Jewish teen editors, photographers, and activists from 16 states and Washington, D.C. will spend the year building community and creating change
August 18, 2026 — Moving Traditions is proud to announce the 2026-27 cohorts of two of its Meyer-Gottesman Immersive Teen Experiences: the Kol Koleinu Feminist Fellowship and the jGirls+ Editorial and Photography Fellowship. 62 Jewish girls and nonbinary teens from 16 states and Washington, D.C. will spend the coming year learning together, sharpening their voices, and turning conviction into action in their own communities.
Selected through a competitive national application process, this year’s fellows come from public high schools, Jewish day schools, charter schools, boarding schools, and arts academies. They are debate captains and cross-country runners, published journalists and youth poet laureates, madrichim and Model UN delegates. Roughly a quarter are returning for a second or third year in the programs.
A theme runs through this year’s applications: many of these teens are the only Jewish student in their grade, or one of a handful in their town, and they are looking for people who will accept them for who they are. Others arrive already with a strong Jewish community and want to expand it.
“Almost every teen in these cohorts wrote some version of the same thing in their application: they were looking for people who would understand them. That’s not a small ask right now, and it’s not a small thing to provide. These fellowships give young Jewish feminists a place to be fully themselves — and then the skills to go make a difference.” said Shuli Karkowsky, CEO of Moving Traditions.
jGirls+ Editorial and Photography Fellowship
23 Total Participants: 17 Editors and 6 Photographers
The jGirls+ Editorial and Photography Fellowship gives Jewish teen girls, trans, and nonbinary youth a platform to explore identity, creativity, and community through editing and photography. Fellows work collaboratively across the year to produce jGirls+ Magazine, a publication that reflects the range of what it means to be a Jewish teen right now.
For over a decade, the Fellowship has been both a creative outlet and a leadership experience. Fellows make real editorial decisions about what the magazine publishes while developing professional skills in writing, editing, photography, and digital media. This year’s cohort arrives with serious credentials: Scholastic Art & Writing Award medalists, contributors to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and alumnae of the Jewish Women’s Archive Rising Voices Fellowship. It also includes those who are new to this work, reflecting our commitment to provide opportunities to young people growing into themselves.
“Jewish teen girls and gender-expansive youth are rarely asked what they think. jGirls+ Magazine asks, and our contributors answer through poetry, art, essays, photography, fiction, and more. The teens in the jGirls+ Editorial and Photography program then decide which pieces to feature in the magazine. This kind of decision-making power is also rare for teen girls and trans/nonbinary youth—much rarer than it should be,” says Bex Ehrmann, Senior Manager of jGirls+.
Kol Koleinu Feminist Fellowship
42 Total Participants: 29 Fellows, 9 Teen Leaders, and 4 Senior Teen Leaders
The Kol Koleinu Feminist Fellowship is a distinctive opportunity for young Jewish feminists to learn how to effectively speak their minds and create the change they want to see in the world. Now in its ninth year, the Fellowship welcomes 41 teen activists across 3 regional cohorts.
Open to Jewish 9th–12th grade girls, trans, and nonbinary teens nationwide, this year-long fellowship brings teens together online and in person to learn about Judaism, feminism, and activism. Fellows meet monthly to build community while studying the building blocks of social change. Working alongside an adult mentor, each fellow designs and carries out a locally based Passion Project where they live.
This year’s cohort has already named what they want to take on: mental health awareness in schools; homelessness and access to basic necessities; racial inequity in their districts; and equity in coaching opportunities for girls’ sports. Past Passion Projects have addressed body image, voting rights, menstrual justice, and inclusive sex education.
A meaningful share of this year’s cohort is returning from prior years, stepping up into Teen Leader and Senior Teen Leader roles to build for others the community they found themselves.
” Our Kol Koleinu fellows are provided with the tools to bring together what they are passionate about, what they are good at and where they see a need for change in their local community. With the support of their cohort calls, their Kol Koleinu community and adult mentors, they build a passion project from a base of Jewish, activist and feminist grounding.” said Paige GoldMarche, Director of Kol Koleinu.
Get Involved
Applications are open now for Kumi Justice Retreats. The third program in Moving Traditions’ Meyer-Gottesman Immersive Teen Experiences brings 9th–12th graders from across the country together to build leadership skills and a multiracial, Jewishly-diverse community of belonging, gaining tools to interrupt racism and antisemitism in their own schools, youth groups, and synagogues. Grounded in racial justice best practices, participants learn both together and in affinity spaces for Jews of Color Empowerment and for Anti-Racist Allies. Each semester pairs an in-person retreat with monthly virtual gatherings:
- Kumi: Foundation in Chicago, October 9–12, 2026
- Kumi: Exploration in Atlanta, March 12–15, 2027, open to Foundation alumni
Applications will be accepted through September. Financial assistance is available. Learn more and apply.
Nominate a teen for next year. Moving Traditions is accepting early nominations for the 2027-28 cohorts of all three Meyer-Gottesman Immersive Teen Experiences. Educators, clergy, youth professionals, and parents who know a teen who may be a good fit for any of these programs are encouraged to nominate them. Many of this year’s fellows applied because an adult in their life recognized something in them first. Nominate a teen.
Submit to jGirls+ Magazine. The magazine accepts writing, art, and photography from Jewish teens year-round. Read the submission guidelines.
About Moving Traditions
Moving Traditions is a nonprofit organization that helps Jewish youth discover who they are and who they want to be. Founded in 2005, Moving Traditions has supported more than 48,500 Jewish youth across North America by partnering with 800+ institutions. Moving Traditions has three core approaches. Our Curricular Programs offer a diverse suite of curriculum and training for synagogues, schools, and camps that help teens explore their Jewish identity in context with their relationships and values. Our Meyer-Gottesman Immersive Teen Experiences provide Jewish high schoolers with peer community and adult mentors who support them in developing identity and belonging at the intersection of Judaism, social justice, and feminism. Community Learning offers accessible resources and events for anyone seeking to understand what Jewish teens need today. Moving Traditions uniquely brings both expertise in Jewish tradition and a deep understanding of youth identity formation. Learn more at MovingTraditions.org.