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 up close and personally. A generous government scholarship (a part of the ERP Special Assets of the German Ministry for Economic Affairs and Cliamte Action) covers more than two thirds of participation costs, which leaves a participation fee of $890 per person. At the same time, Germany Close Up is an independent body regarding the organization and content of its programs. The purpose of the program is to allow participants to gain their own perspective on Germany through individual experience.
©Laura Stöbener
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 trips are designed to expose participants to a range of aspects that make up modern Germany, with both the past and present in focus. Every Germany Close Up trip includes a number of activities, tours, and meetings. All trips cover issues related to Germany’s reflection on its past and its efforts to deal with the memory of the Holocaust and the Nazi horror 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, home to the third-fastest growing Jewish community worldwide. Observing Shabbat and keeping a kosher diet are both possible on all Germany Close Up trips.
The eight day program between January 8 and 15 (arrival in Germany is possible from January 5 to accommodate Shabbat) will start in Berlin and end in Frankfurt am Main. It 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, representatives of grass roots movements and the Jewish community, as well as German contemporaries. The role of Jewish voices in transatlantic relations will be explored as participants actively contribute to German-American dialogue.
The program will focus on the following topics:
- Berlin and united Germany
- The Holocaust and the Nazi Era (incl. a visit to a former Concentration Camp)
- Transatlantic/German-American relations (incl. a meeting with officials of the German Federal Foreign Office)
- Current German Politics
- Jewish Life in Berlin, past and present
- German-Israeli relations
- A visit to Frankfurt
Details
Cost
US$890
This fee includes airfare, hotel accommodation in double rooms (3 star), most meals, and ground expenses.
Flight reimbursement
If your air fare is lower than US$890, the remainder is due to Germany Close Up in cash in EUROS while you are in Berlin. If your air fare is more than US$890, you may be eligible for a flight reimbursement from Germany Close Up for some of your costs above this amount. 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 available is US$110. (max. flight costs for full reimbursement: US$1.000) For participants departing from elsewhere in the United States or Canada the maximum reimbursement is US$360 (max. flight costs for full reimbursement: US$1.250). Only flight costs above the US$890 participation fee are considered for reimbursement.
For example:
For flight costs from New York of US$850, you will owe US$40.
For flight costs from New York of US$1.000, you will be reimbursed US$110.
For flight costs from Los Angeles of US$1.300, you will be reimbursed US$360.
Please note that miles, credit card points or trip insurances cannot be used for reimbursement purposes.
Reimbursement will take place after the program’s conclusion and will be coordinated by the Columbia and Barnard College JLIC. Please note that the reimbursement process can take up to three months.
Duration
Eight days. January 8-15, 2024.
Further information
Application documents
online application form
cover letter
resume
500 word essay about your interest in the program
One letter of recommendation (Columbia and Barnard College JLIC external)
Application closes
October 31, 2023.
Please apply via our application form and be prepared to attach the documents listed above as a single pdf file.