Our fourth cohort of Naomi Chazan fellows has just begun 10 amazing days in Israel. This year the five Australians will be joined by young activists from the UK, Canada and America, making it a truly international opportunity to learn about civil society in Israel, as well as other Jewish communities around the world.

Sara, Patrick and Liat will see some of the most inspiring grassroots activists working in partnership with NIF across a range of issue areas in Israel.

Here are some of the amazing experiences they’re going to have:

• Visiting unrecognised Bedouin villages to understand their challenges
• Delving into the campaign for gender equality at the Kotel
• Meeting local activists in Yerucham working to improve economic and social opportunities in the periphery
• Touring Hebron with Breaking the Silence
• Meeting the Australian ambassador
• Hearing from people seeking asylum about impact of the new government regulations
• And so much more!

We wish we could join them, but thanks to social media we can get a good idea of what they will be up to, including daily video highlights. So please join us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter with the hashtag #NIFfellowship18. It’ll be the next best thing to being there.

	Sara Sterling lives in Melbourne and is passionate about her local community. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Masters of Social Policy. She has 10 years working for the not for profit sector in volunteer management and early childhood education. Her passion for the sector, and commitment to social justice stems from her days as a Hashy leader. While not working Sara enjoys going to films and taking advantage of Melbourne's coffee culture.
	Patrick was born and raised in Perth, WA and relocated to Melbourne in 2013 in search of a new adventure. He completed a Bachelor of Nursing in 2011 and a Graduate Certificate in Palliative Care in July 2017 with a focus on paediatrics – a passion of his. Currently employed as a paediatric nurse at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Patrick also supports the music program at Temple Beth Israel, St Kilda with his piano and singing prayer-leading skills. He volunteers with the Melbourne Progressive Chevre Kadisha, as well as sitting on the committee of NextDor, a TBI social group for young Jews in their 20s and 30s. Patrick last visited Israel in January 2017 and is excited to discover more about the complexity of Israeli society and daily life.
	Originally from Adelaide, Liat Kedem has worked, lived, choreographed, performed and taught contemporary dance works in in different parts of the world; Israel, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, France, Belgium, London and Australia. She has had the opportunity be a leader in different cultural and socio-economic climates and has developed a strong advocacy for social justice and human rights. Currently, Liat is completing her studies in Law and International Relations at Monash University. She seeks to develop a deeper understanding of Israel and through her studies and background in the Arts, aims to make issues that she believes in more accessible to a wider community.

We look forward to not only seeing the Fellows’ adventures over the next week and a half but also what their plans are once they return to Australia.

Past fellows have used what they learnt in Israel to help broaden the conversation around Israel using a variety of mediums: photo exhibit, movie screenings, articles, video calls, haggadot supplements, plus partnering with local youth movements and organisations.

All of them are making a tangible impact on the Jewish community and moving the conversation about Israel in new and interesting ways.

We’re very proud that NIF is able to be part of developing the next generation of leaders of the Jewish community.

We are grateful to the generous funders who make this program possible. In particular, the Kerryn Baker scholarships, which acknowledge and honour Kerryn's commitment to equality and justice in Israel and the enrichment of the next generation of community leadership.