Through my DFI cohort, I found a community of people who challenged me intellectually and supported me emotionally. They helped create a space in which I could grapple with new ideas, test out skills I was working on, and have relevant conversations about the future. The Fellowship helped me instill new habits of seeking to surround myself in projects that I am passionate about with people whom I care about. It helped me learn to create the opportunities that excite me and bring other people into those experiences as well.
-Maya Rosen, DFI 17-18
Writer and activist
The DFI Learning Community, composed of Fellows and educators, is a critical component of the Fellowship year. Together, the Learning Community shapes a dynamic curriculum that addresses issues related to leadership development, contemporary and historical issues in Israel, Jewish wisdom, American and Diaspora Jewry, and more.
The Learning Community is a key part of the DFI for good reason: we believe that education is often most effective when it is experiential and cooperative and when it happens amidst a diverse community of learners who take responsibility for their own learning as well as for the learning of others.
Fellows should expect the Learning Community to be a significant aspect of the time commitment of the Fellowship year, which includes in-person time together as well as preparatory time.