The Mandel Programs for Leadership Development in the Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Community launched the new academic year with two programs: the Neshot Hayil (Women of Valor) and the Anshei Hayil (Men of Valor) programs for leadership development among Haredi women and men, respectively.
The 18 fellows in the women's program, from Haredi communities stretching from Haifa to Ofakim, hold top positions with records of impressive achievement in education and social affairs; among them are school supervisors and principals, academics, and leading entrepreneurs spearheading social and educational programs. In the men's program, are ten fellows who are involved in education and the media and are leading major social welfare organizations. During this, their second year in the program, the ten fellows will work on developing their individual projects and translating their visions into reality.
The programs’ basic assumption is that the task of confronting the challenges facing the Haredi community is the responsibility of the Haredi community and that communal leadership should emerge from within, from people who share the community's values and experiences.
The programs share the same principles as all Mandel Leadership Institute programs: an in-depth clarification of the social-educational vision; formulating it in a rich and precise manner; and translating it into action. The Mandel Leadership Institute’s programs for leadership in the Haredi community are part of its broader vision – nurturing and empowering intelligent, open, and values-oriented leadership that is committed to the future of Israel as a thriving multicultural society, built on mutual responsibility, tolerance and recognition of the unique value and richness Israel's cultural ecology.
At the evening to mark the opening of the women's program on October 23, Moshe Vigdor, the director general of the Mandel Foundation–Israel, discussed the Foundation's areas of activity in Israel. Dr. Eli Gottlieb, the director of the Mandel Leadership Institute and the vice president of the Mandel Foundation-Israel, spoke about the Institute's approach to education and leadership. Naomi Perl, the director of the Mandel Programs for Leadership Development in the Haredi Community, presented an overview of the program's rationale and curriculum. Prof. David Dery’s lecture focused on acts of leadership, analyzing theories of leadership and patterns of behavior of major cultural and literary figures.
The men's program opened with a lecture by Eliezer Schwartzer which focused on the transition from vision to action and from planning to implementation. In addition, the advisors of the program's project workshop, Dr. Yuval Evri, Dr. Eitan Shikli, Avraham Infeld and Rabbi Zvi Schreiber, presented their own visions and areas of activity.
