Two-year intensive program for young leaders deepens Jewish knowledge and confidence and inspires participants to exercise transformative leadership in the Jewish community
Ron and Pam Rubin and the Rubin Family Foundation are extremely pleased to collaborate with The Wexner Foundation and Jewish Federation of St. Louis to bring the 2015–2017 Wexner Heritage Program to St. Louis. Federation will be administering the program locally.
In July 2015, the St. Louis Jewish community will begin hosting the two-year intensive program, which deepens Jewish knowledge and confidence and inspires participants to exercise transformative leadership in the Jewish community. The program fulfills this mission by educating up-and-coming Jewish lay leaders in the history, thought, texts and contemporary leadership challenges of the Jewish people. Nearly 1,800 leaders from 33 North American cities have participated in the program.
“The Wexner Heritage Program provides the next chapter to Ron and Pam’s philanthropic vision and investment to the community,” says Andrew Rehfeld, Ph.D., president and CEO of Jewish Federation of St. Louis. “Already their Rubin Israel Experience has transformed dozens of lives, connecting members our community to their people and heritage. The Wexner program will have a profound impact on all involved. We look forward to this partnership of the Rubins, Wexner and Federation for years to come.”
Through a competitive application process that will begin in the first quarter of 2014, the Wexner Heritage Program will select 20 individuals from our community who are nominated by top professional and lay leaders and willing to make a two-year commitment to substantive Jewish learning. The program is designed for those with any level of Jewish knowledge—from the very beginner through more advanced learners. Members are generally 30 to 45 years old and have personal, professional, and communal lives reflecting leadership and commitment to the Jewish people, as well as significant potential for future growth as Jewish leaders. The selection process reflects a commitment to diversity in terms of gender, religious denomination, organizational affiliation, background, Jewish interests, and personality type. The Wexner Heritage Program creates a unique culture of mutual respect among each group, as well as in its curriculum, faculty, and staff.
Each year, program participants learn together in 18 evening sessions with some of the country’s top scholars and Jewish professionals. Participants also commit to three five- to seven-day retreats; two of the retreats are held in the United States (usually Colorado and Utah), and one is held in Israel.