Jewish Star

Jewish Star is a community of Jewish teens and young adults (ages 14-27) from across North America who are passionate about Jewish music and excited to explore or deepen their Jewish leadership.

Participants receive year-round training and support — along with access to mentorship and networking with some of the top artists, educators, and role models in the field of Jewish music — entirely for free. These educators include 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, Craig Parks and more!

Interested teens and young adults fill out a short form that includes a video submission, and are immediately accepted into the Jewish Star community, gaining access to a wealth of resources and learning opportunities with zero mandatory time commitments — Jewish Stars choose the level at which they want to be involved each year.

The submission form also gives participants the option to apply for additional, more selective Jewish Star opportunities. Participants are then matched to the opportunities that will best support their growth at this current stage of their Jewish leadership journey. Jewish Stars are eligible and encouraged to apply for these opportunities every year through the age of 27.

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) fill out a short entry form that includes a performance video. The video can be done individually or as part of a group. Upon submission, participants are immediately accepted into the Jewish Star community, gaining access to resources and learning opportunities. Participants who apply for additional Jewish Star opportunities will be notified of the opportunities they received in late October.

Once you join Jewish Star, you are in for life! You can apply for Jewish Star opportunities every year 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 reside in North America (United States, Canada, or Mexico)

Jewish Stars receive a variety of opportunities to learn, grow, and support their leadership each year. Some opportunities are made automatically available to all Jewish Stars, while some (marked with a *) must be applied for in the submission process. ALL opportunities are optional.

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 invitations to webinars as well as access to recordings of over 50 Jewish Star Webinars.

Scholarship toward the Songleader Boot Camp (SLBC) International Conference* – The SLBC International 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. The conference takes place every President's Day weekend in St. Louis, Missouri. This year's conference will be held February 15-17, 2026.

Mentorship through the 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 3-4 peers with similar backgrounds to discuss topics that will help them explore their goals as emerging Jewish leaders and artists. Jewish Stars may apply for the Mentoring Program year over year, and will be paired with a new mentor and cohort each year they participate.

Advice and support from an experienced peer through the Star 2 Star Program* – The Jewish Star community is full of incredibly talented and highly experienced young adults who have their own wisdom to share! This peer-to-peer mentorship program gives new participants the opportunity to meet 1-on-1 with a Jewish Star veteran who has experience relevant to their interests. The Star 2 Star Program is currently available to first-year Jewish Stars only.

Free Audio/Visual Equipment* – Jewish Star purchases equipment such as new microphones, webcams, ring lights and green screens for select Jewish Stars to enhance the quality of their virtual leadership work and audio/video creations, as well as 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 or invited to the Community of Practice.

Jewish Stars may indicate on their submission form that they would like to be considered for recognition as a "Jewish Star All-Star." Each year, 12 Jewish Stars who demonstrate exceptional promise, commitment and passion for Jewish leadership receive this honor, 6 each from the Under 18 and 18 & Over age brackets.

Jewish Star All-Stars receive:

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

• • All Jewish Star opportunities for which they apply. These may include a spot in the Jewish Star Mentoring Program and Star 2 Star Program,  free A/V equipment, and scholarship to attend the SLBC International Conference.

• • The opportunity to lead and/or perform at the SLBC International Conference, taking place February 15-17, 2026 in St. Louis.

*** A Jewish Star can only be named an All-Star once; past Jewish Star All-Stars may still apply each year for Jewish Star opportunities, but are NOT eligible to be named an All-Star again.

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

The video submission requirement is our way of getting to know you and helping determine the Jewish Star opportunities that will best support you this year. It is NOT an audition – you get to be part of Jewish Star just by entering! So make it simple, make it fun, and help us get to know you and what makes you shine!

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 song 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. To make it even easier, please share in the notes which performer is you!

Please read these video submission requirements CAREFULLY. Failure to adhere to one or more of these requirements will impact your application  for most or all Jewish Star opportunities. If you are unsure whether your video will meet these requirements, contact jewishstar@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. Remember, this is how we get to know the real you! 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

If you are creating a video for your submission, Jewish Star strongly recommends adhering to the following steps. 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!

Jewish Star is a community of Jewish teens and young adults (ages 14-27) from across North America who are passionate about Jewish music and excited to explore or deepen their Jewish leadership. 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. 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 offerings 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. Only those selected to receive scholarship to the Songleader Boot Camp International Conference (SLBC) in St. Louis should keep in mind that there will be 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.

Jewish Stars may indicate on their submission form that they would like to be considered for recognition as a "Jewish Star All-Star." Each year, 12 Jewish Stars who demonstrate exceptional promise, commitment and passion for Jewish leadership receive this honor, 6 each from the Under 18 and 18 & Over age brackets.

Jewish Star All-Stars receive:

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

• • All Jewish Star opportunities for which they apply. These may include a spot in the Jewish Star Mentoring Program and Star 2 Star Program,  free A/V equipment, and scholarship to attend the SLBC International Conference.

• • The opportunity to lead and/or perform at the SLBC International Conference, taking place February 15-17, 2026 in St. Louis.

No. While some Jewish Star opportunities are selective due to limited space and funds, and a small number of participants are recognized as "Jewish Star All-Stars," this is no different than other programs and fellowships for Jewish teens and young adults, many of which are highly selective and exclusive. But in Jewish Star no one gets turned away.

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

If you're 14-27 year old, HECK YES! Jewish Star 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. This is not a one-and-done opportunity.

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 opportunities 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 extensive experience in the secular music industry.

Nope! Jewish Star is NOT a songwriting competition. 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, which will help Jewish Star best match you to opportunities as both a group and as an individual.

If you are not in the same location as someone you wish to enter with, you can also record a video asynchronously, meaning that you can make and edit a video together, just be sure to check all the requirements. 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. 28. We will announce the Jewish Star All-Stars on Jewish Rock Radio’s Facebook Page.