An Open Program for Students in Affiliation with American Jewish Committee (AJC) Campus Affairs and Interreligious Affairs
Explore and experience contemporary Germany this summer, through meetings, site visits, and informal sessions with Jewish young German peers.
Established in October 2007, Germany Close Up – North American Jews Meet Modern Germany is an initiative created to enrich transatlantic dialogue and provide Jewish-North American students and young professionals in their twenties and thirties with an opportunity to experience modern Germany first hand. A generous government scholarship, funded through the ERP Special Assets of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, covers more than two thirds of participation costs, which leaves a participation fee of US$950 per person. Germany Close Up independently plans its trips and curates all program content. The purpose of the program is to allow participants to gain their own perspective on Germany.
Join us in Germany for a unique, immersive learning experience exploring contemporay German society and Jewish life, as well as the country's past and present day remembrance.
The programs are designed to expose participants to a range of aspects that make up modern Germany, with both the past and present in focus. Program content is presented through various activities, tours, and meetings. All programs cover issues related to Germany’s reflection on its past and its efforts to deal with the memory of the Holocaust and the Nazi terror up to this very day. They also consider Germany’s transformation over the last decades into a modern, reunified, and democratic country in the heart of the European Union.
The eight-day program between August 3 - 11 (arrival in Berlin on Monday, August 3, and departure on Tuesday, August 11) will expose participants to Berlin’s multicultural life, allow them to visit sites such as a former concentration camp, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, and the Jewish Museum in Berlin, and to experience other key historical sites and cultural venues. They will meet with German opinion-makers from the academic and political spheres, as well as representatives of grass roots movements and the Jewish community. The role of Jewish voices in transatlantic relations will be explored as participants actively contribute to transatlantic dialogue.
Observing Shabbat and keeping a kosher diet are both possible on all Germany Close Up trips, but please note that Berlin doesn’t have an Eruv.
The program will focus on the following topics:
- Berlin and united Germany
- The Holocaust and the Nazi Era (including a visit to a former Concentration Camp)
- Jewish life in Berlin, past and present
- German politics and society today
- Transatlantic relations (including a meeting with officials from the German Federal Foreign Office)
- A visit to a city outside Berlin
Details
Cost
US$950
The participation fee for this program is US$950. Participants pay their participation fee indirectly to Germany Close Up by purchasing their own roundtrip airline ticket. After being accepted to the program, participants are expected to book their roundtrip economy-class airline ticket and to provide proof of purchase to Germany Close Up. In most cases, a participant's airline ticket purchase will cover the US$950 fee.
This fee includes airfare, three star hotel accommodation in a double room, hotel breakfast and one other meal per day, transportation within Germany, admission fees, and event tickets. The scholarship does not include tipping. Please keep in mind that you will need to pay around 50€ (roughly US$60) for tips.
Flight reimbursement
If your airfare is more than US$950, you may be eligible for a partial flight reimbursement from Germany Close Up. Please note that this amount is capped and depends on your point of departure in the United States or Canada.
For participants departing from the New York or Washington D.C. greater metropolitan areas, the maximum reimbursement is US$100. For participants departing from elsewhere in the United States or Canada, the maximum reimbursement is US$250.
Only flight costs that exceed the US$950 participation fee can be considered for partial reimbursement. If your airfare is lower than US$950, you are not eligible for a reimbursement, and you owe Germany Close Up the difference between the participation fee and the airfare.
For example:
If your flight costs US$900, you owe US$50.
If your flight from New York costs US$1,100, you will be reimbursed US$100.
If your flight from elsewhere in the U.S. or Canada costs US$1,300, you will be reimbursed US$250.
Please note that miles, credit card points, trip insurance, and seat selection fees can’t be counted toward the reimbursable airfare amount.
Once you have been accepted, we encourage you to make travel arrangements as soon as possible due to the capped reimbursement. Reimbursement will take place after the program’s conclusion and will be coordinated by AJC Campus Affairs. Please note that the reimbursement process can take up to three months.
Duration
Eight days. August 3 - 11, 2026.
Further information
For any further questions please don’t hesitate to contact the Germany Close Up team (germanycloseup[at]daad.de) or Moshe Lencer (lencerm[at]ajc.org) at AJC Campus Affairs.
Application documents
An online application form
A resume
A statement of interest (minimum 500 words)
A letter of recommendation from an external reference (please note that recommendations from AJC or from friends/family members are not accepted)
Application deadline
Sunday, April 19.