Certificate in Jewish Leadership
Gain new strengths professionally and personally. Discover your own leadership style and build on your unique aptitudes.
Presented by Spertus Institute in partnership with Northwestern University for the professionals, trustees, and lay leaders of Jewish organizations.
Learn to manage challenge and change from a position of strength.
Complete your certificate in 3 months and put your new skills to work.
Be part of an engaging, skill-building, interactive learning experience.
View the video above to hear what Certificate in Jewish Leadership students have to say.
Take the Next Step on Your Leadership Trajectory
- Participants learn to manage challenge and change from a position of strength
- Courses meet during seminars at our downtown Chicago campus or online, to accommodate the schedules of busy professionals.
- Faculty members are leading real-world practitioners who draw from extensive nonprofit, foundation, and corporate experience.
- Learn with a cohort of Jewish organizational leaders from across North America and beyond.
You will be surrounded by colleagues interested in pursuing change in themselves to bring out change in others.
RABBI DR. GAVRIEL BROWN
Head of School
Margolin Hebrew Academy, Memphis
Program Components
The program came at the perfect time in my career, and I’ve learned so much — not just leadership techniques and theory, but also a real boost in confidence and how to lead with Jewish values.
JESSICA HANDLER
Senior Manager of Student Education
Holocaust Museum LA
Program Dates
Learn from wherever you are — Cohort 22 of the Certificate in Jewish Leadership will be in a hybrid format, which includes 6 interactive, synchronous Zoom sessions and an in-person seminar at Spertus Institute in Chicago.
The Cohort 22 Schedule:
All class times are in Central Time.
Tuesday, June 8, 2027 – 5:30pm Cohort Kickoff & 6-9pm Class
Tuesday, June 15, 2027 – 6-9pm
Monday, June 21-Wednesday, June 23, 2027 – In-Person Seminar in Chicago
Tuesday, June 29, 2027 – 6-9pm
Tuesday, July 6, 2027 – 6-9pm
Tuesday, July 13, 2027 – 6-9pm
Tuesday, July 20, 2027 – 6-9pm
Cost
The total cost of the program is $2,500 which includes tuition. Professionals on staff at a Jewish organization can apply for a Certificate in Jewish Leadership Scholarship of up to $500.
Next Step
Click below to make an appointment to talk to admissions and find out if the Certificate in Jewish Leadership is right for you.
Ready to Apply?
Application Deadlines
- February 8, 2027 – Preferred Admissions Deadline ($50 application fee waived)
- April 5, 2027 – Final Application Deadline
Certificate in Jewish Leadership Learning Outcomes
Certificate in Jewish Leadership students learn to:
- Understand the key qualities of effective leadership
- Understand what it means to be an effective Jewish leader
- Apply models and frameworks to practical, real-time leadership challenges
- Demonstrate effective communications skills
- Sharpen ability to lead through influence v. authority
- Be able to implement visioning and planning processes
- Develop change management techniques and strategies
- Know how to build effective teams
- Learn to manage more effectively
- Understand ethical principles and how to apply them
- Develop effective collaborative practice
- Develop techniques for better relations with lay boards
