AJU Announces Winners of Jewish Future Video Fellowship

AJU Announces Winners of Jewish Future Video Fellowship 

American Jewish University (AJU) has announced the winners of its Jewish Future Video Fellowship 2025, a creative contest grounded in AJU’s singular focus on the Jewish future and inviting participants to imagine and share what their perfect Jewish future looks like through short-form video.

Out of more than 70 submissions from across the country, three winners were selected by a judging panel for their compelling vision, creativity and impact:

First Prize ($3,600): Dasha Rothblatt, of Miami, Florida
Second Prize ($1,800): Dalton Ercolano, of Denver, Colorado
Third Prize ($540): Charlie Wittenberg, of Los Angeles California

“We were deeply moved by the creativity, honesty, courage and hope reflected in the videos submitted to the Jewish Future Video Fellowship 2025,” AJU President Jay Sanderson said. “Each submission offered a unique perspective on what a vibrant, thriving Jewish future can look like—and together, they reminded us just how much imagination, talent, and possibility exist within our community.”

The first-place winner, Dasha Rothblatt, is a recent graduate of University of Delaware whose experience in the Jewish community has included, among other activities, serving as a social justice volunteer at Jewish Federation of Delaware. Rothblatt’s video imagines a Jewish future where Jewish identity is met with comfort, pride and safety, not suspicion or offense.

Ercolano’s video envisions a Jewish future defined by joy, lifelong learning, lived spirituality, creativity, strong community and a balance of tradition and innovation. Wittenberg, a third-generation Alonim camper, integrates archival footage of AJU’s Brandeis-Bardin Campus—home to Camp Alonim—while arguing for the importance of diverse Jewish voices in shaping what comes next.

Participants were asked to submit 60-second videos responding to a single prompt: What does the perfect Jewish future look like? The resulting submissions explored themes of identity, belonging, continuity, innovation and connection—painting a rich and diverse portrait of Jewish life and possibility.

The winners, who were notified directly, “took the time to dream boldly and put their vision into the world,” Sanderson said.

Over the coming weeks, AJU will highlight many of the submitted videos—not only the winning entries—across its social media channels and digital platforms while tagging creators whenever possible. 

“These creators, by participating, helped advance something bigger than a contest,” Sanderson said. “They helped spark conversation, inspire reflection and build momentum toward a Jewish future rooted in meaning, creativity and connection—exactly the future AJU is singularly focused on building.”

The Jewish Future Video Fellowship is one of the first major initiatives launched under Sanderson’s leadership since he was named president of AJU seven months ago, reflecting AJU’s continued commitment to innovation, creativity and community engagement with a singular focus on the Jewish future.

The initiative was powered by the Bruce Geller Memorial Prize, which supports artists exploring Jewish ideas, traditions, history and identity.