How the Zin Fellows Program Inspired Lasting Leadership
How the Zin Fellows Program Inspired Lasting Leadership
June 30, 2026
Noah Tratt during the A4BGU Zin Fellows Leadership Program – Cohort 6
For Seattle’s Noah Tratt, community has always been about showing up.
Growing up on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, he watched his parents dedicate themselves to strengthening both their local and Jewish communities. Whether helping establish a homeless shelter, supporting hospice care, leading their synagogue, or founding the Jewish Federation of Cape Cod, they demonstrated that meaningful change begins with individuals willing to invest their time, talents, and resources.
“When I moved to Seattle,” Tratt recalls, “it was obvious that I needed to find a place to invest my own time, energy, and limited finances.”
That commitment led him to leadership roles with the University of Washington Hillel and Jewish Family Service of Seattle. As the climate surrounding Israel and Jewish life became increasingly challenging, however, he began looking for an organization with a broader, global impact.
The answer brought him back to a place he had first discovered as a teenager.
At 15, Tratt spent a summer on Kibbutz Revivim in the Negev, waking before sunrise to work in the fields, cleaning chicken coops, and experiencing daily life alongside Israelis. The rugged desert landscape, the sense of purpose, and the warmth of reconnecting with family left a lasting impression.
Years later, when Seattle community leaders Rob and Kathleen Spitzer encouraged him to apply for Americans for Ben-Gurion University’s Zin Fellows Program, the opportunity felt like a natural next step.
“The program was exceptional,” Tratt says. “Even as COVID introduced challenges for connection and continuity, the academic innovators we met, the intelligence and energy of my fellow Zins, the professionalism and enthusiasm of the A4BGU staff all combined to make for an incredible program.”
Among the many highlights, one stood out in particular: visiting Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s (BGU) emergency medicine simulation center. Witnessing the University’s visionary approach to preparing future physicians reinforced his belief that BGU is not simply educating students, but developing solutions that save lives.
The experience transformed his relationship with the University from admiration to action.
Tratt now serves on the A4BGU Board of Directors and chairs the Zin Committee, working alongside alumni and staff to strengthen the program, expand recruitment, deepen alumni engagement, and create meaningful pathways that help fellows remain connected long after the program ends.
“It’s been deeply rewarding to work with some equally enthusiastic alums from other cohorts as well as meet and learn about some of the individuals participating in the current cohort,” he says. “Zin continues to attract a broadly talented applicant pool and the opportunities to use the program to deepen ties to the University are profound and personal.”
For Tratt, BGU also represents an important way to engage Seattle’s diverse professional community around shared values of innovation, education, and global impact. He points to visits from BGU leaders, including aerospace expert Prof. Dan Blumberg, as opportunities to connect people through groundbreaking research and discovery while strengthening support for Israel’s future.
Today, his journey comes full circle. Inspired by the values his parents modeled decades ago, Tratt is helping ensure that future Zin Fellows build the same lifelong connection to BGU that continues to shape his own commitment to the Negev and to Israel.
Learn more about the Zin Fellows Leadership Program
Stories Like This
