It may take a village to raise a child, but it also takes a team to run a school. Successful school governance is made up of both educational and financial leadership that work together to establish effective systems that form sustainable, and thus successful, institutions.
The Menachem Education Foundation, an organization dedicated to raising the bar for Jewish education in the Chabad educational world, recently developed the Menahalei Moisdos Chinuch (MMC) training program that is designed to empower the school leaders responsible for their Moisad’s financial management, governance, human resources, and organizational design. The eighteen-month-program provides aspiring and current Chabad Menahelim with high-quality training and individualized support as they learn the skills they need to lead schools, yeshivahs, and similar vital community institutions.
At the beginning of December, fifteen Chabad school leaders from around the world gathered in Chicago for a two-day development session hosted by Cheder Lubavitch of Chicago.
“These educators represent tens of thousands of Jewish students whose future will be greatly enhanced by their leaders’ dedication to improving their schools,” says Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf, the Dean of Cheder Lubavitch of Chicago who has been leading the MMC program over the past year.
Over the course of the two-day development session, participants benefitted from a bevy of customized workshops focusing on building skills for management, fundraising, and delegation, while lectures and networking sessions focused on the role of a Chinuch leader within the wider Jewish community. Rabbi Yosef Langsam of United Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Brooklyn shared an interactive workshop on creating a healthy school office culture for maximum impact and accountability. Two Chicago principals, Rabbi Zalman Twersky of Cheder Lubavitch and Rabbi Sholom Ber Halberstam of Mesivta Lubavitch jointly led a session on ways to energize the community to create a strong parent-school partnership.
The school leader-trainees were given the opportunity to meet lay leaders of the Chicago Jewish community, who shared their insights on working with school leadership to achieve educational excellence in Jewish education. Mr. Bob Aronson shared tips on engaging donors in large scale giving that can ensure financial sustainability for Jewish schools. Dr. Michael Maling President of the Crain – Maling Foundation, a renowned philanthropist, was honored at a lavish lunch reception for his important work in supporting Jewish education around the world.
Many of the presenters remarked on the enthusiasm and passion of the program participants. “It was an awesome experience to sit with world-class educators and plan the future of Jewish education,” commented Rabbi Wolf.
Rabbi Zalman Shneur, executive director of the Menachem Education Foundation concurred. “The quality of the school leaders we met stood out for their commitment to their students. It reinforced our belief that Chinuch is the most important aspect of our community and it is inspiring to see that the people in Chinuch are the upcoming stars that will lead Chabad institutions in the future.”
Collive:
The Menachem Education Foundation’s Menahalei Moisdos Chinuch (MMC), a training program designed to empower school leaders responsible for their Moisad’s financial management and governance, continued this past week with a gathering in Chicago. Fifteen Chabad school leaders from around the world gathered for a two-day development session hosted by Cheder Lubavitch of Chicago.
“These educators represent tens of thousands of Jewish students whose future will be greatly enhanced by their leaders’ dedication to improving their schools,” says Rabbi Yitzchok Wolf, the Dean of Cheder Lubavitch of Chicago who has been leading the MMC program over the past year.
Over the course of the two-day development session, participants benefitted from a bevy of customized workshops. Rabbi Yosef Langsam of United Lubavitcher Yeshiva in Brooklyn shared an interactive workshop on creating a healthy school office culture for maximum impact and accountability. Two Chicago principals, Rabbi Zalman Twersky of Cheder Lubavitch and Rabbi Sholom Ber Halberstam of Mesivta Lubavitch jointly led a session on ways to energize the community to create a strong parent-school partnership.
Participants also met lay leaders of the Chicago Jewish community, including Mr. Bob Aronson who shared tips on engaging donors in large scale giving and Dr. Michael Maling, a renowned philanthropist, who was honored at a lavish lunch reception for his important work in supporting Jewish education around the world.
Many of the presenters remarked on the enthusiasm and passion of the program participants. “It was an awesome experience to sit with world class educators and plan the future of Jewish education,” commented Rabbi Wolf.
Rabbi Zalman Shneur, executive director of MEF, agreed. “The quality of the school leaders we met reinforced our belief that Chinuch is the most important aspect of our community. It is inspiring to see that the people in Chinuch are the upcoming stars that will lead Chabad institutions in the future.”
