Charlotte Eizenberg is studying Business Management and Global studies at the Australian Catholic University. Charlotte has taken on a role in the Youth movement Hineni since 2017, most recently holding the position of Federal President in 2019. In this role, Charlotte facilitated Jewish value-based programming – for Jewish youth aged from 8 to 22, crisis management, and general financial, legal and international operations.

Charlotte has worked with the Melbourne Jewish Museum facilitating both Primary and Secondary school education on Jewish faith and the history of Australian Jewry. Charlotte finds it rewarding to share Jewish peoplehood and identity with Jews and non-Jews alike in the pursuit of combating racial discrimination and inspiring good leadership.

During her time in the Fellowship, Charlotte wants to expand her community toolbox, giving her a better foundation and understanding of how she can play an integral role in nurturing and sustaining community life in an Australian context.

Matt Friedman is studying a double Bachelor Degree in Arts and Economics, with majors in Economics, Social Policy and Political Economy. He is most passionate about facilitating conversations for young people that lead to social change. 

During the Fellowship, Matt wants to hone the complementary skills necessary to enable these passions and is excited by the possibilities sparked by working with other Fellows.

Matt is the founder of 2 Birds 1 Bee, a youth-run sex and relationship education project that engages young people, parents and schools in conversations around pornography, consent, gender, sexuality and more. He has also volunteered over the last five years with UN Youth Australia, the country’s largest entirely youth-run NGO, and is currently Chair of the Board of Directors.

Maayan Zlatsin is studying Law and Science majoring in Psychology at Monash University. Maayan is passionate about youth empowerment and education, family law, advocacy and mental health. 

During the Fellowship, Maayan hopes to obtain the knowledge, tools and resources to implement change within her areas of interest.

Driven by her passion for youth empowerment and education, in 2014 Maayan founded her own business through which she taught piano and Hebrew. She has also worked as a paralegal in the areas of commercial and family law. Maayan has voluntary experience in various leadership and management roles, with JNF and other community organisations, through which she has been nominated for both the ‘Young Leaders’ and ‘Changemakers’ award. 

Zak Ben Moshe is currently in his third year of Arts at Melbourne University, majoring in International Relations and Geography. Upon completion, Zak intends to undertake the Juris Doctor postgraduate programme at Melbourne University.

During the fellowship, Zak hopes to cultivate a rich understanding of the processes underpinning corporate and political life and aims to galvanise this knowledge towards the pursuit of a meaningful future. In particular, Zak is confident that he will be able to put into practice specialised knowledge of stakeholder management, policy development and project management to create both innovative and impactful initiatives.

Zak is passionate about law and politics and hopes to pursue a career which enables him to build a more optimistic and inclusive future for all. Driven by a commitment to the idea of equality of opportunity, Zak is committed to combating disadvantage and inequality in a practical and meaningful way. 

Zak recently interned at a Melbourne law firm and is about to commence a political internship at Victorian Parliament. Having volunteered at a variety of charities across Israel and Australia with a focus on educating underprivileged youth, Zak ultimately aims to cultivate a more egalitarian future for all.

Julia Meltzer is in her third year of studying Advanced Science at UNSW, majoring in Microbiology, with a particular focus on Environmental Microbiology. She is passionate about youth empowerment and informal education, social change and environmentalism.

Through the experiences she intends to encounter during her time in The Fellowship, Julia hopes to learn the tangible skills that will enable her to enact her passions and visions, and to learn more about community and youth mobilisation.

Julia has been involved with the youth movement Habonim Dror Sydney since 2016, during which time she has taken on various positions and roles. Her most recent role, as chairperson, was a position she held for two years. She has recently completed an internship with the Burns Lab at UNSW, continuing with them in a volunteer capacity. Outside of her academic commitments, Julia works in children’s services.

Pnina Hagege is in her second year studying a Bachelor of Social and Political Sciences, and Journalism. She is interested in social justice and topics surrounding equality, including – but not limited to; the prominence of women in the media, and the inequity amongst Australia’s Indigenous community.

Pnina hopes to better understand the complexities of the domestic political system and how to effectively bring a new vision to reality. She is excited to collaborate with her peers, mentors and the greater Fellowship network to get closer to her main aim – addressing issues obstructing equality and equity. 

Pnina has professional experience at prominent Australian News Corporations and Documentary-making companies such as The Footage Company, Channel Nine and WildBear. She has been actively engaged with recent local and federal elections, including being on the Youth Board for the Wentworth Electorate in 2019. Pnina also represented Sydney’s Jewish Community in creating the NSW Interfaith Statement for Diversity at the end of 2019. In 2020 Pnina commences an exciting role as the community and growth manager at The Daily AUS.

Shai Pik is studying a double degree of Social Work (Honours) and Social Sciences, majoring in Psychology. Shai is passionate about social justice, youth empowerment and informal education. 

During the Fellowship, Shai hopes to develop a greater sense of understanding of political issues, both within and external to the Jewish Community. Shai hopes to also further develop her understanding and prospects in the space of Community Engagement.

Shai has been an active member of the Youth Movement, Habonim Dror since 2014. After being a camp coordinator in 2017, she served on the organisation’s most recent Federal Board of Directors in 2019.

Zachary Morris is studying a dual Bachelor’s Degree of Law with Politics, Philosophy, and Economics (majoring in Economics) at UNSW. Zac is passionate about education, social justice and public policy. He is particularly fascinated by behavioural economics, game theory, epistemology, and international law. 

During his time in the Fellowship Zac looks forward to engaging with the fundamental issues surrounding education and mental health. He hopes to gain the tools and understanding that will enable him to have a tangible impact on broader society.

Zac recently interned at Rothenburg Law Firm LLP in New York, where he experienced everything from catastrophic personal injury to litigating international terrorism. This year he is the Director of Senior Negotiations of the UNSW Law Society. He is also currently involved in facilitating experiential leadership workshops for high school students.

Abigail Kaplan studies a Masters of Law specializing in Criminal Justice at the University of New South Wales. Her interests include foreign relations, security, intelligence organisations and humanitarian rights.   

During her time in the Fellowship, Abigail intends to enhance her political knowledge and skills, while engaging with professionals to greater understand the inner workings of project management and community collaboration.   

Abigail participated in the inaugural Brownstone Institute Internship in New York City and has been a volunteer at the Montefiore Aged Care Home since high school. She has been captain of the UNSW Netball Team since 2018.

Lara Czysnok is studying a combined Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Communications (Social & Political Sciences). Lara is passionate about unconscionable bias within the legal system and the inherent prejudice which pervades legal decisions. 

Lara sees the Fellowship as a means through which she can pursue her keen interest in politics in conjunction with dismantling systemic issues. Beyond this, she also sees the program as an opportunity to connect with the wider Jewish community through her passion for politics and judicial reform. For Lara, The Fellowship is an enabling stepping stone towards becoming a leader in the Jewish community and an advocate for justice.

Lara is an active member of the Australian Jewish community as a President of the Australasian Union of Jewish Students and Committee Member for the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies. Professionally, Lara has experience working in both the not and for-profit legal sectors through boutique and community legal centres. Lara currently works in a corporate law firm which has enabled her to develop strong critical thinking skills and a passion for commercial litigation. 

Benjamin Menahem is entering his fifth year as an avid Commerce/Law student at Monash University. 

During his time in the Fellowship, Benjamin hopes to gain several skills about planning, organising, and delivering on objectives. He is also excited about contributing to the university community with a meaningful project to better the lives of students.

Previously, Benjamin has been heavily involved in community work, culminating in becoming the director of Bnei Akiva Melbourne for 2018. Benjamin currently volunteers at JobWatch, a community legal centre providing free access to individuals wishing to understand their rights in relation to employment law. He has also completed a marketing strategy internship and a commercial internship focusing on employment law and tax.

Benjamin is passionate about social justice, community engagement, employment rights, and the Essendon Football Club.

Anita Voloshin is studying Science Advanced with Global Challenges Honours, majoring in Pathology with a minor in Genetics, Chemistry and Business and Economics Strategy. Her passion is in the accessibility of paediatric healthcare and the underlying factors that limit this access throughout the world.

She is coming into the Fellowship with an understanding that to succeed in any social-impact venture, one must have a strong grasp of the public, private and socio-political sectors’ landscape. Through the Fellowship, Anita is intending to further her understanding of the explicit and implicit political issues throughout the world. 

Currently, Anita works as the Youth Leadership Coordinator at Save a Child’s Heart Australia. Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) is an Israeli based organisation that aids children with congenital heart disease receive life-saving heart surgery regardless of religion, nationality or gender. At SACH she has established the first-ever Young Leadership Team in Sydney and Melbourne. She loves to be involved in STEM Innovation, recently winning the med-hackathon and The Monash University Socio-Economic Engagement and Development Incubation program. 

Alissa Foster is studying a double degree in Media (PR & Advertising) and Arts (Politics & International Relations) at UNSW. Her passions include youth activism, social inequality, and the potential role of social media in combating these issues.

During her time in the Fellowship, Alissa aims to develop a greater understanding of the challenges that community leaders face and the techniques they use to overcome these challenges. She hopes to become an advocate for her community and the values that it holds, and want to positively impact broader Australian society in the process.

Alissa’s passion for the potential impact of social media began at 13 when she built a network of 40,000 active followers around her fan page. This allowed her to communicate and organise with young people around the world. In 2019 she was a year 11 Madricha at Bnei Akiva and Head of Events for NSW. In 2020 she is also on the Yom HaShoah Committee of Youth HEAR.

Sam Abrams is in his fifth year of a Commerce and Law degree at Monash University. Sam has a keen interest in politics, economics and social issues. In his spare time, he loves to ski, cycle and hike.

Through the Fellowship, Sam wants to gain a deeper understanding of ways to create meaningful change for both the local and broader community. He is also excited to learn from the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the other Fellows.

Sam currently works as a paralegal and as part of the Ski Patrol at Mt Buller. During university, he has been the Social Officer of Melbourne University Jewish Student Society (UniMelb) and was elected to the Environment and Social Justice Committee of the Monash Students Association (MSA). He has previously volunteered at Emmy Monash, Stand Up and CSG.