Summer Program
JASS 2026 — Applications opening soon
We’re preparing the next edition of the Jewish Activism Summer School (JASS). Applications for JASS 2026 will open shortly — sign up to our newsletter or check back here for the announcement.
About JASS 2025 — Skills for Jewish Activists and Community Professionals
Dates: 28 July – 17 August 2025
Location: Berlin & Potsdam (hosted at CIEE Berlin)
JASS brings together activists, students, and professionals (18+) from around the world for an intensive three-week program of seminars, workshops, site visits, and practical training. Participants learn from an international faculty of scholars, activists, and practitioners and gain tools, networks, and methods to strengthen democratic practice and civic engagement in their communities.
At JASS you will find a mix of academic learning and hands-on workshops: courses, experiential sessions (including LARP), skills labs, public events, and encounters with local initiatives in Berlin and Potsdam. The program is designed to deepen political reflection, build practical capacities, and foster lasting connections across difference. Meet the 2025 cohort
JASS 2025 is a transformative summer program designed for Jewish activists and community professionals to navigate today’s challenges. This year’s focus is on providing tools and frameworks to respond to global conflicts, antisemitism, and socio-political complexities.
JASS 2025 Instructors and facilitators bios.
Our program will have five main interweaving strands:
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Fighting Authoritarianism / Anti-authoritarianism Judaism
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“The Israeli/Palestinian Conflict”: Searching for Solutions
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The Left’s Israel/Jewish Problem: Where do Progressive Jews and Israelis stand now? What can be done?
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The New Levantinism: On Jewish Belonging in the Eastern Mediterranean
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Skills and Resources for the Current (and Every) Moment
Location
The city of Berlin provides the ideal background for our summer program. Steeped in a history of conflict, rebellion and defiance, Berlin has become home to a thriving activist scene that participants get to experience firsthand. By visiting local initiatives, historical sites and enjoying free time to explore the city on their own, participants become immersed in the unique spirit of this diverse and energetic city.
Schedule
The 3-week JASS program combines seminars, workshops and the study of Jewish texts from Monday through Friday. Visits to local activist initiatives take place on various days during the late afternoon sessions. Optional programming includes Jewish cultural activities and religious services during Shabbat.
Accommodations
JASS 2025 will be hosted at CIEE Berlin, where participants will also be accommodated in shared rooms for the duration of the program.
CIEE Berlin has its own campus in the heart of Kreuzberg, featuring eight classrooms, a 214+ bed dormitory, student lounges, a lobby with a café, and event spaces.
For those who live in Berlin or Brandenburg and do not require accommodation, the cost of the program is €400 without housing.
Credits
Students at the undergraduate level will have the option to gain 4 credit points for the entire program that will be transferable to their home universities. Please contact us for more detailed information.
Fees & Scholarship
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Cost: €1,300 (covers all activities, classes, and shared accommodations). Meals and travel expenses are not included. Some financial assistance will be available.
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Local participants: For participants who reside in Berlin or Brandenburg and do not require accommodation, the full program fee is €400. We will also make select sessions open to local participants.
Alumni
JASS participants become part of a growing network of international activists. JASS alumni have gone on to:
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Found a journal of Jewish culture and politics (Protocols)
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Develop popular education tools focused on climate policy with Ellery Studio (Berlin)
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Serve as a Resident in Art Writing at the Contemporary Art Stavanger (Norway)
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Work as Partnerships Manager at Insights.US, which helps organizations become customer-centric through advisory boards and civic engagement
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Attend Yale Law School, serving as editor of the Yale Law and Policy Review, and working with the San Francisco Affirmative Litigation Project
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Work as Director of Communication at Cadena, Mexico
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Work as Project Coordinator at The Urban Clinic, the Hebrew University (Jerusalem)
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Co-found Judaism in Our Own Terms, which helps foster democratic, student-led communities across North America
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Write about Jewish women anti-Nazi partisans in Lithuania (Uppsala University)
