At last count, the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Fund was sponsoring over 30 artists in a variety of creative fields, including visual artists and independent painters, curators, musicians as well as composers, writers, directors, actors, and filmmakers. ELES also sponsors numerous aspiring cantors, since they too are creative and artistic interpreters of the Jewish tradition. Those students receiving scholarships in connection with their doctoral studies study the Jewish artistic tradition from an academic perspective.
The ELES scholarship program also boasts many artists amongst its alumni. The knowledge and experience that the scholarship recipients and alumni acquire through the ELES seminars and the events open to the general public are intended to equip them to develop a creative approach towards Jewish identity and Jewish issues. Successful examples of this include the theater plays directed by Noam Brusilovsky, the poetry by Max Czollek, the documentary films of Jelena Jeremejewa, the concept art of Anna Schapiro, and the theatrical works of Tobias Herzberg and Jeff Wilbusch.
DAGESH offers these creative artists the opportunity to raise their public profile, to network more effectively and to intensify their collaboration on joint projects, e.g. by means of exhibitions, festivals, catalogues etc. DAGESH bundles the projects and initiatives already in place at ELES and creates new structures and platforms. This program is made possible by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and also draws support from the Leo Baeck Foundation.