Atlanta Jewish Day School Leaders Collaborate Across Denominations to Explore Strengthening Jewish Education
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Two weeks ago, lay leaders and funders from across Atlanta's Jewish day school community gathered to explore how funders, influencers, and school board members can collectively strengthen Jewish education in Atlanta. Hosted at the home of Sara and Ross Kogon and co-hosted by Helen and David Zalik together with Manette and Louis Mayberg, the evening brought together leadership and investors from across the religious spectrum.
The evening's program began with welcoming remarks from hosts Sara and Ross Kogon, followed by a dvar Torah from JEIC Founding Director Rabbi Shmuel Feld framing the evening’s discussion. Attendees then watched "This is Personal," a video exploring the impact of Jewish day school education, which sparked a facilitated discussion led by JEIC Managing Director Sharon Freundel about the value of Jewish day schools and ideas for elevating Jewish education collectively. Mayberg Foundation Trustee and President Manette Mayberg expressed gratitude to the guests for their participation and spirit of collaboration, emphasizing that working together makes it possible to achieve far more than any single school could alone. The group then moved to dinner, where table centerpieces featured conversation prompts that continued the dialogue throughout the meal.
“While heads of school convene regularly under the guidance of Federation, the leadership and investors of individual schools rarely have the opportunity to interact with one another,” said Zalik Foundation Executive Director Amanda Abrams. “We believe this is what makes this evening especially powerful.”
During the group discussion, participants shared deeply personal reflections on why Jewish day school education matters to them. One attendee recounted her Mississippi childhood, when her grandparents drove her and her brother one hour each way to Sunday synagogue school, underscoring the lengths families go to preserve Jewish continuity. Another spoke about the power of her children translating and discussing the same sacred texts she studied as a child, while a third participant emphasized that despite internal differences, Jews remain one people united by shared identity. One lay leader highlighted that teachers are the key to return on investment in schools, advocating for consistent professional development as a community-wide priority.
Mayberg Foundation Executive Director Todd Sukol thanked the participants for investing not only their money, but also their time and their passion into strengthening Jewish day school education in their community. David Zalik, trustee of the Zalik Foundation, closed the evening with a challenge. Atlanta's Jewish day school enrollment has remained stagnant for 30 years despite significant population growth – a fact he argues reveals not a tuition crisis but an education crisis. "Children raised on Holocaust guilt, threats of antisemitism, and empty ritual will not choose to stay Jewish," he said. "You cannot love what you do not know."
Participants also learned more about JEIC and its upcoming 2026 Innovators Retreat (IR26), taking place in Atlanta April 26-28, 2026. IR26’s theme, “Torah · Teaching · Technology: Where is God in the Digital Classroom?,” invites participants to explore the intersection of Torah, teaching, and technology, and engage collaboratively in important questions about God in the digital classroom.
One of the significant ideas that emerged from the evening's discussion was that board chairs across Atlanta's Jewish day schools should convene quarterly under the auspices of the Jewish Federation, mirroring the existing heads of school meetings. "This was an especially meaningful suggestion, coming from one of the board chairs," noted Sharon. "Collaboration among lay leaders—a critical component of the Jewish day school ecosystem—will help strengthen the value proposition of day school education in Atlanta."