Connecting the Connectors: Progress and Promise in Jewish Outreach Professional Development
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AISH outreach professionals from across the US and around the world attend the annual Professional Development Conference
Jewish outreach professionals dedicate themselves to bringing Jews closer to their heritage, yet they rarely have the chance to invest in their own growth. Mayberg Foundation Managing Director Amanda Mizrahi recognized this gap and convened a pilot cohort, providing grants and a structure for learning and experimentation. Over six months in 2024 and nine months in 2025, the program brought together professionals from diverse organizations, each addressing unique challenges within their constituencies.
Since its launch in March 2024, the Mayberg Foundation’s pilot program to support and inspire Jewish outreach professionals has ushered in a new era of collaboration, growth, and shared purpose. Building on the momentum from its kickoff retreat, the initiative has grown into a vibrant platform. Leaders from M54 — which supports Chabad emissaries across the US — as well as NCSY (a program of the Orthodox Union), AISH Jerusalem, and Olami, are using this platform to develop their own skills and reshape the landscape of professional development in Jewish outreach.
Collaboration Across Boundaries
What began as separate organizational efforts quickly became a tapestry of shared learning. As Shai Kopitnikoff, assistant director of talent development at the Orthodox Union described, “Working in this cohort hasn’t just impacted my work, it’s impacted the bridge between Jewish professionals around the world. Sitting, learning, and sharing our approaches has helped us build what we care about most: our people. It is a deep sense of connection and purpose that extends beyond any one of our own organizations."
Chabad Shluchos (emissaries) attend M54's recent retreat
HaShlucha Chanie Chein, M54’s chief executive officer and co-founder along with her husband, HaShliach Rabbi Peretz Chein, M54’s chief strategy officer, reflected on the unique value of this cross-organizational experience: “Joining the pilot cohort has given us a more comprehensive understanding of how other notable and impactful organizations ‘view and do’ outreach. Understanding the other initiatives has offered us perspectives which helped us understand our own initiative better and gave us an opportunity to articulate and refine it.”
“Both the challenges and the opportunities are greater than we originally anticipated,” commented Amanda. “Each participating group focuses on different aspects of the needs of their constituencies.” But there are also significant areas of overlap where each organization can share about their own successes and challenges as they develop new and innovative professional development opportunities. “The ability to learn from each other has only just started to surface,” she added.
The program’s structure encouraged organizations to exchange resources and expertise. For example, both AISH and NCSY invited M54 to speak with their teams about personal growth, while NCSY shared its new guide to skills and development. Olami welcomed members of other pilot participants’ cohorts to their in-person convenings, and AISH began reaching out beyond their own network to offer free monthly programs.
Real-World Impact
The impact of these efforts is already visible. AISH launched a new leadership cohort, handpicking 12 Jewish outreach professionals for intensive training, thanks to ideas and encouragement from the pilot. “Based on ideas I learnt and encouragement I received in the cohort meetings, and with the financial help of the Mayberg Foundation, I was able to launch the ProDev Leadership Cohort, a new program supporting and empowering mekarvim (Jewish outreach professionals),” shared Rabbi Daniel Rose, Branch Coordinator at Aish Global.
Participants reported immediate benefits, from rethinking donor engagement and marketing/PR to improving team management and student interactions. One ProDev Leadership Cohort participant reflected, “I loved the program in general. Lots of helpful advice and chizuk. Spending time with other mekarvim was honestly big just by itself.” Another added, “I gained a lot. Like many, I don’t have real formal business or organizational training. I would benefit from additional and deeper courses with these instructors.”
Olami, too, saw tangible results: “Thanks to the Mayberg Foundation's generosity, we are able to help managers improve their practice and have been able to add a key member to our team that is working with manager/leaders around North America,” said Rabbi Gidon Shoshan, Olami’s deputy managing director of North America and UK.
Changing the Conversation
Chabad Shluchim (emissaries) attend M54's recent retreat
Perhaps most significant is the cultural shift toward unity and shared mission. “It has deepened my resolve that we are stronger together and have so much to learn from others. The interconnections that we have with Jewish educators around the United States and the world strengthen our confidence and optimism that together we can make small and big changes in the lives of young Jews,” Rabbi Shoshan noted.
Rabbi Rose echoed this sentiment: “It's helped me to see that there's hope for different organizations with different goals to work together in the space where we overlap. And that such cooperation can be very powerful as well as a more efficient use of communal and philanthropic resources”.
Mrs. Chein sees this as a unique and much-needed development for the field: “Simply sharing this space fostered unique friendships and nurtured deep mutual respect and understanding. This achievement is significant and shouldn't be overlooked, as this marks the first ongoing gathering of its kind between these Jewish organizations."
Looking Ahead
The pilot cohort has identified several next steps:
Continuing to meet regularly, reinforcing their reliance on each other for inspiration and solutions.
Exploring new shared projects, such as joint cohorts and convenings.
Considering how to expand the initiative to engage other constituencies and create a standalone project with meaningful contributions from all partners.
As Shai summarized, “Each of us may run our own ship, but we’re sailing toward the same goal”.
The Mayberg Foundation is proud to support this groundbreaking work and looks forward to the continued growth and impact of these dedicated professionals. Together, we are not just connecting the connectors—we are strengthening the very fabric of the Jewish future.