In early August, the National Young Leadership Cabinet gathered in Minneapolis for its annual retreat, convening more than 350 Federation volunteer and professional leaders, including 115 new Cabinet members. As Jewish Federations’ premier leadership development program, Cabinet inspires the emerging Jewish leaders towards philanthropy, communal engagement, and activism in support of Jewish people and communities around the globe. Cabinet has more than 500 current members and 4,400 alumni, who have all stepped forward in service of building flourishing Jewish communities.    

 

Centering on the idea of ometz (courage), the Retreat helped participants strengthen their ability to guide communities as Jewish leaders, on both the national and local levels, and to hold complex and difficult conversations. It was a Retreat built around connection, learning sessions, and access to the unique impact of Federation, designed to inspire the Cabinet leaders to both give more and do more. 

 

"Our members are leading in the Jewish community at a genuinely hard moment, and there is no manual for it," said Ben Schindler, Associate Vice President of National Young Leadership Cabinet. "We give them a room full of people carrying the same weight, an understanding of the challenge and the opportunity for impact, and tools that will hold up for the rest of their lives. It is incredible that, as this group steps into board rooms and campaign leadership, and long after their Cabinet experience, none of them will be doing so alone."  

 

The Minneapolis Jewish Federation opened their community to Cabinet, not as a backdrop, but as a working example of what the Federation system actually does and can accomplish. Cabinet members spent time learning about local partnerships, met the organizations doing the work on the ground, and saw how national strategy becomes local reality. By the end, they came away with tangible examples of how Federations' work serves as a foundation for current, ongoing, and emerging lay leader impact. 

 

One group traveled to Jewish Family & Children's Service of Minnesota to learn how the agency responds to a community with evolving needs and to assemble supplies for families ahead of the holidays. Another visited the New Generation Church - a Latino Evangelical church - in Minneapolis to sit with local pastors and talk about what it takes to build a partnership across faith communities, building on years of shared advocacy and purpose. Both experiences underscored that relationships are the foundation of effective leadership. 
 

 

"This Retreat is meant to equip our members with learnings, skills, and ideas that will serve their communities, and the relationships they will need to be effective in their leadership," said Stephanie Shujman (Seattle), Co-Chair of Cabinet. "As emerging leaders, these first-hand experiences are critical to understanding what leadership looks like in action." 

 

Throughout the Retreat, Cabinet members participated in learning sessions that covered advocacy, storytelling, fundraising, communal data, Jewish texts, antisemitism in schools, and the work of rebuilding Israeli society after October 7. At the center of each session were the foundational questions: How do you lead when there is no obviously right answer? How do you build trust with intentionality? How do you tell your own story in a way that moves someone else to act? How do you create spaces for the thousands of people who found their way into Jewish life these last three years, and make sure they are still here in ten year? 

 

What Cabinet does best is connect people who understand the ups and downs of leadership, whether in their first year of Cabinet and still learning the landscape, in their final year turning toward what comes next, or as alumni. The result is a pipeline of lay leaders who are already taking on the work of leading the Jewish community through their service. 

 

"Ometz – courage – isn't a feeling, it's a decision you make to lead even if you might not feel ready," added Steven Paletz (Colorado), Co-Chair of Cabinet. "Our members are going home to complex conversations and asks but are now equipped with the courage and skills to tackle them. Their work is just starting." 
 

 

To learn how you can get involved with the National Young Leadership Cabinet, visit our website.