pathways to Housing PA, an
organization focused on empowering people
with disabilities to improve their housing
stability, achieve better health and reclaim
their lives. Local teen fellows have been partic-
ularly interested in learning about Jewish
perspectives on racial justice, antisemitism,
and the community response to COVID. The
program has responded with speakers from
ADL, Avodah and a clergy panel from our
local Philly community.

While the fellowship program is a one-year
commitment, there are more than 4,000 active
Diller alumni around the globe, including a
The Diller Teen
Fellows 2019-2020
cohort’s Leadership
Shabbaton Courtesy of Darren
Rabinowitz city of Herzilya — including two exchange
opportunities, between Philadelphia and
Herzilya — culminating in a three-week
summer experience that includes the Global
Diller Congress with more than 650 fellows
from across six continents.

This past year, Diller programming was
moved online due to the pandemic. New virtual
programming included cohorts becoming
community changemakers through local grant-
making. The Diller Teen Fellows Tikkun Olam
Grants launched over the summer, a collabora-
tion between Diller Teen Fellows, the Helen Diller
Family Foundation and Jewish Teen Funders
Network. Cohorts researched local needs and
organizations to build consensus about the
greatest impact they could have as a group.

Given the economic and health impact of
COVID-19 and the fight for racial justice and
other social issues, this was an important time
to explore the leadership skills necessary to
build a commitment to lifelong giving based
20 JANUARY 21, 2021
growing cohort here at home. The Philadelphia
Diller Alumni Committee is focused on
creating opportunities for local alumni to
continue to engage with Jewish learning, social
action projects and mentorship opportunities
for current Diller Teen Fellows.

The Philadelphia Diller Teen Fellowship
program is funded through the Helen Diller
Foundation and the Jewish Federation of
Greater Philadelphia through various grants
including the Bernard and Etta Weinberg
Family Fund.

Do you know a Jewish teen in 10th or 11th
grade that wants to step up, lead their commu-
nity and repair the world? Learn more about
how the amazing teen in your life can join with
more than 600 teens from around the world
as a Diller Teen Fellow. Recruitment for the
2021-2020 cohort will begin in late spring. For
more information, visit jewishphilly.org/diller
or contact Diller Teen Coordinator Darren
Rabinowitz at drabinowitz@jewishphilly.org.

JEWISH EXPONENT
Diller Teen
Fellowship a
Game Changer
for Greater
Philadelphia Teens
Meet Naomi, a Diller Teen Fellows Alumna
“MY MOM IS FROM ST. LUCIA and my dad was born
and raised here in the U.S. so I identify as a Jew of color. I
live in West Philadelphia and attend The Episcopal Academy
where I’m currently one of a small number of Jewish
students in the high school.

While the teachers and school curriculum has given me a
lot of support in exploring some of my intellectual connec-
tion to Jewish faith and in looking comparatively at a range
of religions, I still miss the sense of Jewish community and
Jewish spiritual practice. Luckily I have been able to interact
with other Jewish kids through my synagogue and the Diller
Teen Fellows program.

Thanks to Diller, I’ve learned to embrace my unique
identity, support my exploration as a Jew of Color and work
with my peers to collectively make a difference in the world
around us.

Today I hold a deeper connection to my roots and for the
first time ever have meaningful interactions with other Jews
of Color from my community. I am so grateful to Diller and
the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia for all that it
has made possible for me.”
Courtesy of Naomi
Diller Teen Fellowship
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM