For decades, educational Jewish philanthropy has followed a tried-and-tested method. Schools submit grants, foundations review them, and approved grants receive a generous check from the philanthropist. This has been the fiscal ecosystem allowing for programming to survive year-in, year-out.
Over the years, foundations and nonprofit organizations from around the world have poured millions, if not billions, into the Jewish education system through building buildings, funding academic scholarships, and underwriting summer camps and youth movement activities.
Up until now, this generosity has undoubtedly ensured that many young Jewish students could partake in fundamental Jewish educational experiences, both formal and informal, learning and growing in Jewish-focused environments.
Yet, here is the unpopular and uncomfortable reality: Financial funding alone is no longer enough. Pouring more money into this design-flawed ship will no longer keep it afloat. The truth has been many years in the making, but we’re at a point where additional funding will not prevent this ship from sinking.
Sure, it might delay the inevitable, but sooner or later, this Titanic will sink. The question before us is: if money’s not the answer, what is? How do we redesign the ship of Jewish education so that it not only floats, but soars?
Funding a movement, not a building
Influential organizations such as the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation, and the Samis Foundation have begun to shift their priorities. They will always cut generous checks for Jewish education, but they will work equally to affect change by shaping communal priorities. They understand that unless there is a popular movement that cares deeply about Jewish education, money itself will never be enough.
The Avi Chai Foundation chose to focus on training educational leaders and strengthening institutions from within. The Jim Joseph Foundation has invested in programs that merge Jewish learning with digital innovation. At the same time, the Samis Foundation has redefined philanthropy as empowerment, nurturing young leaders who see themselves as partners in the never-ending Jewish story. These efforts recognize that Jewish education is not just a service needing sustenance, but it requires sustainability.
Redesigning the ship
The Jewish community in Rome is one of the oldest centers of Jewish life outside of Israel. For over a century, the local Jewish school, the Scuole Ebraiche di Roma, had struggled to maintain enrollment of the local Jewish youth. For years, philanthropy kept it alive, but the institution was surviving rather than thriving. In 2024, a major philanthropic initiative led by the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation changed the equation.
The goal was not patchwork, nor was it just a structural redesign. A large portion of the mega-million dollar project was committed to expanding and fundamentally modernizing the educational processes, providing environments suited to today’s realities. Ambassador Ron Lauder himself called it “the best news for Jewish schools in Europe in the past 20 years.” More than infrastructure, it sent a message: Jewish education must be competitive, inspiring, and future-oriented. This is not charity; it is existential.
Where it is broken
The challenges remain clear. Walk into many Jewish day schools across much of the Diaspora, and you will find outdated curricula, classrooms untouched by innovation, and underpaid educators. Informal education faces its own struggles. In the United States, the after-school/Sunday school movement has, over recent decades, completely unraveled. Enrollment isn’t the only thing that is in the dumps. The quality of inspired Jewish education and experiences is almost solely restricted to basic pre-bar/bat mitzvah preparation. Children are not interested in attending these programs for any extended period of time. In turn, they do very little to instill a deeper impression of Jewish pride and continuity among Jewish youth.
In Europe, these after-school programs are much more successful. One of the main differences in the level of success is that in Europe, these after-school programs are often the only exposure to Jewish education that Jewish youth have. They rely on these programs to provide everything from soup to nuts. These programs also attract greater involvement from the local Jewish community. These programs are often not only geared for educational use, but also provide services for local Jewish families by offering special Shabbat and holiday programming. Unfortunately, the level of education at these institutions is not always so cutting-edge.
Another piece of good news is from the international Jewish youth movement. Taking its cue from their Israeli counterparts, youth movements have truly helped shape our generation and continue to impact Jewish innovation, continuity, and pride.
Youth movement programming often includes year-round activities as well as summer programs. You don’t need to look much further than your social media feed to see the allure of these movements.
However, it isn’t enough for us to be content with the status quo. It is not enough to fund these initiatives and hope for the best. Our new mission must be to demand excellence, creativity, and a sense of urgency that matches the stakes.
Redesigning the ship
Jewish history teaches us that reinvention is part of our survival. After the destruction of the Second Temple, our ancestors wouldn’t let us fade into oblivion. They re-established the centers of Judaism, now in the new locations where they settled. Despite continued antisemitism, these communities knew that they needed to meet the needs of the community by strengthening educational institutions.
This focus has led to our endurance for the past two millennia. Over the years, each and every time we suffered an existential crisis, we were required to regroup, but the goal was not simply to float; it was to flourish. After the Shoah, Jewish philanthropy rebuilt communal life in the Diaspora in a similar way.
It is time for us to re-evaluate and adjust to a new reality. A reality that includes cutting-edge technologies, a different kind of child, and a greater focus on real-life learning environments as opposed to traditional classroom lessons.
The same must happen now in Jewish educational philanthropy, from the “keeping the lights on” philosophy to generating a systemic spark outlook. That means:
- Refocusing and developing innovation in education: Teachers should be educators and not just exam proctors.
- Integrating Jewish learning with real-world experiences, from digital platforms to impactful lived experiences, because being Jewish isn’t just taught; it’s lived.
- Promoting Jewish pride as a fundamental focus, not an afterthought.
“No Jewish Child’s Mind Left Behind” should not just be a slogan. It needs to be the north star of a new philanthropic giving. One that refuses to settle for mediocrity and focuses on Jewish continuity as bold, creative, and enduring as our Jewish existence.
Because the point is not merely to float. The point is to soar.
The writer is a communication and public affairs expert. He served as director of communications at the Yael Foundation and previously as the international media spokesperson for Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center.