Brandeis University President's Initiative on Antisemitism

Programs for Jewish Communal Leaders

JCC Executive Seminar

“Navigating Israel and the Rise of Antisemitism” seminar with Jewish Community Center executives, March 3-6, 2025.

Photo Credit: David Cutler

Recognizing that antisemitism forms well before college matriculation and reverberates far beyond institutions of higher education, the Brandeis University President’s Initiative on Antisemitism (BUPIA) is proud to have partnered with the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America (JCCA) to offer JCC executives robust foundational knowledge about antisemitism and skills for practical application. Since 2024, BUPIA has educated 137 senior executives from 63 Jewish Community Centers, representing more than a third of all JCCs across North America. Together, these leaders shape communities that welcome 1.5 million people every week, including 500,000 non-Jews, making JCCs a vital arena for fostering understanding of Jews, Judaism and Israel.

Jewish communal leaders — federation executives, philanthropists, clergy, school professionals, and others — hold a singular responsibility and opportunity to shape how antisemitism is understood and confronted, both within their institutions and across the wider community. This powerful work with JCC executives is only the beginning, as we expand toward new, dynamic educational initiatives designed to reach an even broader range of communal leaders.

The dramatic rise in antisemitism following October 7 and ongoing efforts to delegitimize Israel have become urgent challenges. We understood quickly that our JCCs needed training and support to leverage their local influence to meet this moment...

After four days of learning and networking, these 50 JCC senior professionals came away more knowledgeable and confident, armed with common language and resources to help them lead and thwart antisemitism, proudly stand with Israel, and fight all forms of Jew-hatred. We are deeply grateful for this important partnership and believe we now have a proven and effective model worthy of replication and scale across all JCCs and Jewish leadership organizations.

– Jennifer Mamlet, acting president and CEO, JCC Association of North America