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Category: jewish scholarships

  • Scholarships for Jewish Refugees and Immigrants

    immigrant scholarships
    Jewish Immigrant Scholarships

    Each year, the HAIS scholarships for Jewish refugees and immigrants program provides more than 200 scholarships annually to refugee and immigrant students in the United States and Israel. HIAS, or the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, is an international organization which works closely with the American Jewish community, offering rescue and refuge to Jews who are persecuted and oppressed around the world. As the number of Jewish refugees has diminished in recent years, the organization has directed their attention to assisting both refugees and immigrants from all backgrounds. HIAS works with numerous partners, including the Israeli government, the US government, UN agencies and a variety of non-governmental organizations.

    Depending upon location, the services offered by HIAS may include art therapy, trauma counseling, humanitarian assistance, and legal advice. HIAS has assisted refugees from almost two dozen countries with resettlement in the United States, citizenship programs and immigrant integration.

    The overall mission of the Hebrew International Aid Society draws heavily on Jewish tradition. HIAS provides services to Jewish refugees and immigrants as well as others who are in need irrespective of their nationality, religion, or ethnic background, as instructed by the Torah to help the stranger and ‘fix the world.’ These instructions provide the driving force behind the work HIAS performs.

    The work that HIAS has performed has been so instrumental that the New York Times has stated that if it were not for HIAS, there might be no Google today. Sergey Brin, the co-founder of Google, is just one of the many people HIAS assisted. Mr. Brin was only 6 years old when he arrived in the United States from the former Soviet Union with his family through assistance from HIAS.

    HIAS was approached by Edwin and Claire Shapiro in 1974 regarding the establishment of the Richard Alan Shapiro Scholarship fund in memory of the couple’s son, who was killed in an auto accident. Within a short period of time, Norbert Schimmel also created a scholarship fund in memory of his son. Since that time, the HIAS scholarship program has continued to expand, and has provided almost 3,000 awards to immigrant students in Israel and the United States. Through the provision of these awards, students have been able to achieve their goals and study a wide range of subjects. Scholarships are provided to undergraduate as well as graduate students who have immigrated to the U.S. after January 1, 1992.

    In order to be eligible for a HIAS scholarship, prospective applicants must have immigrated to the United States with assistance from HIAS. Applicants must furthermore be enrolled in a college, university or technical school in the United States and must have been enrolled for a minimum of one year prior to applying for a scholarship. There are no age limits which apply to the HIAS scholarship program. Previous scholarship recipients are still eligible to apply for another scholarship. Scholarships are judged on the basis of academic merit, financial need and community service.

    The value of U.S. scholarships has been increased to $4,000. Other key elements of the HIAS Scholars program include participation in community building projects that serve local immigrant communities. In addition, the program offers leadership skill training as well as educational programs that include Jewish perspectives on current immigration issues, genealogy, career development and advocacy skills building. Participants in the program will also have the chance to meet their scholarship donor, as well as other HIAS scholars.

    There will also be an opportunity to interact with other HIAS community members during orientations and scholarship ceremonies which are held in New York City and Los Angeles. Scholars will also be included in HIAS Young Leaders, which is a community of students and young professionals with a devotion to furthering the mission of HIAS by assisting immigrants, and also by advocating for fair immigration laws.

    All scholarship applicants should understand that the final determination of their candidacy for a scholarship will be based upon their ability to fully participate in the program; including events and activities. This will also include completion of a community-service project that will serve a local immigrant community and a full written report of the scholarship recipient’s experience.

    All HIAS scholarships for Jewish refugees and immigrants must have their application materials submitted by no later than the last day of February.

  • Jewish College Scholarships from HIAS

    Jewish-scholarships
    Jewish Scholarships

    If you’re a Jewish student looking for student aid consider the Jewish college scholarships from HIAS. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS) is a global organization which works to help needy Jewish immigrants around the world safely make it to Israel or other recognized safe areas such as the United States. Since 1979 they have offered HIAS scholarships to students in the hopes of allowing immigrants involved in their program to attend post secondary institutions and achieve their dreams of attaining higher degrees. They offer two distinct programs, one in the United States for Jewish immigrants they have helped move legally into the country, and one in Israel for students who have come into the country under the Law of Return. Different amountS are offered for each program, and they have their own requirements for students enrolled.

    Students interested in applying for HIAS Jewish scholarships are not required to be recent high school graduates but rather can be any HIAS assisted immigrant who wants to enter programs resulting in associates, bachelors, masters or doctoral degrees. Those students interested in technical certifications are also welcome to apply to the program. HIAS Jewish college scholarships are open to people of any age and to those students who have previously won awards.

    Judges considering applications for these 2011 Jewish scholarships are going to be focusing on three specific areas: academic merit, financial need and community activities. Students who are eligible for the HIAS scholarship program should apply carefully according to these judging guidelines. Academic merit is going to be based on progress in school so students that are above average in their educational development should definitely consider applying. According the HIAS website, financial aid is determined by your dependent or independent status. Those students who are considered legally dependent on their parents in the US should gain access and prepare to submit the income of their family while also being sure to include the number of siblings whom also rely on their parents to survive.

    Finally, and perhaps the easiest category to offer distinction in, is community service. Here students are going to want to be sure to include any organizations they participate in, any leadership roles they have taken up, or list the various volunteer programs they have been involved in. HIAS scholarships for jewish students recognize youth leadership, so being involved in your community and taking up necessary roles are going to make your application look more encouraging overall. Do not be humble when talking about your community service, as this is an area where you may be able to shine the brightest.

    Students who receive a HIAS Jewish scholarship in 2011 will get access to the newly redeveloped program. Apart from having increased the HIAS scholarship award to $4,000, students living outside of the New York City and Los Angeles areas will receive access to a special orientation program designed to introduce them to their award and other recipients. This is further designed to facilitate the social networking of students with others in the program and notable individuals who are members of the HIAS organization.

    Additional training and social support structures have been added into the HIAS scholarship program allowing students to develop beyond the education they are receiving in school, learning more about their history or receiving vocational counseling.

    Students who receive the 2011 HIAS Jewish college scholarship will also get the opportunity to meet their donor, being able to approach the person who made their award possible for the first time in the program’s history. One of the most exciting aspects of this program is that all recipients will be enrolled in the HIAS Young Leaders Program and participate in generating new projects under the HIAS banner. This last opportunity is really a unique and fantastic way for students to build a resume of social service and develop their organizational skills while still in school. In many ways this final aspect to the HIAS scholarship program really awards students an opportunity to get a leg up in future job opportunities by demonstrating to their employers that they have practical knowledge of organizing from on the ground experiences. Applications for the 2011 Jewish scholarship US-based program have opened and are due no later than on March 15.