The Mandel Center for Leadership in the North aims to identify potential leaders and enhance their ability to think and act in a diverse society, in a way that will benefit all the communities of Israel’s northern region while being sensitive to their different needs. This approach can serve as a model for Israeli society as a whole.

The Center focuses on leaders and potential leaders from all communities and population groups, who hold senior positions in varied professional fields in the public, nonprofit and business sectors, and who have the passion to promote a tolerant and just society and to improve the quality of life in Israel’s North.

At the core of the Center’s activities are two programs for developing social leadership – a full-time program and an in-service program. A third program empowers senior civil servants to find new and lasting solutions for the North, and to increase the equity of public services. These programs create a space for study and action in which fellows deepen their ability to analyze challenges from wide historical and contemporary perspectives, weigh moral and ethical considerations, and plan and develop comprehensive responses to improve life in the North.

The three programs share a common core curriculum, tailored to the focus of each program. Core studies include humanities, social studies, and public policy, all as related to the specific context of the North. The core curriculum also includes the study of leadership and the acquisition of skills.

The Center cultivates an active network of graduates who work to further the Center’s goals – both individually and in collaboration with each other. It also offers special management courses to help increase the effectiveness and impact of its graduates.