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July 2026/Tammuz 5786 Dear Wexner Community, In Jewish tradition, 40 years symbolizes a complete cycle of transformation. The 40-year period of our ancestors’ wandering in the wilderness represents the lifespan of a generation. This period of trial and endurance prepared the Israelites for the responsibilities of freedom across the Jordan River in the Promised Land. This seminal image from the master story of our People is finding expression for us today. For 40 years, you have learned, blossomed, and led, partnering with The Wexner Foundation to build extraordinary communities of volunteer and professional leaders in North America. Now, we are ready to forge ahead into our next chapter of sacred work. On behalf of the incredible staff team that Or Mars and I are privileged to lead, we are excited and honored to cross the river into a new era of strengthening leadership for the Jewish People. We do so under the banner of a new, independent organization: SULAM: The North American Jewish Leadership Network. Sulam is the term for the ladder in the Torah’s story of Jacob’s dream (Genesis 28:12). The Sulam stands firmly on the earth and its top extends skyward. This image perfectly encapsulates the vision of our programs and the Jewish leaders we inspire: pursuing dreams, elevating leadership, ascending rung by rung. As our colleague Rabbi Elka Abrahamson shared in her recent letter: on January 1, 2027, Sulam will begin independent operation, running our three core programs serving volunteer and professional leaders in the North American Jewish community. I am immensely grateful to Les and Abigail Wexner for decades of commitment to building and sustaining this work, and for their generous gift to help Sulam begin on solid footing, as well as to Elka for her visionary leadership. Strengthened by that 40-year legacy of learning and transformation, we will blaze a new trail. We plan to work thoughtfully while moving expeditiously to bring this reality into being. Our greatest asset as we move forward is YOU, the extraordinary 3000-strong network of Alumni, Members, and Fellows. Collectively, you have transformed Jewish life, deploying the lessons you learned and the relationships you formed through your Wexner experiences. We are blessed to carry your wisdom, energy, and commitment forward into this new chapter. We will be in touch as our work develops and we will need your partnership and support as we invite the broader Jewish world to join us in ensuring and funding the future of our community’s leadership. Four decades ago, today’s challenges in Jewish life would have been nearly unthinkable. We are committed to developing leaders with the vision to prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. Like the angels that Jacob saw ascending and descending on the sulam, the leaders we invest in and support will keep our community both rooted and always reaching for the heavens. Our Jewish world needs and deserves nothing less. With profound gratitude and hope, Rabbi Jay Henry Moses Incoming President Sulam: The North American Jewish Leadership Network |
