Wexner Foundation Letter

Dear Wexner Community and Friends,

For over 40 years, the Wexner Foundation has been the preeminent Jewish leadership organization, educating, inspiring, and connecting Jewish lay and professional leaders and Israel’s civil service. Our North American leadership initiatives are widely respected and highly sought after, with our alumni exercising meaningful leadership throughout our community. I am particularly proud that the Foundation’s team has transformed these programs over the past seven years to ensure that Wexner leaders are developing the skills they need in today’s complex environment.

The excellence of these programs, which include the Heritage Program for volunteer leaders, the Davidson Fellowship for emerging Jewish professionals, and the Field Fellowship for established leaders, is a testament to the vision of the Foundation’s outstanding staff and the generous support of Les and Abigail Wexner. It also reflects the partnership model we have cultivated for two decades with Jewish Federations, local and national foundations, alumni, and individual funders who believe in shared ownership to sustain this vital work.

We have long imagined a time when our leadership programs would operate on their own and pursue new opportunities for growth and impact. That time has come. On January 1, 2027, our North American leadership initiatives will become an independent nonprofit organization. A new $40 million gift from Les and Abigail Wexner will provide this new organization with the capacity to begin this next chapter from a position of strength and open the door to a broader circle of partners and funders committed to sustaining this work well into the future.

It is with great pleasure that I announce that my longtime colleagues, Rabbi Jay Moses and Or Mars, will lead the new organization, with Jay serving as President and Or as Executive Vice President. Both are Wexner alumni and bring a combined 40 years of professional association with the Foundation. They are proven leaders who will guide and build upon these transformative programs. They will report to a new, independent board of directors that is in formation. I will remain involved as an advisor during the transition and have full confidence in the extraordinary professionals and lay leaders who will carry this work forward.

As we launch this next chapter for our North American programs, the Wexner Foundation remains deeply committed to, and is doubling down on, its philanthropic work. The Wexner Foundation is in the process of substantially expanding its investment to further strengthen the Central Ohio Jewish community. In addition, the Wexner Foundation will devote additional focus and a substantial increase in funding to its Israel-based leadership programs, which have developed generations of outstanding Israeli public servants, military officers, and civic leaders during these years of profound need. These times demand strengthening our communities both at home and in Israel and the Wexner Foundation is ready to meet this moment.

This transition is the culmination of 40 years of vision and investment. The sages teach, “We are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are we free to desist from it.” The Wexner community has taught me that you are more than participants in our work; you have shown yourselves to be its devoted stewards, worthy bearers of the responsibility and values it represents.

With enduring appreciation and respect,

Elka
Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson, President