about us
Our History
Making Jewish Wisdom a Public Good for Over 50 Years
Clal is Founded
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.
Photo description: Clal's founding members, circa 1974
(l-r): Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, Dr. Elie Wiesel, Rabbi Steven Shaw
No Longer Doing Business as Usual
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.
Photo Description: Clal's annual benefit "In Concert for One People," circa 1987 (l-r): Rabbi Irwin Kula; Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat, U.S. Ambassador to the European Union; Shoshana Cardin, National Chair of the United Jewish Appeal and of Clal; Radine A. Spier, past Chair of Clal; and Herschel Blumberg, one of Clal's core founding lay leaders
A New Generation Leads With Pluralism
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.
Photo Description: Clal's annual benefit "In Concert for One People," 1992 (l-r): Rabbi Rachel Sabath Beit-Halachmi, Rabbi Benay Lappe, Rabbi Diane Cohler-Esses, Michael Gottsegen, Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, Blu Greenberg, Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow, and Michael Paasche-Orlow
Laboratory for Jewish Wisdom
In 1997 Rabbi Irwin Kula became Clal's second President after working with the organization for almost a decade. 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.
Photo Description: Opening of Clal’s new office, 1997 (l-r): Clal Office Manager Dale Brown, Senior Clal Associate Rabbi Joseph Telushkin, Clal Academic V.P. Dr. David Elcott, Clal Fellow Rabbi Sara Paasche-Orlow, Board Chairs Radine Spier and Charles Bronfman, Clal staff member David Nelson z”l, Clal President Rabbi Irwin Kula, Joan Cohen, and Board member Paula Gottesman
Making Jewish a Public Good
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.
Photo Description: A meeting of Clal's Rabbis Without Borders, 2009 (l-r): Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, Rabbi Irwin Kula, RWB Director Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu, and Rabbi Phil Lieberman
Expanding Clal's Work
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.
Photo Description: Glean Network, Cohort 3 Gathering, 2018 (l-r): Samra Ali, Jeremy Ogunba, and Rabbi Barry Lutz
Clal Today
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.