Clal was founded in 1974 by Rabbi Irving “Yitz” Greenberg, Dr. Elie Wiesel z”l, and Rabbi Steven Shaw z”l in their shared understanding that a new era was dawning for the Jewish people as a whole, and for American Jewry in particular. In the aftermath of the Holocaust, the founding of the State of Israel, and the unprecedented freedom, power, and acceptance of Jews in America, they saw that we could no longer do business as usual. Clal was born to deepen our connection with our intellectual and spiritual roots while expanding our communal horizons, with inclusivity emerging as one of our greatest strengths. Early programs like Zachor shaped national Holocaust education, while immersive retreats and leadership learning initiatives offered powerful Jewish experiences and built new models of Jewish engagement. That early ethos—of ongoing innovation grounded in our shared heritage and animated by an ever-expanding sense of Jewish possibility—continues to fuel our work to this day.

Clal’s commitment to principled pluralism meant creating a national faculty of rabbis and scholars that transcended all denominational boundaries. Clal not only advocated for pluralism; it embodied it. That model became increasingly vital as questions of Jewish identity, power, and coexistence engulfed American Jewish discourse. In partnership with the Jewish Federation system and other communal structures, Clal helped shape a new generation of leaders who could navigate both diversity and shared purpose.

In the late 1980s, Rabbi Irwin Kula joined Clal, eventually becoming its second President in 1997. Under his leadership, Clal evolved into a laboratory for adapting Jewish wisdom to the realities of modern life. Clal’s extended faculty—some of the most creative shapers of Jewish life in North America—functioned as a think tank, creating new frameworks, theories, projects, and curricula to bring the Jewish community into the 21st century. The organization pioneered approaches like systems thinking, adaptive leadership, and spiritual entrepreneurship to guide Jewish communal leaders through rapid societal change.

By the early 2000s, under the leadership of then Co-President— and our current President — Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, Clal clarified and widened its mission of “Making Jewish a Public Good,” focusing on the universal relevance of Jewish ideas. Clal extended its influence beyond traditional Jewish community settings, bringing Jewish wisdom more deeply into public life—in media, universities, philanthropic strategy, and more. Clal continued expanding the boundaries of where and how Jewish wisdom can be applied, supporting clergy, civic leaders, and institutions across faiths and sectors in addressing the most pressing issues of our time.

Across five decades, Clal has remained defined by its willingness to experiment, its fidelity to pluralism, and its embrace of bold questions. We seek to be in the trenches and also above the fray—actively engaged in the most pressing questions of the moment, while keeping our eyes on the bigger picture and our highest aspirations. We nurture leaders across many domains, even as we are more committed than ever to strengthening Jewish life and supporting those who lead it. Our focus remains steadfast: to inspire and equip leaders to navigate the complexities of our time—with creativity, optimism, and courage.