The Mandel Program for Leadership in Jewish Culture invests in prominent and experienced leaders from a diverse range of fields in Israeli arts, culture and community – including theater, visual arts, dance, music, writing, journalism, and more – who are committed to enriching Jewish culture in Israel and want to learn alongside people with worldviews and professional backgrounds that differ from their own. Israeli culture encompasses many diverse interpretations of Jewish Life: secular, religious, traditional, ethnic and beyond. The program brings these interpretations together to create a shared culture, enriching them all.

The program provides fellows with an in–depth introduction to classical Jewish texts, which have served as the foundations of Hebrew and Jewish culture through the generations. It also explores and analyzes current Israeli culture from a variety of perspectives. Through intensive individual and group learning processes that include workshops, seminars, and practical projects that the fellows undertake in collaboration with each other, the program strives to create a shared professional language and a sense of common purpose. This allows the fellows to examine the challenges facing Jewish life in Israel today, and the opportunities for it to flourish in the future. The program also provides updated leadership and innovation tools to amplify the fellows’ impact in their respective fields.

Graduates of the program are part of an active and entrepreneurial network of fellows and graduates, who are involved in promoting Jewish culture in Israeli society and strengthening and enriching Jewish life in Israel, and are driving trans–sectorial innovations and collaborations.