Jewish Star

Jewish Star identifies, educates, and elevates talented teens and young adults (ages 14-27) with a passion for Jewish music and leadership, providing them with training, mentorship, and networking opportunities with some of the top artists and educators in the field of Jewish music, as well as a supportive community of like-minded peers.

Interested teens and young adults create a video submission and fill out a short form, and upon entering automatically become Jewish Stars, gaining access to a wealth of resources and learning opportunities. Additionally,  participants are matched to one or more Jewish Star programs and opportunities  that are designed to support their growth and help them identify and meet their goals of impacting their communities and the Jewish world. Mentorship and skills-training opportunities are led by the likes of Jacob Spike Kraus, Eliana Light, Rick Recht, Chava Mirel, Billy Jonas, Naomi Less, Cantor Abbie Strauss, Eric Hunker, Charlie Kramer, Beth Schafer, Shimon Smith, Joe Buchanan and Craig Parks!

Jewish Stars range widely in their level of music and leadership experience, as well as their personal and professional goals, but all share a passion for Jewish community and an interest in discovering how they might use their musical talent to impact the Jewish world.

Some examples of who is part of the Jewish Star Community:

• • Current and aspiring camp and synagogue songleaders

• • Jewish youth group leaders and Jewish student organization leaders

• • Current and aspiring artists writing/performing Jewish music and/or secular music

• • Teens and young adults who love music and are exploring many passions and interests, including Jewish leadership

Jewish Star meets young people wherever they are on their personal and/or professional journey and helps them determine and achieve their goals.

Jewish Star is an initiative of Judaism Alive, 501c3.

Interested teens and young adults (ages 14-27) submit a performance video and fill out a short entry form, either individually or as a group; participants are then matched to the Jewish Star programs and opportunities that will best help grow their skills and leadership that year. 

Once you join Jewish Star, you are in for life! Every year, you can enter again to apply for new/additional program opportunities until you are over the age of 27.

In order to be eligible to enter Jewish Star, you must meet the following criteria:

-You must be Jewish
-You must be between the ages of 14 and 27
-If you are under age 18, you must have parental permission
-You must be a resident North American citizen (United States, Canada, or Mexico)
-Two or more individuals who meet the above criteria may apply as a group
-Only one video submission will be accepted per individual/group

All Jewish Stars who enter will be considered for the following opportunities. All Jewish Star opportunities are completely optional, but highly encouraged!

Jewish Star Live Webinars – Jewish Star hosts monthly webinars led by top Jewish artists, songleaders, and educators on a wide range of topics including public presentation skills, Jewish songwriting,  audio/video recordings, inclusion, and more. Everyone who enters Jewish Star receives lifetime invitations to webinars as well as access to recordings of every previous Jewish Star Webinar.

Scholarship toward the Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC) National Conference – The SLBC National Conference provides Jewish Stars with immersive leadership and performance skills-training, a tight-knit community of like-minded peers passionate about Jewish music and leadership, and networking with top Jewish artists. This year’s conference takes place February 16-18, 2025 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Mentorship through JRR’s premier Jewish Star Mentoring Program – The Jewish Star Mentoring Program is the only small-group formal mentoring program in the field of Jewish music and leadership. Participants meet once a month (January through May) over Zoom for 1 hour with a Jewish Star mentor and 3-5 peers with similar backgrounds to discuss several core topics that help them explore their goals as emerging Jewish leaders and artists. Jewish Stars may apply for and participate in the Mentoring Program year over year and will be paired with a new mentor and cohort each year.

New Audio/Visual Equipment – Jewish Star purchases equipment such as new microphones, webcams, ring lights and green screens for select Jewish Stars to improve the quality of their creations, support their virtual leadership work, and amplify their talent to a wider audience.

Jewish Star Community of Practice – The Jewish Star Community of Practice WhatsApp group is a space for Jewish Stars to share, discuss, and crowdsource ideas, music, questions, opportunities, and more with each other in a supportive, growth-focused environment. Everyone who enters Jewish Star will be added to the Community of Practice.

During the submission review process, 10 Jewish Stars will be named “Jewish Star All-Stars,” 5 each from both the Under 18 and 18 & Over age brackets.

Jewish Star All-Stars will receive:

• • Widespread recognition on Jewish Rock Radio including social media, press, and website

• • Scholarship toward and the opportunity to lead/perform at the SLBC National Conference (February 16-18, 2025 in St. Louis) including networking with the top Jewish educators and artists in North America

• • New audio/visual equipment to help amplify their talent and passion through high-quality videos as well as support their virtual leadership work

• • An invitation to the Jewish Star Mentoring Program to learn closely with a Jewish Star Mentor and 3-5 peers with similar backgrounds and interests.

• • *** Anyone who has previously been named an All-Star will be considered for each of the Jewish Star program opportunities, but is NOT eligible to be named a Jewish Star All-Star.

JEWISH STAR + 92ND STREET Y

In 2023, Jewish Star launched a new regional collaboration with the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life at the 92nd Street Y to offer special opportunities for Jewish Star participants who enter the current season of Jewish Star and live in the NYC area.

In addition to the nationally available Jewish Star program opportunities, NY-area Jewish Stars will be able to experience in-person mentoring at the 92NY and attend the New York SLBC Day of Leadership immersion program for FREE this coming spring. Participants will also be paired with opportunities to lead at 92NY as well as at NY-area synagogues and Jewish institutions, where they can put their talent and leadership skills into greater practice.

UNDER 18 ALL-STARS

Rena Cheskis, 15, Harrisburg, PA
Madison Divinagracia, 15, Carlsbad, CA
Jacob Dorfman, 16, Chicago, IL
Mya Glasofer, 16, Voorhees, NJ
Levi Ratican, 17, Thousand Oaks, CA
Willa and Mira Zatzenbloom, 14 and 17, Naperville, IL

18 AND OVER ALL-STARS

Armias Azariya, 27, Montreal, QC
Shira Bodnar, 23, New York, NY
Kylee Rapp, 18, Basking Ridge, NJ
Elisheva Scheuer, 21, Bayside, WI
Ayla Smolash, 19, Toronto, ON
Shayna Suddeth, 19, Marietta, GA

You have 2 options for your video submission to enter Jewish Star:

1) Create a basic video on your phone of you performing/leading a song
2) Submit a recent pre-existing video of you performing/leading a song

ALL videos must meet the following criteria:

• • The song you perform should be a cover or original song appropriate for a Jewish setting. This includes secular or Jewish music. The written form has space for you to explain why you chose your song and how it connects to Judaism.
  • Your performance can be accompanied by instruments or a cappella. An instrument can be played by you or an accompanist, or a backing track may be used.
  • If you are primarily an instrumentalist, you may perform a piece of instrumental music that does not require singing.
  • Your video may include other vocalists or instrumentalists so long as your talent is prominently featured and very easy to distinguish from the other performers. Otherwise, you may wish to submit your entry as a group, provided the other performers also meet the Jewish Star eligibility requirements.

Please read these video submission requirements CAREFULLY. Failure to adhere to one or more of these requirements will likely result in your submission being removed from consideration for most or all Jewish Star programs opportunities. If you are unsure whether your video will meet these requirements, contact steven@jewishrockradio.com .

• • Video Length - Your video should not exceed 4 minutes
  • Raw Audio - Your video must be recorded live with raw, unedited audio (i.e. no lip-syncing, audio editing, or auto-tune)
  • Video Editing - Video submissions must be recorded with a single camera; do not submit a highly produced video. Synagogue livestream multi-camera recordings are acceptable.
  • Group Submissions - Groups may create videos asynchronously, meaning individual group members can record parts separately and combine them through video software before submitting the final video — reminder that no additional video or audio editing is permitted

Jewish Star strongly recommends adhering to the following steps when creating a video submission. The goal of these instructions is to make sure we see you, hear you, and get to know you, AND to make entering Jewish Star as simple and easy as possible for you.

• • Choose a quiet, well-lit location to record
  • Position your device to record your video horizontally/in landscape mode.
  • Say your name and the song you’ll be performing. No other introduction is necessary!
  • Do a quick test of your performance to check the audio and video quality and make sure we can see and hear you/all performers clearly. If you are playing an instrument, check that it does not overpower your voice
  • Resist the urge for perfection! That's not what Jewish Star is about. Limit your number of takes and keep it simple and stress-free
  • You are unique! Show us your personality and energy — and have fun!

Since 2018, the Jewish Star leadership initiative has been identifying emerging talent in the Jewish community with a passion and desire to impact the Jewish world, and providing these present and future leaders with mentorship, skills-training, and resources to determine and achieve their leadership goals. Jewish Star's mission is to help teens and young adults recognize and grow their talent and leadership abilities and see the profound ways they can impact their Jewish community and Jewish communities across North America. Jewish Star is an initiative of Judaism Alive, 501(c)3

Jewish teens and young adults ages 14-27 living in North America.

There are no mandatory time commitments required of anyone who enters Jewish Star. All our programs follow a "get out what you put in" model. Those who enter and indicate on their form that they wish to be considered for the Jewish Star Mentoring Program, however, may receive an invitation to the Mentoring Program; to be part of this exclusive program, participants will be asked to commit to 5 individual 60-75 min Zoom mentoring sessions, one each month, from January through May, as well as 45-min orientation and closing programs. All other special opportunities provided to Jewish Stars, including webinars and scholarship to SLBC, are completely optional, albeit VERY exciting opportunities for all Jewish Star participants.

No. Jewish Star and its programs are completely free of charge. Please keep in mind, however, that those selected to receive scholarship to the Songleader Boot Camp National Conference (SLBC) in St. Louis will have additional costs associated with attending the conference that are not covered by scholarship, including travel and lodging. Most times, synagogues, camps, and Federations are able to provide additional funds to support young Jewish leaders to attend SLBC.

Yes. If you are under age 18, you will be required to include a parent or guardian’s email address when you fill out the entry form. A release form will be emailed directly to your parent or guardian for their consent.

While ALL entrants will be matched to incredible programs and growth opportunities, 10 Jewish Stars will be named “Jewish Star All-Stars,” 5 each from both the Under 18 and 18 & Over age brackets.

Jewish Star All-Stars receive a package of opportunities that includes:

• • Widespread recognition on Jewish Rock Radio including social media, press, and website
  • Scholarship to attend and the opportunity to lead/perform at the SLBC National Conference (February 16-18, 2025 in St. Louis) including networking with the top Jewish educators and artists in North America
  • New audio/visual equipment to help amplify their talent and passion through high-quality videos as well as support their virtual leadership work
  • Participants who have been named and recognized as an All-Star in the past are not eligible to be named an "All-Star" this season

Use this form to share their name(s) with the Jewish Star team and we will be happy to follow up directly!

If you meet all the other eligibility requirements, then yes! Jewish Star programs and opportunities are designed to support you as your skills and leadership evolve. Jewish Star is fiercely committed to providing year-over-year support to participants who want to grow as Jewish leaders.

Yes! There is no one way to be a Jewish music leader. Jewish Star is for anyone with musical talent with a passion for Jewish leadership. On your submission form, when talking about your goals, you are encouraged to share how you currently and plan to use your instrumental performance to lead in Jewish spaces/communities.

Yes! Jewish Star programs such as webinars, the Mentoring Program, and the SLBC National Conference all focus on building the core competencies of music leadership that are relevant in Jewish AND secular music spaces, such as public presentation and leadership skills, marketing and self-promotion, creating video recordings to share on social media and more. Many of our Jewish Star mentors also have experience in the secular music industry.

Nope! Jewish Star is NOT a songwriting contest. Participants may perform ANY song appropriate for a Jewish setting for their video submission. Please carefully review the Submission Instructions above to make sure you choose a song that is appropriate for Jewish Star.

Yes! Group submissions are welcome and encouraged. On the submission form, you will be asked about your group's history of or intention to lead/perform together. This is an important factor when Jewish Star is matching you to the best opportunities for your group. You can also record a video asynchronously, meaning that you can make and edit a video together with someone if you're unable to be in the same physical location. When you are ready to enter, be sure that each member of your group submits a form; only one of you is required to provide the video submission.

We will never share someone's submission video outside of our organization. Because recognition and promotion is part of what Jewish Star offers participants, we will sometimes take 3-sec clips from submission videos to use in marketing materials about Jewish Star. These clips do not feature any audio. We also sometimes use still images of Zoom webinars and mentoring meetings in Jewish Star marketing. 

If you reached the "Thank you for your submission" page of the Jewish Star Submission From — it was received! Every video received is reviewed. You will receive an email about the program opportunities you received on Oct. 22. We will announce the Jewish Star All-Stars on Jewish Rock Radio’s Facebook Page.