Mandel Institute for Nonprofit Leadership

“Learning Jewish content and growing your reservoir of Jewish knowledge goes hand in hand with becoming a more thoughtful and sophisticated educator.”

What went into the thinking behind the Jewish learning curriculum for the Early Career Educators Program? Get a behind-the-scenes look with Program Director Jethro Berkman and faculty member Tova Birnbaum.

Read the piece here: https://loom.ly/XnppIDM

The Executive Leadership Program just graduated Cohort VI into our expanding alumni network. At their closing seminar in May, fellows experimented with "Jewish futures thinking," unpacked the 2025 Greater Boston Jewish Community Study, visited Hebrew College rabbinical school, and looked ahead together at what might come next. We are excited to see the many ways they will translate their passions, skills, and vision into action.

Congrats to Cohort VI!

Steven Baker (Executive Leadership, Cohort IV) will step into the role of President & CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island as of July 1. Steven previously served as Chief Philanthropy Officer of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation. Congrats, Steven!

Executive Leadership Program Director Karen Spira and Institute Director Eva Heinstein co-published a piece for EJewish Philanthropy examining the need for futures thinking among leaders of Jewish communal institutions. Concerned by "dimmed imagination," the pair called for increased tolerance of ambiguity, the adoption of the distributed leadership model, and an ecosystem mindset.

What do you think is needed in this moment?
Read the full piece here: https://loom.ly/Z4wkCkI

When crisis dims imagination: Three conditions Jewish leaders need now When M2: The Institute for Experiential Jewish Education released findings from its Hope Study in the fall of 2025, the data gave shape and scale to what many leaders had been experiencing — internal communal conflict is eroding the outlook of professionals who sustain Jewish life. The underlying ...

Yafit Shriki-Megidish (Educational Leadership, Cohort II) recently co-authored a piece sharing about the powerful benefits of professional development trainings funded by Jewish LearningWorks. The trainings utilized a Jewish approach to cultivating inner values or capacities (mussar), giving staff at all levels at JCC of the East Bay a "shared language" and "sense of collective learning."

Yafit planned these sessions in partnership with Mandel faculty Michal Fox Smart, whose teachings inspired Yafit to further explore building leadership skills through mussar.

Read the full piece here: https://loom.ly/gq2PD9g

Mussar, Midot, and Hitlamdut: Toward the Intentional - Jewish LearningWorks By Yafit Shriki Megidish, JCC East Bay Chief Jewish Education Officer, and Marla Kolman Antebi, M.S.W., Educator of Jewish Meditation and Mysticism, and trained in Spiritual Direction When the JCC East Bay applied for Jewish LearningWorks' 2025-26 microgrant program, we thought we were funding profe...

Jonathan Krasner, professor of American Jewish history at Brandeis University and faculty for Mandel education programs, recently published an article in Sources about the current state of Jewish education in America, writing that "the central challenge facing the field is not how to disrupt the grammar of Jewish education, but how to work more honestly within and around it."

Krasner digs into the tensions between attendance and satisfaction as measures of success, the often-unrealistic expectations set by funders, and the struggle to determine when and where innovation is required. What would the field look like if we valued a diverse portfolio of offerings instead of models that are one-size-fits-all?

Read the full piece here: https://loom.ly/pnzBtQQ

When Jewish Educational Innovation Reinforces the Status Quo — Sources Journal Jonathan Krasner Spring 2026

Advisors accelerate Executive Leadership fellows' growth through their wisdom and unwavering support. Through one‑on‑one advising, fellows gain:
▪️A clearer understanding of their strengths and areas for growth

▪️A confidential space for sense‑making, where complex challenges can be named and examined honestly

▪️Support for experimentation and space to reflect on lessons learned

▪️Greater clarity and confidence in navigating high‑stakes moments and organizational dynamics

Applications for the Executive Leadership Program close May 15th!
Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q047WVMp0

One week left! Applications for our Executive Leadership Program close on Friday, May 15th at 11:59pm ET. 💼 Apply and share while you still can!

Learn more and apply today: https://hubs.ly/Q047WVMp0

In the Executive Leadership Program, practice groups create space for fellows to go deeper. Placed in consistent groups that meet monthly throughout the program, fellows build trust, advance relationships, and support one another’s leadership growth. Fellows can expect:

▪️A trusted container for vulnerability, honest problem‑sharing, and generous peer support

▪️Structured and unstructured conversations to process program learning and surface leadership questions

▪️Focused reflection on new ideas and experiments, including what’s working, what’s not, and what’s emerging

▪️Strengthened bonds as the group learns to listen closely, challenge thoughtfully, and hold complexity together

Applications for the Executive Leadership Program are open through May 15th!
Learn more: https://hubs.ly/Q047WVMp0

Congratulations to Margo Hughes-Robinson on her appointment as Executive Director of the New York Jewish Agenda, a progressive advocacy group engaging with city, state, and federal policy. As Margo steps into the role, she shared that she would begin her tenure focused on “fighting and addressing antisemitism” and ensuring “protection for immigrants.” Mazel tov!

Read the announcement in JTA News: https://loom.ly/oUw_yO4