Major Funders, Organizations Join Forces to Highlight Jewish Day School Education Opportunities

At the Jewish Funders Network International Conference 2025 last week, the Mayberg Foundation collaborated with other leading philanthropists and communal organizations to highlight urgent issues facing Jewish day schools. The discussion featured two key leaders: Paul Bernstein, who heads Prizmah (the Center for Jewish Day Schools), kicked off the conversation, while Eric Fingerhut of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) wrapped up with a powerful message. He urged the nearly 100 attendees to back JFNA's efforts to boost both funding and student enrollment in Jewish day schools.

Other notable speakers included Mayberg Foundation Trustee Manette Mayberg and Executive Director Todd Sukol, who presented on the foundation's support of Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) and Prizmah to develop ideas for the recruitment of talented Jewish educators; Ronald S. Lauder Impact Initiative Executive Director Hadassa Halpern, who focused on boosting enrollment and enhancing the perception of academic excellence; Samis Foundation CEO Connie Kanter addressed her foundation's efforts to make tuition more affordable; and Dr. Dan Held shared a data-driven perspective to school improvement through his work at UJA Federation of Greater Toronto.

"The strongest lever for fostering Jewish continuity and combating antisemitism is doubling down in Jewish education investment – not just Israel education, Jewish education," Manette emphasized during the session. This focus comes at a crucial time, as Jewish communities nationwide face growing demand for robust educational environments in the wake of both the COVID-19 pandemic and the October 7th Hamas attacks.

Strategic Partnerships: Building Educational Excellence

Through collaboration with other funders including the Jim Joseph Foundation, Crown Family Philanthropies, The Naomi Foundation, Lisa and Arieh Coll, Arnee and Walter Winshall, and UnitEd, the Mayberg Foundation planned a session which addressed four critical areas: educational excellence, teacher recruitment and retention, enrollment growth, and affordability. This comprehensive approach aims to strengthen Jewish day school education while meeting the evolving needs of Jewish families seeking strong educational foundations for their children.

"In communities around the country, talented day school leaders and educators are elevating the field at this critical moment to meet the needs of more families," said Jenna Hanauer, senior program officer at the Jim Joseph Foundation. "There are opportunities and challenges ahead--and we're grateful to dive into them with Prizmah, JFNA, peer funders, and other committed leaders who care deeply about meaningful Jewish education."

Securing the Future by Fostering Jewish Joy

Despite being scheduled as the final session of the conference, the landmark gathering drew more than 80 participants, with many attendees specifically extending their conference stay to participate. The session's success was further amplified when Lindsey Bodner, executive director of the Naomi Foundation, delivered a compelling call to action, inviting attendees to join and expand the coalition's working group to advance this critical agenda within the Jewish philanthropic community.

“Today's session was not about antisemitism but it was on all of our minds," said Bodner. "The best way to secure our Jewish future is not just to combat threats, it's to foster Jewish joy."

The response was immediate and encouraging. Through a post-session survey designed to gauge interest in joining the working group and continuing these vital conversations, ten new funders stepped forward. This enthusiastic response effectively doubled the size of the coalition group, creating even more momentum for this transformative initiative.