Abstract
This report is the most recent in a program of evaluation of Hillel International’s Springboard Fellowship, their flagship program for early career professionals and the largest career incubator program in the Jewish community. Designed to serve as a talent pipeline for both Hillel and the broader Jewish nonprofit sector, Springboard places recent college graduates on North American college campuses to build relationships with students and develop participants’ skills as Jewish leaders and educators. This early career experience is intended to inspire participants to pursue a professional path in Hillel or other Jewish nonprofit organizations.
This report includes the findings from the annual survey of Springboard alumni from seven cohorts (Aleph through Zayin, 2016-24), along with participants of Hillel’s Ezra Fellowship (2014-18). The findings offer a snapshot of Ezra and Springboard alumni as of December 2024, including employment status and sector, graduate school enrollment, indicators of career advancement, and a description of their participation in Jewish life and leadership.
The report also focuses on the post-Fellowship experiences of alumni from Springboard’s Ezra Jewish education track, or specialty area. The Ezra track, modeled in part on the original Ezra Fellowship, was designed for early career professionals interested in Jewish education. To better understand participants’ professional trajectories, interviews were conducted with Ezra track alumni from four cohorts to explore their career decisions and their considerations in pursuing roles in the Jewish community, including in Jewish education and the rabbinate.