The Irwin Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice at Tel Aviv University (TAU) welcomes applications from TAU International Students for its Cotler Fellowship Program for academic year 2024/2025. Fellows will receive scholarships of up to 17,000 Shekels.

The program involves lectures and discussions on present-day challenges to democracy, human rights and justice; acquaints fellows with Israeli history and with the historical and human landscapes of the country, and instructs them about the origins of racism, and antisemitism specifically, their present-day manifestations and the means to fight them.

The Program will be in English and consists of 26 meetings, including lectures, discussions, and field trips, held largely during the winter and spring semesters.

The Program will commence on November 3, 2024, and end on June 29, 2025. Meetings will take place on Sundays between 10:00-14:00. Field trips will also take place on Sundays.

Participants will –

• Attend lectures and discussions on topical strategic and moral issues given by leading scholars

• Gain practical training in oratory and advocacy from leading policymakers and professors

• Join field trips to museums and to some of the most exciting nature and archeological sites across Israel. Past trips have included the Sea of Galilee, the Dead Sea, the Ramon Crater, Beit Shean, and Gan Hashlosha (free of any charge)

• Receive scholarships of up to 17,000 Shekels

• Prepare and lead workshops that contribute to the fight against antisemitism and racism at large, or the advancement of democracy and democratization

To be eligible for the scholarship, participants are expected to attend and participate in all class meetings, read and engage with assigned texts, prepare at least one workshop, and complete any other required assignments. Distinguished participants will be encouraged and additionally financially supported to initiate and conduct workshops in their home countries during the summer break and following the conclusion of their studies.

Applications are open to all TAU international masters’ students, Ph.D. candidates, and post-doctoral students of all academic disciplines, all faiths, and of all nationalities with public leadership potential. Exceptionally talented undergraduate students will also be considered. The committee is not obligated to accept applicants.

The acceptance rate over the previous two years of the program has been around 25% of the applications received.

The Irwin Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice advances the intellectual and moral legacy of a champion of the fight against the Apartheid regime, a former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada, and currently Canada’s Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.

Application Process

Applications (including a CV and contact details) should be sent to Dr. Carl Yonker by August 31, 2024: yonker@mail.tau.ac.il. The results will be announced by October 1, 2024.

Any questions and inquiries should be directed to Dr. Carl Yonker (yonker@mail.tau.ac.il).