Gratz College Welcomes Second Walder Cohort of Executive Ph.D. Students in Jewish Studies

 
Headshots of nine women enrolled in the Gratz College program.
 

Gratz College and Walder Foundation are pleased to announce the nine students selected for the second cohort of the Walder Fellowship in the Executive Ph.D. in Jewish Studies program at Gratz College, continuing a landmark initiative designed to expand advanced academic opportunities for accomplished Orthodox women engaged in Jewish leadership, education, and communal life.

The incoming Walder cohort represents a broad geographic and professional cross-section of Jewish communities in the United States, Israel, and the United Kingdom. The exceptional women of the 2026 Walder cohort are:


The Walder Fellowship was launched in 2025 to support Orthodox women pursuing doctoral study while remaining embedded in professional and communal roles. Now in its second year, the fellowship builds on the strong foundation established by the inaugural cohort.

“This fellowship is empowering a new generation of women to achieve their professional goals and realize long-held dreams,” said Leslie Ginsparg Klein, Ph.D., director of the fellowship. “It is simultaneously laying the foundation for an emerging field of Orthodox Jewish women’s studies, positioning it for sustained scholarly and communal impact.”

Over the past year, Gratz College has significantly expanded the Executive Ph.D. curriculum, adding a wide range of advanced seminars that reflect both traditional scholarly fields and emerging areas of Jewish Studies. New offerings include courses such as “Judaism and Technology,” which examines Jewish law and practice in response to technological innovation, and “Men in Black, Women in Color: Gender in Orthodox Jewish History,” alongside new classes in biblical studies, Jewish history, ethics, and methodology.

Members of the current Walder cohort have already begun engaging deeply with their doctoral study, with most students having identified preliminary dissertation topics. One notable area of study is Malka Popper’s research on the opening of batei midrash to female students in pluralistic and Modern Orthodox schools, examining how access to advanced text study reshapes girls’ relationships to traditional learning. Another is Sara Wolkenfeld, whose research interrogates the classic rabbinic emphasis on the centrality of work with the coming challenges of the age of AI. Sara Tesler is examining how issues around emunah (faith) are treated in gap-year programs for girls in Israel and what that reveals about contemporary Jewish theology. Other fellows are exploring topics such as women’s leadership models in Jewish texts, Jewish education, gender and learning, pedagogical approaches to Torah study, and the intersection of faith, education, and contemporary communal challenges.

“The impact of the first Walder cohort has been profound,” said Brendan Goldman, Ph.D., Program Director of the Executive Ph.D. in Jewish Studies. “Participants consistently report that the coursework has benefited their current teaching and communal work, not only strengthening their scholarly skills but reshaping how they think about leadership, texts, and Jewish life more broadly. The success of that first cohort has directly shaped how we continue to evolve the program.”

With the launch of this second cohort, Gratz College reaffirms its commitment to cultivating rigorous Jewish scholarship while supporting Orthodox women whose academic work is inseparable from meaningful professional and communal engagement. Gratz College is deeply grateful to Walder Foundation for its vision and generosity in creating this fellowship and providing this unique opportunity for Orthodox women.

“The launch of this second Walder cohort confirms what we believed from the outset: when Orthodox women are given access to rigorous doctoral study, their scholarship deepens Jewish thought and strengthens Jewish life," shares Elizabeth Walder, President & CEO of Walder Foundation. "These fellows are not stepping away from their communities to pursue academic work—they are bringing new insight and intellectual leadership directly back into them. That integration of learning and lived responsibility is exactly what this fellowship was designed to advance.”

For more information about the Executive Ph.D. in Jewish Studies and the Walder Fellowship, visit gratz.edu.

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About Gratz College
Gratz College, a private non-profit institution based in the Philadelphia area, is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. Founded in 1895, Gratz College is the oldest independent college for Jewish studies in North America. Today, Gratz enrolls students from around the world in graduate-level programs that reflect its historic focus on Jewish studies and education. An early adopter of online education, Gratz's premiere programs include Doctorates in Jewish Studies, Holocaust/Genocide Studies, Education Leadership, as well as a Master’s degree and the only Doctorate in Antisemitism Studies in the world. 

About Walder Foundation
Walder Foundation was established by Joseph and Elizabeth Walder to address critical issues impacting our world. The Foundation’s five areas of focus — Science Innovation, Environmental Sustainability, Performing Arts, Migration and Immigrant Communities, and Jewish Life — are an extension of the Walders’ lifelong passions, interests, and their personal and professional experiences.

 

Media Contact – Gratz College:
Lori Cohen
Director of Marketing/Design
Gratz College
lcohen@gratz.edu
215-635-7300 x182 

Media Contact – Walder Foundation:
Elizabeth Kix, MPH, APR
Director of Communications
Walder Foundation
ekix@walderfoundation.org
847-616-5968

 

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