Ученик школы BASIS Phoenix вошел в элитную программу лидеров будущего

Emmett Ungar, a Phoenix native and rising senior at BASIS Phoenix, was selected to take part in the 40th cohort of the Bronfman Fellowship, a year-long program for 26 high school students from diverse Jewish American backgrounds across North America, centered around the study of Jewish texts, traditions, history and culture to prepare future Jewish leaders on the global stage. The nonprofit Bronfman Fellowship was founded by Edgar M. Bronfman, a visionary Jewish philanthropist and former CEO of the Seagram Company Ltd. Bronfman passed away in December 2013. “My father treasured the Fellowship as an investment in the Jewish future, and I am proud to continue his work,” said Adam Bronfman, president of the Samuel Bronfman Foundation. “It brings me joy to witness the magic that happens when Jews from all backgrounds come together to access Jewish wisdom and have important conversations. I look forward to getting to know the 2026 fellows personally, and to joining some of those conversations myself.” Over the past 40 years, Bronfman Fellows have received the education and inspiration to make a significant impact as community builders, deep thinkers and moral voices operating across the world. This year’s cohort of 26 fellows will participate in transformative programming, exploring Jewish texts and ideas with a faculty of leading rabbis, educators and artists. The Fellowship year begins in July with an immersive, five-week summer program taking place in both the United States and Israel, connecting participants with peers in the Israeli Fellowship program, Amitei Bronfman. Programming continues throughout the fellows’ senior year of high school with in-person and virtual seminars, gatherings and projects. “I am deeply impressed by the energy, diversity and intellectual firepower of this group of fellows,” said Becky Voorwinde, CEO of The Bronfman Fellowship. “I look forward to watching them grow on their fellowship-year journeys and to seeing them challenge and inspire one another and their communities throughout their lives.” Ungar applied for the program after his school’s college counselor recommended it to him. “I looked it up, and it seemed like such an awesome opportunity that I didn’t want to miss,” Ungar said. “I applied to be a Bronfman Fellow because it seemed like a natural fit — it’s a pluralistic program that brings kids together from different backgrounds to learn from each other, which is pretty much my jam.” Participants were selected after completing a rigorous application review process that included essay questions, a personal video, in-person interviews and a group workshop with other applicants and alumni. “Going through the application process for the Fellowship made it clear to me that I’d be lucky to be chosen to participate,” Ungar said. Ungar flew to San Francisco to personally interview with the CEO. He recalled being intimidated at first, but “the actual interview was really cool. The people at Bronfman are very nice, and they made me feel at home.” He met some of his peers in preliminary Zoom meetings. “The sense of community that they’re already building before we go on the trip is incredible, and I’m really looking forward to making new friends,” Ungar said. Some of his peers include a top-ranked debater, a student of Shaolin Kempo karate, an acrylic painter, twins who host a sustainability podcast and a volunteer serving Jewish Ukrainian refugee children in Romania. “Fellows are recognized for their intellectual curiosity, emotional maturity and emerging leadership, and are selected by a committee dedicated to building a thoughtful, pluralistic Cohort,” shared Stefanie Weisman in a Bronfman press release. “The Bronfman Fellowship has an acceptance rate comparable to that of the most competitive universities; last year, 78% of fellows went to Ivy League Universities.” 2026 fellows hail from 13 states and the District of Columbia, representing a wide range of Jewish backgrounds. Upon completion of their Fellowship year, they join a network of 1,600 alumni across North America and Israel. “Initially, I was scared that I was going to apply and feel that these other people are so accomplished,” Ungar said, “but I got myself here; I’m decently accomplished, too. “These are really nice people, and it’s been fun to meet them.” Ungar is involved in many activities at BASIS Phoenix, a public charter high school in North Central Phoenix, as well as outside of school. He plays the tuba with his district’s Honor Band and his school’s Symphonic Band, rated “Superior – With Distinction” by the Arizona Band and Orchestra Directors Association (ABODA), and he interned at the Arizona Center for Algae Technology and Innovation (AzCATI) at Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus (ASU Poly). He also rows most mornings with the Tempe Junior Crew at Tempe Town Lake, competes at the international level with his national mathematics honor society, and his robotics team placed first at regionals to advance to internationals in SeaPerch, an underwater robotics program. Ungar also enjoys spending his free time lifeguarding at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center (VOSJ) in Scottsdale and coaching Special Olympics athletes. He said he loves everything that he does for different reasons, but what they all have in common is that he can be part of a team or something larger than himself. “In all of these experiences, I’ve learned that being around people who are different from me but who are also willing to work together and problem-solve is my version of fun,” Ungar explained. “I find the fun in things that are difficult, and dedicating time to experience more of that is definitely a priority of mine.” Ungar’s family has been involved in the Greater Phoenix Jewish community for generations. His great-grandparents were founding members of Temple Beth Shalom of the West Valley, his grandparents have belonged to Beth El Phoenix and Beth Joseph Congregation in Phoenix, and he and his siblings grew up attending Beth El and VOSJ pre-schools, Pardes Jewish Day School and Camp Ramah in California. “When I was little, I used to swim at the (VOSJ) with my grandpa every Sunday. It was such an important thing for me to understand that, besides being an idea, Judaism is also a community. I think it was very important for me to learn at such a young age that not only is Judaism part of a text that people learn, but also part of a bigger culture that brings us together.” Ungar credits his parents and grandparents with his love for Jewish life and learning, and he is currently a member of the BBYO Kennedy chapter in Scottsdale. “I’m super honored to spend time learning alongside the other Bronfman Fellows and hopefully grow as a person this summer and throughout next year,” Ungar said. “Sometimes, things like Bronfman can seem scary to apply for, but the worst that can happen is you fail and then you try something else.” “The Fellowship is an opportunity unlike any other: a space where young people who want to see the world through a lens broader than their own can explore issues with depth, candor and joy while forming friendships to last a lifetime,” Weisman wrote. “Fellows wrestle with major issues in contemporary Jewish life, meet some of today’s most influential figures and expand their perspectives as they build community with those representing different backgrounds, worldviews and approaches to Jewish life and practice.” JN For more information about The Bronfman Fellowship, visit bronfman.org.