October 23, 2012
Posen Foundation launching new Jewish studies fellowships
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The Posen Foundation will launch a fellowship for six Jewish studies scholars and two fiction writers.
The international fellowship will aim to support emerging Jewish academics and authors while they embark on their studies, according to Advisory Committee chair David Biale. Each of the fellows will receive a total of $40,000 over the two years of the fellowship.
"This new program underscores our commitment to providing crucial early career support to academics in Jewish Studies and Jewish fiction writers, and building bridges between scholars, writers and the general public around the world," Jesse Tisch, the foundation's director, said in a statement. "Early in their careers is the time when they need financial support the most. We are hoping the fellowship will help create the next generation of Jewish scholars and writers."
The foundation, which supports secular Jewish education, will choose from doctoral students who are writing their dissertations on subjects pertaining to Jewish culture and modern Jewish history, and unpublished fiction writers who are working on a novel or short story that is Jewish-themed.
"There are few resources to support doctoral students writing their dissertations, and there are few prizes for new Jewish fiction," Biale said. "This program fills those gaps."
Tisch noted in speaking to JTA, "We know how important Jewish studies and fiction work are to Jewish culture."
The deadline for the application is Jan. 15; the awards will be announced April 1.
