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Supporting
the Dreams of Jewish Scholars Since 1972

In partnership with private donors, the JVS Scholarship Program provides qualified Jewish students whose primary residence is the Greater Los Angeles area with need-based financial aid, in the belief that education represents the first step to career success.

Over the past 51 years, since the inception of the JVS Scholarship Program in 1972, JVS has awarded more than $13.4 million to over 6,000 deserving scholars. Today’s recipients are pursuing both undergraduate and graduate studies at colleges, universities, and vocational schools nationwide.

JVS Scholarship Virtual Ceremony

Our Speakers

JVS Scholarship medical students have joined the fight against COVID-19, sharing remarkable stories of courage, community and hope from locations around the world.

Adam Kurnick

Tel Aviv University Sackler School of Medicine

During the height of the pandemic, Adam was in Israel. He was trained by Israel’s National Emergency Services and visited underserved communities to swab civilians who demonstrated suspicious symptoms for the coronavirus as part of the COVID-19 Medical Student Task Force.

Alison Ohringer

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

After Alison graduated from Emory University summa cum laude, she pursued two master’s degrees from UC Berkeley, School of Public Health in Infectious Diseases and Global Health. She currently volunteers for the University of Miami’s student-run clinics.

A WORD FROM OUR CO-CHAIRS

JONATHAN A. KARP AND DAVID BOLOUR

For over 50 years, the JVS Scholarship Program has transformed the lives of thousands of students, helping them pursue and achieve their academic and ultimately career dreams. According to the Pew Research Center, nearly 1 in 4 Jews in California lives in a household with less than $50,000 in annual income. When we started our program in 1972, the state of California had just recently ended free in-state tuition for the UC system – today, the California resident estimate is more than $40,000 per year.

The need has never been greater. As we continue down the road for the next 50 years of the JVS Scholarship Program, we must redouble our efforts to provide as many need-based scholarships to eligible students as possible.

What makes the JVS Scholarship Program one of the strongest and most long-standing JVS SoCal programs are the multigenerational groups of volunteers that dedicate their time, effort, and knowledge to help students across the Jewish community. This is a true expression of our community’s time-honored commitment to l’dor v’dor, helping from one generation to the next generation.

The accomplishments and educational triumphs of the students we support would not be possible without those who serve on the Scholarship Committee, who each year face the challenge of allocating limited resources and selecting these bright leaders. This year we were fortunate to be able to distribute $820,000 in scholarships.

Thanks to the Scholarship Committee’s efforts, our program benefited a total of 214 Jewish students this year. For their support, dedication, and time, we are so grateful. Since the program started in 1972, a total of $13.4 million has been awarded to over 6,000 students. Our Committee members’ devotion to the advancement of our students, who are able to provide the gift of education for the people that need it most is what makes the program successful.

L’Shalom,

Jonathan A. Karp, Scholarship Committee Co-Chair
David Bolour, Scholarship Committee Co-Chair

Our Students

During the 2023-2024 school year we awarded $820,000 dollars to 214 students attending UC Berkeley, Brandeis, Columbia Law School, Georgetown, Harvard, John Hopkins School of Medicine, UCLA, USC, and many other universities, vocational schools and programs.

Each year we must turn away 50-60 eligible students due to lack of funding. Please consider supporting the JVS Scholarship Program so we can continue to help the next generation achieve their goals.