The Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor’s Israel & Overseas Program, along with Paul and Carolyn Lichter, is delighted to announce this year’s Susan L. Lichter Memorial Endowed Scholarships recipients: Eliana Adler, Talya Castell, and Sam Levin.
The Susan L. Lichter Memorial Endowed Scholarship was established in memory of Paul & Carolyn’s daughter Susan (z”l). Susan had a deep connection to Israel developed through her own Israel travel and learning experiences. The fund annually provides teens from greater Ann Arbor support for their participation in peer-based summer and gap year programs in Israel. Thanks to the generosity of Carolyn & Paul Lichter and their friends and family, since 2009, the Susan L. Lichter Memorial Scholarship has enabled dozens of teens from across our community to visit Israel, where they have developed a connection to our worldwide Jewish community.
This year’s scholarships were presented to each of the teens at Federation’s Annual Meeting on May 25, 2022.
Eliana Adler is a current 10th grader at Pioneer High School. Eliana will be using her scholarship to spend 4 weeks at Habonim Dror’s Machane Bonim Israel summer program (MBI). Having gone through the ECC, Hebrew Day School, and Camp Tavor, Eliana’s exposure to Judaism and Israel has been rich, yet her hands-on experience with Israel has been virtual up to this point. At MBI, she is looking forward to the opportunity to be immersed in an Israel experience that will enhance her understanding of Israeli history, modern Israeli society, progressive Zionism, Judaism, and community building, as well as explore issues on the environment and social justice. Mostly, Eliana is excited about making Israel come alive for her. Unfortunately, Eliana was not able to receive her award in person during the Annual Meeting due to a conflict with her Pioneer HS Orchestra Concert.
Sam Levin is a junior dual-enrolled at Community and Pioneer High Schools. Sam will be using his scholarship to spend 4 exciting weeks on Young Judaea’s Gesher Israel program, a program for 11th and 12th grade students to experience both Israel’s top sites and those off the beaten path, learning about their historical and modern significance. The program also allows him to meet Israeli peers, check out the non-stop culture of Tel Aviv, explore the mysteries of Jerusalem, and delve into the diverse mosaic of Israeli society–especially the food! On Gesher, Sam is looking forward to connecting with like-minded people, creating a community, and continuing his family’s traditional connection to and engagement with Israel.
Talya Castell is a graduating senior at Washtenaw International High School. Talya will be using her scholarship to spend a gap year in Tel Aviv through BINA: The Jewish Program for Social Change, where she will be immersed in Israeli society, engage in impactful, hands-on social action in South Tel Aviv, and explore Jewish and Israeli culture from a secular perspective. After her gap year, Talya plans to double major in Human Health and Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies on the pre-med track at Emory University in Atlanta, GA. She hopes to be able to positively impact health equity in the future.
Congratulations to Eliana, Talya and Sam on receiving this award! We wish them safe travels and a wonderful experience in Israel. We look forward to reading about it upon their return.