2025 Matanel Global Leadership Fellowship Capstone Project Journal

We are incredibly proud to present the final Capstone Journal from this year’s Matanel Global Leadership Fellowship. This collection represents the culmination of a year of deep dialogue, cross-cultural learning, and a shared commitment to the future of the Jewish people.

Within these pages, you will find the innovative projects and insights of 15 student leaders from Poland, Israel, and the United States. These fellows have gone beyond the classroom to build a living, breathing sense of global peoplehood.

This transformative experience was made possible through the visionary support of the Matanel Foundation. We want to express our deepest gratitude for their funding and partnership, which allowed these young leaders to connect, grow, and lead.

We invite you to explore the full journal and see the projects that are already bringing new energy and insight to Jewish life around the world.

Opening Message from the Matanel Foundation:

The Matanel Foundation is proud to present the final projects of the first cohort of the Matanel Fellowship for Global Jewish Leadership. This collection reflects a year of learning, dialogue, and creative exploration undertaken by exceptional young leaders from Israel, Poland, and the United States.

Across their projects and reflections, the Fellows illuminate several powerful insights. They show that Jewish identity today is dynamic and resilient — a living tapestry shaped by memory, innovation, and personal voice. Their work demonstrates that Jewish Peoplehood is not merely a concept, but a practice: the ongoing effort to listen to one another, to bridge difference, and to build a shared future grounded in mutual responsibility.

At a time when the Jewish world faces profound challenges — rising antisemitism, questions of belonging, and increasing polarization — these Fellows offer a vision of hope. Through their thoughtful engagement, creativity, and moral courage, they embody the values that will guide the next generation of Jewish leadership.

We extend our warmest congratulations to the Fellows and our gratitude to the educators and partners who accompanied them on this journey. May the ideas and initiatives collected here continue to inspire and strengthen Jewish communities around the world.

Mazal tov to all the participants, and may your leadership help illuminate the path forward for the Jewish People.

Please click below to download a copy of the Capstone Journal