ABout

At the Zschool, we prepare professionals to lead the business of Jewish life.

arrow-left

About us

Our project-intensive curriculum engages you in creative problem solving that will shape your practice as a nonprofit professional.

Beyond The Classroom

Decoration
Nonprofit Management & Business Acumen Jewish Context and Conten for Professionals Leadership, Innovation & Creative Problem Solving
1
VALUE YOUR VALUES

We like students who live values first. Nonprofit Leadership is about repairing the world. It is a way to challenge the status quo and for you to make a career in making good happen.

VALUE YOUR VALUES
2
INNOVATION WITH A PURPOSE

We use creativity to problem find. For us, innovation is not a bunch of randomly placed sticky notes. It is a way to help you to design a more perfect world.

INNOVATION WITH A PURPOSE
3
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, ALMOST

We believe there is a lot to learn from missing the mark. There is also a lot to learn by doing. Our internships and consulting projects provide a lab for you to practice and develop your nonprofit expertise with people who care about your career.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT, ALMOST
4
NETWORK FOR GOOD

We are in this together. Our students and 650+ alumni are a community of difference makers with global reach and impact. They effect change and you will too.

NETWORK FOR GOOD
5
SACRED ROOTS

We embrace diversity, pluralism and are non-denominational. Our students come from a spectrum of backgrounds, knowledge sets, and geographies. You will find faculty who care and a place where Jewish wisdom and values are intertwined to reinforce our educational practices and the work we inspire in the nonprofit ecosystem.

SACRED ROOTS

The school is a transformative gathering place for nonprofit leaders to learn and collaborate. We use creative problem solving to spark innovative solutions to today­’s Jewish nonprofit challenges.

Our students are activists, intellectuals, artists, musicians, engineers, rabbis, social workers, educators, and policy wonks that include Dual degree students at USC, and other universities across the globe, as well as students concurrently enrolled in the Education and Rabbinic programs at HUC-JIR.

Our faculty and community of practitioners include business entrepreneurs, executive directors of Jewish organizations, and Scholars-In-Residence that have included the likes of Stosh Cotler of Bend the Arc, Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, John Ruskay of the UJA-Federation New York, and Ruth Messinger of American Jewish World Service.

We take a Silicon Beach attitude and push education outside of the classroom, making it hands-on and project based, ensuring students acquire the skills needed to get the job and do the job effectively.

Earn your degree from wherever you are, without putting your life on pause. Our programs are mostly virtual, punctuated with opportunities to meet your cohort in-person.

Your degree, your way

Virtual summer learning allows Zschool students to complete our programs from the comfort of their homes, while in-person immersive experiences allow students to explore various Jewish communities across North America and Israel. Students not only learn and connect with fellow students and renowned faculty, but also explore well-known cultural institutions and vibrant examples of Jewish life. The Zschool gives students access to the best of both virtual and in-person experiences.

Leadership Team

Shirley Idelson

Mandi Richardson

Melissa Garai

Join Our Mailing List