NEW YORK (JTA) – The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation is spearheading an initiative to cultivate new professional leaders for the American Jewish community.

Called the Leadership Pipelines Alliance, the effort has secured more than $1 million from several funders for its first two years and is being endorsed by the Jewish Federations of North America, several individual Jewish federations and the Jewish Funders Network.

The Leadership Pipelines Alliance follows the release of a report conducted by the Bridgespan Group estimating that between 75 to 90 percent of Jewish nonprofits will need to hire new executives in the next 5-7 years.

The report, based on interviews and focus groups with hundreds of Jewish professionals, suggests the Jewish community lacks enough field-wide professional development programs and mid-level career options, and that the bureaucratic and hierarchical culture of many Jewish organizations makes it difficult to attract and retain talented professionals.

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