The fifth cohort of our Naomi Chazan Fellowship has just begun its 10 amazing days in Israel.

A record seven Australian fellows will be joining their Canadian, English and American peers to learn from each other, as well as more about what is happening in Israel.

With the second round of election just a few months away, this year’s fellows are excited to be in Israel to learn first hand about social justice, democracy and human rights in Israel.

Tamar, Ariel, Jared, Adam, Raphael, Rachael, and Elias will meet 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:

• Identity walking tour of Yaffo with hip-hop band System Ali
• “Speed dating” young Israeli activists
• Delving into the campaign for gender equality at the Kotel
• Touring Silwan with Ir Amim
• Understanding the impact of checkpoints on Palestinians in the West Bank
• Touring Hebron with Breaking the Silence
• Meeting with Australia’s ambassador to Israel
• Hearing directly from people seeking asylum in Israel

We are a little jealous and wish we could join them on this journey, but thanks to social media we can see what they will be up to, including daily video highlights. So please join us on Facebook and Instagram with the hashtag #NIFfellowship19 and #GlobalFellows. It’ll be the next best thing to being there!

The Naomi Chazan Fellowship has grown over the last few years to have more than 20 alumni, all of whom share a commitment to NIF's values of pluralism, equality and democracy in Israel.

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

Meet this year's fellows

Tamar is a high school teacher who is committed to teaching social responsibility to her students. She has a passion for drama and it's ability to bring people together. Spending much of her time working and volunteering in the Jewish community, she holds a high regard for our responsibility as Jews to commit to furthering equity and equality among among all people.

Adam has been involved in the Sydney Jewish community in some capacity most of his life. As a former madrich at Habonim Dror, he is very passionate about social issues in Israel and education on Jewish values. He has lived in Israel briefly on two occasions. He has studied Hebrew and Arabic to an advanced level and is currently completing a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of International and Global Studies (Middle East Major). He volunteers at an Asylum Seekers Centre in Sydney once a week.

Raphael is a Policy and Business Analyst based. He has been engaged in a range of special interest community and political campaigns. He has worked on successful election campaigns, taking on roles focusing on Community Organising and Public Relations. Raphael holds a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in International Relations and Peace Conflict Studies from the University of Queensland. Raphael directed a leadership program training emerging political leaders in grassroots capacity building, political strategy, communications and media engagement

Rachael is a senior lawyer at the Central Australian Women’s Legal Service (CAWLS) and is responsible for delivering legal advice to women at health services in Central Australia. Rachael began practicing law in 2008 in NSW. Prior to moving to Alice Springs, Rachael worked at knowmore legal service which was set up alongside the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse to assist victims of abuse, the Refugee Advice and Casework Service and at the corporate law firm, Herbert Smith Freehills. Rachael is strongly committed to improving social justice and equality through advocacy.

Ariel has worked in education and Jewish education for the better part of his adult life. He has inadvertently been working in the Jewish community for many years from Hineni to BJE (Board of Jewish Education) to CSG (Community Security Group) and is now teaching in Masada College. He loves reading and teaching about history and leadership and has done martial arts for years. Recently he has become addicted to jujitsu. He is also a big fan of hiking and being outdoors.

Elias is a Sydney-based journalist at The Australian newspaper. He has a Bachelor of User Interaction Design from the University of Sydney, where he also studied Modern Hebrew and Arabic. At university he was president of AUJS in NSW in 2016, and was a Susan Wakil Fellow in 2017. In 2018 he co-founded the national student publication Et Cetera, where he was an editor and writer. He is an avid football fan and public transport enthusiast.

Jared has a longstanding interest in the protection and promotion of human rights in Australia and around the world. He has been immersed in the Sydney Jewish Community throughout his life, attending Moriah College and then interning at the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. He has a Bachelor of International and Global Studies and is in the latter stages of completing his Law degree from The University of Sydney. He has worked or volunteered for a range of organisations in the social justice sector, including the NSW Council for Civil Liberties, Cancer Council NSW, the Sydney Institute for Criminology and Redfern Legal Centre.