Travel with ACCESS

ACCESS offers emerging leaders unique domestic and international travel experiences, enabling them to hone their diplomacy skills at high-level meetings and conferences.

ACCESS signature missions bring delegations of young professionals across the globe to engage in strategic diplomatic outreach to diplomats, civic leaders, elected officials, and influencers, and build relationships with intergroup and interreligious partners around the globe. 
 

AJC ACCESS Third Generation Initiative (TGI) Mission to Berlin

Organized by AJC ACCESS, Allianz, and Germany Close Up

This collaborative exchange brings together a cohort of American Jewish young professionals and their German peers—emerging leaders from Allianz and the German Foreign Office—for a week of shared learning, dialogue, and exploration in Berlin.

Participants examine German-Jewish history, including corporate and governmental roles during the Holocaust, while also engaging with the challenges and opportunities facing Germany’s Jewish community today. Through site visits to Sachsenhausen and Berlin public schools, meetings with military officials, diplomats, and policy experts, and a Shabbat experience in Berlin, the program fosters meaningful conversation around antisemitism, historical responsibility, democratic resilience, and transatlantic security cooperation.

A defining element of the program is its peer exchange model, where American and German participants engage as equals in discussions about memory, identity, and leadership. The program encourages reflection and connection, while laying the groundwork for long-term collaboration and understanding.

Participants are invited to continue their involvement with AJC as advocates and supporters of its global mission to strengthen Jewish communities and democratic values worldwide.

Eligibility
Applicants must:

• Be U.S. citizens between the ages of 21 and 39
• Not have previously participated in a Germany Close Up program
• Commit to joining the AJC ACCESS Marshall Society by contributing at least $625 annually

Applications open each spring.
 

AJC Asia Pacific Institute - ACCESS Kakehashi Mission to Japan

AJC ACCESS and Asia Pacific Institute, in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), are excited to host our annual mission to Japan. This exchange program is intended to promote mutual trust and understanding among the peoples of Japan and Jewish Americans and to build a basis for future friendship and cooperation. We hope you will join us in building bridges ("kakehashi") between nations and cultures. 

Experiences from previous Kakehashi programs have included:

• Celebrate Shabbat with the Jewish community in Tokyo
• Tour Japanese temples and shrines including Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Pavilion), and Kiyomizu-dera
• Ride the shinkansen bullet train to Kyoto, where we connect with local university students studying Judaism and Religion from an Eastern World lens
• Visit the Port of Humanity Museum in the port city of Tsuruga, where thousands of Jewish refugees landed after fleeing the Holocaust
• Meet with the Israeli Embassy in Tokyo, the US Embassy in Tokyo, and the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs
• Enjoy cultural experiences such as silk painting or a tea ceremony
• Eat traditional Japanese meals, such as sushi, ramen, or hot pot
• Explore Japan on your own or with friends during your free evenings

Program Qualifications:

• Program participants must be young professionals between the ages of 22-39.
• Participants must be ACCESS Marshall Society Activists* OR commit to becoming an ACCESS Marshall Society Activist by the start of the program.
• Participants must be U.S. citizens residing in the U.S.
• All participants must be fully vaccinated per Japanese Visa requirements.
• No previous Japan travel experience or knowledge is required.
• Participants will commit to attend three virtual prep sessions prior to the virtual mission.
• Participants cannot have lived in Japan for more than a year.

Applications open each summer.
 

The AJC - Mimouna Michael Sachs Emerging Leaders Fellowship

A joint partnership between AJC ACCESS and the Mimouna Association, the Sachs Fellowship is a six-month program focused on expanding understanding of Jewish culture in North Africa, Moroccan culture in Israel, and channeling renewed diplomatic ties between the two countries to promote more robust Middle East engagement. The Sachs Fellowship hosts virtual meetings to study topics of mutual concern, including the history of Jewish life in Morocco, Arab perspectives on the Holocaust, the role of religion in conflict and its resolution, and storytelling as a tool for diplomacy. The Moroccan, American, and Israeli Fellows build upon their virtual experience throughout a ten-day mission to Morocco and Israel with regular dialogue regarding their unique identities, policy priorities, and personal interests.

Applications open each Fall.

For more information about travel with ACCESS, reach out to [email protected].