Press Release: Mandel Foundation Awards Atra $1 Million Over Three Years to Strengthen Rabbinic Leadership

Mandel Foundation Awards Atra $1 Million Over Three Years to Strengthen Rabbinic Leadership

Investment comes at a critical moment as Jewish communities face rising antisemitism, political polarization, and changing patterns of Jewish engagement.

Aug. 3, 2026 — The Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation has awarded Atra: Center for Rabbinic Innovation a $1 million grant over three years to expand its work supporting and strengthening rabbinic leadership. The multi-year commitment will help Atra build the systems, relationships, and resources rabbis need to lead thriving Jewish communities–and reflects a broader wave of philanthropic confidence in rabbinic leadership as essential infrastructure for Jewish communal life.

“We’re deeply grateful to the Mandel Foundation for this three-year commitment to investing in the rabbis who carry Jewish wisdom and tradition into the heart of community life.” said Rabbi Shira Koch Epstein, Executive Director of Atra. “Amid tense and hyperpolarized times, more people want a rabbi in their lives who they can confide in and turn to for guidance and support. In fact, our research shows that rabbis are among our community’s most trusted leaders. Yet too often they don’t have the tools, networks, or systems of support they need. Atra exists to strengthen the ecosystem that develops and supports rabbis, and make sure that the Jewish people have the rabbis we need, ready to lead us forward with strength. This investment allows us to increase both the pace and scale of our work.”

The grant will help Atra strengthen the way rabbis are prepared, supported, and connected throughout their careers. Atra’s landmark study, From Calling to Career: Mapping the Current State and Future of Rabbinic Leadership – drawing on nearly 2,000 rabbis, students, and prospective rabbis across more than 25 institutions – found that while 97% of rabbis describe their work as deeply rewarding, hundreds of people who seriously considered the rabbinate ultimately chose a different path.

The findings point to a different challenge: not a shortage of people called to become rabbis, but whether rabbis have the support they need to build long, sustainable careers – from the cost of rabbinical education and early career transitions to strong professional networks and ongoing leadership development.

Many organizations support rabbis at one point in their careers or focus on a single area of professional development. Atra takes a broader approach, bringing together seminaries, employers, foundations, congregations, and rabbis themselves to tackle shared challenges and strengthen support for rabbis throughout their careers.

Atra’s work is organized around three strategic priorities:

• Rabbinic IdeaLab – Convening leaders from across Jewish life to identify shared challenges, test new models of rabbinic leadership, learn from pilot initiatives, inform research and share knowledge, and scale solutions that no single organization could build alone.
• Atra Academy – Equipping rabbis with leadership development, coaching, professional learning, and other support to help them navigate today’s increasingly complex landscape—from political polarization and pastoral demands to evolving communal needs and workplace challenges.
• Atra Rabbinic Network – Strengthening relationships among rabbis across denominations, institutions, and practice settings through convenings, peer communities, and collaborative learning that deepen leadership practice and foster lasting professional connections.

The Mandel Foundation’s long-standing commitment to Jewish leadership and education aligns closely with Atra’s vision for strengthening the rabbinic profession.

Steve Hoffman, Mandel Foundation Board Chair, expressed confidence in Atra’s approach to strengthening the systems and partnerships that support rabbinic leadership. “Strong rabbinic leadership is essential to thriving Jewish communities,” Hoffman said. “Atra’s commitment to advancing the profession will help ensure that rabbis have the support they need to lead effectively and sustain vibrant Jewish communities.”

Added Epstein, “Rabbis meet people in life’s most important moments: blessing a marriage, welcoming a child into the covenant, comforting a mourner, teaching the Torah that carries someone through a hard season. They bring the wisdom of our tradition to the moments that matter most. Now we must be there for rabbis. This investment allows us to build the support, partnerships, and infrastructure rabbis need, not only to meet today’s challenges but to help Jewish communities thrive for generations to come.”

About the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundations

Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel established their first foundation in 1953 in their hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. Their philanthropic legacy is continued through the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Foundation and the Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Supporting Foundation. The work of the Foundations is grounded in the belief that exceptional leaders, inspired by powerful ideas, are key to improving society and the lives of people around the world. The Foundations have identified five areas of engagement that receive support, which include: leadership development, management of nonprofits, humanities, Jewish life and urban engagement. For more information, please visit mandelfoundation.org.

About Atra
Atra equips rabbis—and the ecosystem that supports them—to grow, adapt, and lead the Jewish people in a rapidly changing world. Atra envisions a vibrant Jewish future where every Jew and seeker can call someone “my rabbi” – and in that relationship find wisdom, care, guidance, and connection to a living tradition.