Participants in the 2016 Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship Program. Photo credit: Avishai Finkelstein
Young US Jewish business leaders complete Israel program
Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship fosters “strong ties between future business leaders of the American Jewish community and Israel’s business sector,” says CEO • Sixty students from 29 universities in U.S., Mexico and Canada attended this year’s program.
Israel Hayom News Service
The Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship Program, which exposes young American Jews to the Israeli business world, marked the end of its sixth year with a special event at the Peres Peace Center this month.
“The Jewish world’s business leadership community built in recent years by Birthright Israel is a project of significant importance, bearing many fruits to be harvested in years to come,” said Gidi Mar, the international CEO of Birthright Israel.
“Through the program, Jewish students receive an unparalleled opportunity to get to know the country and intern in its leading companies. We have already witnessed the cultivation of strong ties between future business leaders of the American Jewish community and Israel’s business sector. These bonds result in far reaching and extensive international collaborations.”
This year, 60 students from 29 universities in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, participated in Excel. The students were selected by Birthright Israel from thousands of candidates. During the program, they met with Israeli leaders, toured the country, and attended workshops and professional seminars to gain understanding of Israel’s business world. They interned with 42 Israeli companies, primarily in the fields of finance, consulting and technology.
This year, the program expanded its activities and launched “Excel Ventures,” a global initiative in which 10 American entrepreneurial students and eight Israeli graduates of elite IDF technological units took part in a startup training camp for 10 weeks. During the program, participants spent time in Tel Aviv startups and became partners in the initial development stages of their own company.
Birthright co-founders and philanthropists Michael and Judy Steinhardt and Lynn Schusterman founded Birthright Israel Excel six years ago with the aim of developing future leaders and empowering young Jews in the world of business, technology, and social entrepreneurship. The program aims to strengthen participants’ connection to the Jewish people and Israel, and to foster collaboration between international and Israeli companies.
The program is supported by the Steinhardt Family Foundation, the Lynn and Charles Schusterman family foundation, and the Paul E. Singer Foundation.
Birthright Israel, which has been running for 16 years, aims to connect young Jews to Israel and to Jewish identity with free 10-day educational tours of the country.
