The Harriet and Maurice Lewis Family Summer Intern Program is launching its first full for-profit cohort this year, and JUF is looking for excellent placements and intern candidates. Last year, the Lewis Summer Intern Program developed seven for-profit positions, placing seven interns with for-profit businesses in finance, health care administration, real estate, and marketing positions.

This year, the Lewis Summer Intern Program plans to double the number of for-profit placements available, and create a full scale for-profit track within the Lewis Summer Intern Program to coincide with traditional non-profit track.

Students who participated last year gained valuable career experience, made important career connections, and developed deeper knowledge of Chicago’s Jewish community. They also learned about the important role that lay leaders play in the lives of Jewish organizations, and how the vision of lay leaders helps shape and drive the Jewish Community.

The Lewis Summer Intern Program is one of the JUF’s hidden gems. The 8 week paid summer internship places 30-40 college- aged interns in non-profit jobs at Jewish organizations and Jewish led businesses all over the city of Chicago. The program has more than 30 years of documented success in giving students meaningful Jewish and career experiences, with over 700 alumni around the country, working in nearly every industry. The program offers students a paid internship, guidance on how to conduct a job search, active professional mentoring, and Jewish enrichment.

The program benefits more than just the interns. Organizations and businesses who work with Lewis interns know that they’re receiving a top notch staff person. Interns are interviewed first by Lewis Program staff and only those who have the right combinations of skills and interests are sent to interview with potential placements. The best placements for Lewis interns have a Jewishly engaged professional interested in fostering the career and Jewish growth of a promising young adult, and participating in one-on-one mentoring with that individual.

If your business is interested in hiring a Lewis Summer Intern, contact Karen Martin at 312-357-4889 or [email protected]. If you are a student interested in applying for the Lewis Summer Intern Program, apply on line at www.juf.org/lsip . To help sponsor the Lewis Summer Intern Program, contact John Lowenstein, Vice President of Campus Affairs at 312-673-2385, or [email protected].

Karen Martin is director of JUF’s Lewis Summer Internship Program and development manager for the Hillels of Illinois.