The Power of the Collective: Lessons on Professional Leadership from the Harry Kay Center

As the Director of the Harry Kay Center for Leadership Excellence, my primary focus is leadership development for Jewish volunteers. At the same time, I think often about the professionals who power our Jewish communal organizations – without whose work there would be no organizations in which to volunteer. The Minneapolis Mifgash in July 2026 gave me the opportunity to focus on the latter group, the professionals.

One of the most powerful themes of the Mifgash was connectedness. Most days, we operate in separate corners of the community, focused on the urgent demands of our organizations and constituencies. The Mifgash, and the many months of education leading up to it, created an environment where organizational boundaries were permeable. Relationships formed quickly, across organizations, during long bus rides and over notoriously delicious Israeli hotel breakfasts. Professionals with similar roles were asking one another, without any sense of competition, how things were done “at the other place”.  It struck me how rarely we create the space to discover and learn from one another.

For me, this experience reinforced an idea that has been taking shape within the Harry Kay Center and elsewhere: our community’s greatest opportunities will be found in doing more collectively. The challenges facing Jewish life today are too complex for any one institution to address alone. Leadership development, engagement, belonging, education, strengthening Jewish identity, and combating external threats all require collaboration that extends beyond organizational boundaries. The Mifgash served as a reminder that when we invest in the professionals who serve our community, we create conditions for collaboration to flourish.