Sixty-eight graduates of the Mandel Leadership Institute marked the completion of their studies in a graduation ceremony.

"Here at the Mandel Leadership Institute we had a different kind of experience. And we saw proof that it’s possible to do things differently, that we can work together, that we have to work together—with respect, with understanding, with love, with acceptance, and by learning from each other," said Naomi Perl, a new Mandel graduate as she summed up the Mandel experience.

"We are leaving the Mandel Leadership Institute stronger, sturdier, and determined—but also open to others who are different from us, more sensitive, and aware of both our strengths and reality, with passion and energy to improve the world. And each of us is leaving equipped with an innovative, promising socio-educational project," Perl concluded.

Sixty-eight graduates of the Mandel Leadership Institute (MLI) marked the completion of their studies in a graduation ceremony, held at the Bible Lands Museum in Jerusalem. The new graduates had participated in MLI programs—the Mandel School for Educational Leadership, the IDF Educational Leadership Development program, the Mandel Jerusalem Fellows, the Jewish Agency Professional Development Program, and the Visions of Jewish Education Project.

The speakers at the event were Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar; Mandel Foundation chairman Morton Mandel of the United States; Hebrew University president Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson; Annette Hochstein, president of the Mandel Foundation-Israel; Chief Education and Youth Officer Brigadier General Eli Shermeister; and Dr. Eli Gottlieb, director of the Mandel Leadership Institute.

"The Mandel Foundation will stay with its graduates throughout their professional careers," said Morton Mandel, chairman of the Mandel Foundation, referring to the Mandel Foundation’s ties with graduates of its programs—an inseparable bond. He stated that in its philanthropic activity the Mandel Foundation is committed to investing in people who are capable of improving the world, and a look at the work of MLI graduates over the years shows how they strive tirelessly to improve the condition of humanity and society. The association of the Mandel family’s name with such programs is a source of great satisfaction for him and his brothers, Mr. Mandel added.

Initiating change
The speakers at the event referred to the new graduates as agents of change.
“Educators mold a generation…. We have to believe in education. Education is an optimistic profession,” said Prof. Ben-Sasson, president of the Hebrew University, in his opening remarks at the ceremony. He added: “These days it is customary to criticize the Israeli educational systems. But we have to know how to work within what exists.” Prof. Ben-Sasson called on the new graduates “not to try to reinvent the wheel, but to integrate their outstanding personal abilities in existing educational systems and institutions—to fully realize their potential within the existing educational systems.

Chief Education Officer Brigadier General Shermeister referred to Mandel’s IDF Educational Leadership Development program. “At a time when strong command is needed,” he stated, “strengthening education is a significant component of the vibrancy of the IDF.” In his opinion, education has an important role in increasing the vibrancy of Israeli society in general.

Addressing reality
Dr. Eli Gottlieb, director of the Mandel Leadership Institute, noted the common denominator of the participants in the various MLI programs: their proven ability to spearhead significant processes and their strong commitment to improving education and society. In reference to the economic crisis and the political events of the past year, Gottlieb said: “The past few months have been hard ones for Israel and the Jewish world. The war in Gaza, the economic crisis, corruption, the growing gap between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry all emphasize the need for committed, high-caliber leaders in the social and educational arena in Israel and the Jewish world.”

Annette Hochstein, president of the Mandel Foundation-Israel, spoke about one of the unique traits of MLI fellows and graduates—educators who work in Israel and in Jewish education abroad, religious and secular, Arabs and Jews, immigrants and native Israelis. “This reflects the striving for a spirit of pluralism, Judaism, and democracy,” Hochstein said, “so that we can fashion a more tolerant, more egalitarian society together.”

Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar said: “The crisis in the education system is multidimensional and extends from preschool to higher education. And the first step in treatment is to tell people the truth. We have to address achievements, values, discipline, and violence on a high level of urgency and profundity. It is important to narrow gaps, especially in the ultra orthodox and Arab sectors.”
Nevertheless, Sa’ar is convinced that the educational ethos can be rebuilt. According to him, “The essential condition for treating the crisis of education is cultivating educational leadership. That is the critical component for success.” Sa’ar added that according to the McKinsey report, the quality of the system is determined by the quality of its leaders, so we have to develop the element leading Israeli education.

“There is no area that the future of Israel is as connected to, or so completely dependent upon, as education,” Sa’ar concluded.