Two of the 52 2022-2023 Kol Koleinu Teen Fellows are local students.
Moving Tradition’s Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship, which is offered in collaboration with the Union for Reform Judaism and United Synagogue Youth, is an opportunity for young Jewish feminists (10th through 12th grade) to learn how to speak their minds and create the change they want to see in the world.
Rosie Ackerman is a senior at Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy in Bryn Mawr and a member at Congregation Beth Am Israel. She’s a member of Barrack’s drama department and is co-editor in chief of Gateway, the school’s literary magazine.
“I applied to Kol Koleinu because I want to make new friends and learn from other people who are passionate about the same things that I am,” she said. “I also hope to gain more confidence in my leadership skills.”
Serena Harris is a senior at Wissahickon High School in Ambler. She is a Wiss Link Leader, helping freshman acclimate to high school, and is an active member of both the Health Careers Club and National Honor Society.
“I am excited about the Meyer-Gottesman Kol Koleinu Teen Feminist Fellowship to learn and advocate for social change,” she said. “I am particularly interested in building self-confidence in girls, making STEM-related careers more appealing to girls and reducing gender discrimination and stereotypes in sports.”
The year-long fellowship invites teens of all genders to learn how to apply a Jewish feminist lens to the world, deepen their knowledge about social change and amplify their voices to express a call to action.
The fellows will meet monthly online and at in-person retreats to learn about Judaism, feminism and social change. They will be paired with adult social activist mentors and use their expertise to create projects that teach their peers and advance positive change in their communities.
