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August 26th 2026
The Michael Kay Israel Leadership Fellows (MKILF) program enters its fourth year at Weber with an exciting new opportunity for students to extend their Israel education and leadership beyond our campus.
This year, Weber’s educational partner, Unpacked for Israel, is launching Unpacked Scholars, a new national program that builds on the MKILF model established at Weber. The inaugural cohort will bring together students from Jewish high schools across North America for an extended and intensive Israel education experience, including 20 rising juniors and 20 rising seniors from The Weber School.
Designed as a national extension of the Michael Kay Israel Leadership Fellows, Unpacked Scholars will work concurrently with MKILF, giving selected Weber students the opportunity to deepen their learning while engaging with an exceptional cohort of Jewish student leaders from across the country. Scholars will explore questions surrounding Israel, Zionism, and Jewish peoplehood; develop their capacity for thoughtful leadership; and build relationships with peers who share their commitment to Israel engagement in high school, college, and beyond.
At Weber, MKILF continues to offer students in Grades 10–12 a distinctive co-curricular Honors Diploma Distinction through which they develop the knowledge, perspective, and leadership skills needed to engage meaningfully with Israel and the Jewish people. Through immersive retreats, enrichment sessions, guided reflection, and opportunities to put their learning into practice, Fellows are challenged to think critically about Zionism, Jewish identity, and the moral complexities of leadership.
The Michael Kay Israel Leadership Fellows program is made possible by a generous grant from Ann Kay and her family in memory of their late husband and father, Michael Kay z”l, a pillar of the Atlanta Jewish community and a long-serving member of The Weber School Board of Trustees. We are honored to continue this ambitious initiative in his name and to see its impact extend beyond Weber.
This year, Weber’s educational partner, Unpacked for Israel, is launching Unpacked Scholars, a new national program that builds on the MKILF model established at Weber. The inaugural cohort will bring together students from Jewish high schools across North America for an extended and intensive Israel education experience, including 20 rising juniors and 20 rising seniors from The Weber School.
Designed as a national extension of the Michael Kay Israel Leadership Fellows, Unpacked Scholars will work concurrently with MKILF, giving selected Weber students the opportunity to deepen their learning while engaging with an exceptional cohort of Jewish student leaders from across the country. Scholars will explore questions surrounding Israel, Zionism, and Jewish peoplehood; develop their capacity for thoughtful leadership; and build relationships with peers who share their commitment to Israel engagement in high school, college, and beyond.
At Weber, MKILF continues to offer students in Grades 10–12 a distinctive co-curricular Honors Diploma Distinction through which they develop the knowledge, perspective, and leadership skills needed to engage meaningfully with Israel and the Jewish people. Through immersive retreats, enrichment sessions, guided reflection, and opportunities to put their learning into practice, Fellows are challenged to think critically about Zionism, Jewish identity, and the moral complexities of leadership.
The Michael Kay Israel Leadership Fellows program is made possible by a generous grant from Ann Kay and her family in memory of their late husband and father, Michael Kay z”l, a pillar of the Atlanta Jewish community and a long-serving member of The Weber School Board of Trustees. We are honored to continue this ambitious initiative in his name and to see its impact extend beyond Weber.