ABOUT JEWISH STAR MONTREAL

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

Interested teens and young adults fill out a short form and upon entering automatically become members of the Jewish Star Montreal cohort, gaining access to in-person skills-training, mentorship from leaders at both the local and international level, and a wealth of resources. Additionally,  participants can apply for and be matched to more Jewish Star opportunities designed to support their growth and help them identify and meet their goals of impacting the Montreal community and the Jewish world.

Jewish Stars range widely in their level of 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 talent to impact the Jewish world.

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

• • Current and aspiring camp counselors and leaders

• • Prayer leaders, educators, and songleaders at synagogues

• • Jewish youth group leaders and Jewish student organization leaders

• • Young professionals working or volunteering for Jewish communal nonprofits

• • Young Jews actively involved in social and political activism

• • Teens and young adults who love Judaism 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 submission form. Those interested in music leadership opportunities will also be asked to submit a short performance video to be considered for those opportunities.

Once you join Jewish Star, you are in for life! Every year, you can enter again to apply for new/additional 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 of North American with an address in Montreal

All Montreal Jewish Stars who enter will receive the following opportunities:

Jewish Star In-Person Skills-Training & Mentorship – Once a month, Montreal Jewish Stars will gather at the Y to learn new skills and receive mentorship from a variety leadership experts in North America. Sessions will focus on tools and techniques to advance their leadership skills and maximize their ability to inspire and impact their communities.

Montreal Jewish Community Mentorship  – Local mentors will facilitate regular discussions over Zoom with about what it means to be a Jewish leader in Montreal, the unique aspects and opportunities of Montreal Jewish leadership, and how to make local professional connections.

Jewish Star Montreal Community of Practice – The Jewish Star Community of Practice WhatsApp group is a space for Jewish Stars to share, discuss, and crowdsource ideas, questions, job opportunities, and more with each other in a supportive, growth-focused environment.

Montreal Jewish Stars may also receive:

Job Placement Opportunities  – Paid job placement opportunities will be available to Montreal Jewish Stars at the Y as well as other Montreal Jewish organizations so they can utilize their leadership talent and hone their skills with real-life experience.

New Audio/Visual Equipment – Jewish Star purchases equipment such as new microphones, webcams, ring lights and green screens so that Jewish Stars can improve the quality and professionalism of their virtual leadership as well as their creative projects.

Scholarship toward the SLBC Leadership Training Conference – The SLBC Leadership Training Conference provides Jewish Stars with a more deeply immersive leadership-training experience that includes the chance to network with many of the top Jewish leaders and educators across North America, a tight-knit community of like-minded peers passionate about Jewish leadership, and an unforgettable Jewish communal experience. The conference takes place in the United States in St. Louis, Missouri each year. The dates of this year's conference are 16-18 February  2025.

Montreal Jewish Stars with musical talent and who are interested in leadership opportunities specific to music leadership can check a box on their submission form and include a short performance video to be considered for:

• • Music leadership job placement opportunities in the Montreal Jewish community

• • North American-wide public recognition as a Jewish Star 'All-Star'

Jewish Star All-Stars
During the submission review process, 10 Jewish Stars from all over North America 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 (JRR), the only  digital radio station in the world playing 24/7 Jewish music, including social media, press, and website

• • Scholarship toward and the opportunity to lead/perform at the SLBC Leadership Training Conference (16-18 February 2025 in St. Louis, Missouri) 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

You have 2 options for your video submission for 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

Performance videos should 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.
  • Your video should be minimally edited or produced in terms of both audio and video

Recording Best Practices
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 clearly. If you are playing an instrument while singing, 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 leadership 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. Participants must be living in Montreal to participated in the Montreal Cohort.

There are no mandatory time commitments required of anyone who enters Jewish Star. Montreal Cohort participants are asked to attend all in-person skill-training gatherings and virtual Montreal leadership meetings for which they do not have a significant conflict, as the core benefit of the Jewish Star Montreal experience is in participating in these programs. The greater the participation, the greater the value for each and every participant, as Jewish Star is designed to be a communal learning experience.

All other special opportunities provided to Jewish Stars, including music leadership opportunities, free A/V equipment, and scholarship toward the SLBC Leadership Training Conference, are optional albeit VERY exciting opportunities for all Jewish Star Montreal participants.

No. Jewish Star and its programs are completely free of charge. The only potential cost will be for participants who choose to use their scholarship to travel to the SLBC Leadership Training Conference in St. Louis, Missouri; there are 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.

Musical talent is NOT necessary nor required to participate or benefit from Jewish Star. Teens and young adults with vocal or instrumental talent have the option to apply for additional music leadership opportunities, and many of our leadership trainers have a background leading music in Jewish settings, but Jewish Star is not designed for music leaders exclusively. The skills and techniques taught in Jewish Star apply to ALL people who are leading in front of a group.

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