Fellowship Terms and Descriptions

The following summarizes the basic terms of Nesiya fellowships, and describes various available options for fulfilling fellowship obligations.

(Note:  If you are an alum who has already received fellowship money from Nesiya, please click here to learn about the fellowship obligations.)

Fellowship Terms

(Please note: The terms of specific Regional Nesiya Fellowship Awards may differ from the following terms)

The first $1,500 of financial support from Nesiya carries specific Nesiya fellowship requirements. Any additional support from Nesiya above $1,500 is considered a grant. If fellowship obligations are not completed in the agreed time, parents assume responsibility for repaying Nesiya.

Fellowship obligations are calculated as follows:

• All fellowship recipients are obligated to fulfill a Nesiya Community Internship – an approved community volunteer experience in an education or non-profit agency – of up to 60 hours.

• Participants who receive up to $1,000 in support are required only to fulfill a Nesiya Community Internship of 60 hours. If the fellowship is less than $1,000, fellowship obligations are pro-rated accordingly. (For example, if you receive $500, you must fulfill 30 hours of volunteer service; if you receive $700, you are obligated to fulfill 42 hours of volunteer service.)

• Participants who receive $1,000 or more in support must fulfill 60 hours of service through a Community Internship, as well as Additional Fellowship Obligations. You are required to fulfill fellowship obligations for up to a maximum of $500 through these additional activities (see below for more information).

Nesiya Community Internships

All applicants who receive financial support from Nesiya are obligated to fulfill a Nesiya Community Internship in an education or non-profit agency. These volunteer experiences are completed in the participant’s home community after participating in the Nesiya summer program.

Community Internships will only be finalized following:

• submission of a Nesiya Community Internship Proposal

• submission of an Internship Advisor Agreement attesting to the readiness of a local agency to accept the volunteer service experience with a defined number of hours, and the willingness of a staff person within the agency to serve as advisor; and,

• approval of the volunteer project by Nesiya.

Nesiya Fellows will be expected to fulfill the Community Internship project they designed and submitted. Please note that proposals for volunteer service can be changed, by an applicant or by Nesiya, after acceptance to the program or following the summer, if the participant is unable to complete the project as originally proposed, or if s/he finds another project that s/he is more interested in fulfilling.

For more information, please see the description of Nesiya Community Internships.

Additional Fellowship Obligations

(for fellowships between $1,000-1,500)

Applicants who receive more than $1,000 in support are required to fulfill additional fellowship activities, each of which are valued at a certain number of Fellowship Credits. For every $10 awarded above $1,000, the applicant must fulfill one Fellowship Credit, up to a maximum of 50 credits. (If, for example, you received a $1,300 fellowship award, you are responsible for completing a Nesiya Community Internship plus 30 Fellowship Credits.) The maximum fellowship amount for which any applicant is required to complete Fellowship Credits is $1,500 – including 60 hours of a Nesiya Community Internship plus 50 Fellowship Credits.

Please note that Nesiya conducts an annual week-long Winter Retreat on the East Coast during winter break, which a majority of recent Nesiya summer program participants usually attend. Attendance at the retreat is strongly encouraged, and generous fellowship credit is awarded for your participation.

There are three categories of programs and activities that are eligible for Nesiya Fellowship Credits. Nesiya alumni are encouraged to fulfill fellowship obligations by participating in activities from all three categories:

1) Building on Your Experience in Israel
2) Sharing Your Israel Experience
3) Contributing to Your Community through Service and/or Jewish Education

Each category is described in the menu below, along with the number of Fellowship Credits each activity is worth.

Fellowship Activities Menu

The following provides you with suggestions for some of the different kinds of activities in each of the categories. This is by no means a complete list of possible activities. We encourage you to be creative in developing your own ideas for activities. Please contact us to determine if an activity may be used towards fulfilling your fellowship obligation, and to determine its value in Fellowship Credits.

Building on Your Experience in Israel

• Participate in The Nesiya Institute Winter Retreat (35 Credits)

• Participate in other retreats with Nesiya or other Jewish youth organizations. (5 Credits per day)

• Help to plan and/or to recruit participants for the Nesiya Winter Retreat (2 Credits per hour)

• Participate in courses in Hebrew language, Judaism, and/or Israeli culture (up to 20 Credits, based on course of study)

• Attend a lecture or workshop about Israel, Judaism and/or religious diversity (1 Credit per hour)

Sharing Your Israel Experience

• Write about your experiences in Israel with Nesiya, get the article published in a local publication (e.g. synagogue bulletin, school paper, local Jewish newspaper, youth group newsletter, etc.), and send a copy to Nesiya (20 Credits)

• Write about your experiences in Israel for a school assignment, college application essay, or for yourself, and send a copy to Nesiya (10 Credits)

• Make a presentation about your Israel experience to a group at your synagogue, JCC, or any group that you organize (minimum of 5 adults and/or teens). (10 Credits)

• Participate in Nesiya presentations or other events that someone else organizes. (2 Credits per hour)

• Represent Nesiya at an Israel Fair (2 Credits per hour)

• Make phone calls to promote Nesiya summer programs and/or to invite individuals and their parents to specific presentations, meetings, etc. (2 Credits per hour)

Contributing to Your Community through Service or Jewish Education

• Participate in the leadership of youth programming that is related to Israel, Judaism, or the arts. For example: a Jewish youth council, service projects for children or elderly, planning an Israel programs fair, organizing a retreat, etc. (2 Credits per hour, maximum 20 Credits)

• Volunteer at community service programs within your community (2 Credits per hour)

• Volunteer at your community Hebrew school as a tutor or as a teacher's aide. (2 Credits per hour)

Complete Fellowship Agreement Forms

For a complete description and terms of the Fellowship Agreement, please click below to download the 2010 forms. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

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