NEW YORK—Ninety students from 37 colleges and universities across the country have successfully completed the 2011-2013 Taglit-Birthright Israel Excel Fellowship program, an elite fellowship program beginning with a 10-week business internship in Israel for talented Jewish college sophomores, juniors, and select seniors pursuing careers in business and/or technology.

During the all-expense paid program, each Birthright Israel Excel Fellow interns at a prominent, global Israeli company from within a wide range of industries, including finance, venture capital, consulting, hi-tech, bio-tech, and social media. Throughout the summer, the Excel Fellows engage with distinguished Israeli leaders from business, technology, political and philanthropic arenas on a broad range of topics, including leadership, Jewish identity, the global economy, and teamwork.

Upon completion of the fellowship in Israel, the Excel Fellows enter the post-fellowship stage of the program in the United States, where their network expands to include leading American business people, as well as Birthright Israel Excel alumni. Finally, the participants convene for an annual retreat, slated this year from Nov. 14 - 17, where they meet with prominent business leaders, politicians, and educators.

“Through its Excel Fellowship program, Taglit-Birthright Israel aims to develop future Jewish leaders who are committed to preserving the identity, heritage, and welfare of the Jewish community, in the United States, Israel, and throughout the world,” said Sharon Prince, U.S. coordinator for Birthright Israel Excel. “The networking opportunities and mentoring relationships with top Jewish business leaders, from both the U.S. and Israel, provide students with valuable educational experiences that would be difficult to replicate anywhere else.”

The following is a list of schools represented: University of Pennsylvania; Harvard University; Stanford University; Washington University in St. Louis; The University of Virginia; American University Washington College of Law; Yale University; Penn State University; University of California, Berkeley; Northwestern University; Cornell University; Johns Hopkins University; University of Florida; University of Vermont; Vanderbilt University; Duke University; Amherst College; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Princeton University; Columbia University; Georgetown University; Brown University; University of Southern California; University of South Carolina; University of Chicago; Emory University; George Washington University; University of Georgia; Yeshiva University; University of Maryland; Brandeis University; Dartmouth College; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and Middlebury College.

Taglit-Birthright Israel is a historical and innovative partnership between the government of Israel, thousands of individual donors and private philanthropists, and Jewish communities around the world through the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod and the Jewish Agency for Israel. Visit http://www.BirthrightIsrael.com.