In response to a request from Joe Toledano, one of the heads of the French Jewish community, the Mandel Graduate Unit organized a group of graduates with experience in senior leadership training, to help formulate some guiding principles and ideas for recruiting young and vibrant leaders for the French Jewish community. This community is currently in crisis, having been affected by the internal tensions in France surrounding the rise of fundamentalist Islam, with an increasing number of Jews moving to Israel, and with few members of the younger generation willing to take on leadership roles. There is thus a growing need to foster new leadership in many areas of the Jewish community in France.
The discussion at the meeting, which took place on March 28, 2016, centered around three main subjects: brainstorming on improving motivation to join the community leadership; how to build and train effective leadership; and the connection to Israel for leadership training.
