Three AMHSI Proposals Accepted by Boruchin Fund
The initial cohort of Schwartz Hammer AMHSI Impact Fellows from Arizona
AMHSI is delighted to announce that all three submitted proposals have been accepted for matching funding by the Boruchin Israel Education Advocacy Center to assist the school in furthering its mission of creating a transformative experience for teens though study abroad programs in Israel.
The three proposals submitted by AMHSI included funding for a national Impact Fund and individual Impact Fellowships, a national general scholarship fund, as well as an administrators and educators institute. AMHSI will be repsonsible for finding matching funding for each grant.
The proposed projects are not independent of one another; they are strategically aligned to create a continuum for increased recruitment to the Alexander Muss High School in Israel, impact on US-based college campuses, and investing in the future leaders of American Jewry.
It is the belief of AMHSI that every high school student should be able to have an academic experience in Israel. AMHSI takes students on a journey to explore their heritage and roots, establishing a lasting and meaningful relationship with the land of Israel and the Jewish people and enabling them to enter college campuses as leaders with powerful and confident Jewish vioces. The greater the number of students AMHSI is able to bring to Israel, the greater the ability the program has for making a dramatic impact on US Jewry and Israel.
This lasting impact is the basis for AMHSI’s newest initative - the Impact Fund, a nationwide network of fellowships created by AMHSI - JNF to identify outstanding high school students and provide them with a transformative Israel experience and ongoing framework for leadership development. Fellows return home prepared to invest in their communities as the rising leaders of tomorrow’s Jewish future.
Presently, two existing AMHSI Fellowships in Atlanta and Arizona form the foundation of the Impact Fund. This proposal would establish a General Impact Fund that would enable every gifted student to have the capacity to make a tremendous impact as tomorrow’s Jewish leadership, as well as assist in the formation of a new fellowship in Boston.
Additionally, many American administrators and educators are both unfamiliar with Israel and the AMHSI program, remaining skeptical that students can have a superior academic experience at AMHSI. The establishment of the Administrators and Educators Institute would be a key component towards increasing recruitment amongst public and private schools nationwide by welcoming them into our community.
Exposing these professionals to the AMHSI campus, programs and staff in Israel will set the stage for their recognition of AMHSI’s academic standards, accreditation by the Middle States Association, and increased understanding of the benefit a high school student receives by acquiring a global studies experience.
Finally, the creation of a national general scholarship fund could help to ease the financial burden some students and their families face when attending an Israel program.
While students can presently benefit from needs-based assistance through AMHSI and Jewish organizations in their home communities, this fund would greatly expand AMHSI’s ability to ensure that every Jewish high school student is able to have a phenomenal Israel experience. The establishment of this fund would play a meaningful role in expanding AMHSI’s outreach and impact capabilities.
AMHSI seeks to increase visibility and recruitment, academic credibility and relationships with high schools administrators, affordability to exceptional students in need, and investing in leadership. All three of these recommended programs are pillars in AMHSI campaign for growth and greater impact.