The Program in Jewish Culture & Society is pleased to announce that Isabella Rose Birany has been awarded the Fall 2023 Ronald H. Filler Jewish Studies scholarship. Birany is from Carmel, Illinois, and is a rising junior minoring in Jewish Studies. After graduation, she plans to pursue a JD degree specializing in either criminal or constitutional and civil rights law. She hopes to spark change and educate others through the power of law in her future career. 

Birany has been involved with Jewish life on campus for two years. In her freshman year, she was a student in Hillel’s Jewish Learning Fellowship. She also participated in Chabad’s Sinai Scholar program, where she traveled to Poland’s Jewish historical landmarks. During her sophomore year, she was an Engagement intern at Hillel, the student facilitator for the Jewish Learning Fellowship at Hillel, an INOV8 intern at Chabad, and the New Member Educator for the Jewish sorority Alpha Epsilon Phi. Birany hopes to join Students Supporting Israel and to take on more leadership roles in Hillel and Chabad during the 2023-24 academic year.

The Ronald H. Filler Scholarship in Jewish Studies is awarded to a Jewish Studies student each fall and spring semester. The scholarship supports a student who has demonstrated a commitment to Jewish Studies and excelled in relevant coursework. The award in Jewish Studies is one of a number of scholarships that Mr. Filler has created to support students across the campus with a diverse array of interests and strengths. Part of Ronald Filler’s vision when he created the Filler Scholarships at the University of Illinois was to promote excellence, to provide mentorship, and to encourage awardees to make meaningful contributions based on their own strengths and accomplishments. The recipients become part of a network of Filler Scholars who embody this vision and enhance the impact of the awards. Past recipients of the Ronald Filler Scholarship in Jewish Studies have gone on to pursue legal careers, work for Jewish community and philanthropic organizations, and play an active role in their synagogues and communities.

Click here for more information about the Ronald Filler Scholarship in Jewish Studies and past winners.