"Maimonides Fund, along with others, began engaging with the Haredi community about 10 years ago. Our focus was primarily economic: Israel would not be able to sustain a rapidly growing Haredi population if large numbers of men did not enter the workforce. In an economy like Israel’s, work requires proficiency in math, science and English — subjects that many Haredi boys stop studying after elementary school. Our efforts, therefore, centered on introducing those core subjects into the school day. We found that many, though not all, Haredi parents welcomed this approach. We worked with the Haredi community, not against it, strengthening the efforts of those who wanted change — who wanted a brighter future for their children while maintaining a commitment to Torah and a Haredi way of life. But after the war began, it became clear that education alone was not enough. Israel needs Haredi men to serve. And that realization is what brought us to the IDF base that morning."

"Education exists to impart information, shape attitudes and inspire behaviors. It presupposes that there is somewhere worth going, and that the educator has a responsibility — not just a preference — to help get learners there. That’s the work, and it is directional by definition. Of course, educators must be sensitive to who the learner is, but they should not have to choose between fidelity to tradition and responsiveness to students. They have to hold that tension with honesty and integrity."

Location: New York City (in-person with travel)

Reports to: Program Officer (TBD)

At a consequential moment in Jewish history, Maimonides Fund (MF) is expanding our grantmaking and programmatic work in service of our mission in North America and Israel. Through strategic investments and targeted initiatives, including SAPIR: Ideas for a Thriving Jewish Future, we support serious ideas, strengthen institutions, and help advance durable impact across North American Jewish communal life and for the State and People of Israel.

The Opportunity

MF seeks to hire a Program Associate to support Program Officers and senior leadership in one or more grant portfolios: Jewish Life and Learning, Israel Education and Engagement, and Policy Initiatives.

Our Program Associates support the operational and analytical execution of our grant and programmatic portfolios, with responsibility for grant management support, research, coordination, and follow-through. The role requires discretion, precision, and sound judgment, and offers meaningful exposure to our strategic priorities within many of the core issue areas facing the Jewish community today.

Program Associates are early-career professionals who have a deep passion for supporting the Jewish community and Israel. They bring strong analytical skills, a growth mentality, and their own unique background and experience to the role. Program Associates receive top-notch training and insight into key matters on the Jewish communal agenda and in Jewish philanthropy. They develop expertise in particular issue areas as they support a portfolio of grants and programs and help to bring about positive change in our areas of interest.

Key Responsibilities:

• Support grant management, including performing due diligence, site visits, progress assessment, and evaluation of current and potential grantees and partners;
• Review budgets and financial statements and prepare research memos, proposal analyses, and policy papers in areas of program interest;
• Work alongside colleagues in developing and executing new grantmaking strategies and in planning and executing Maimonides Fund-sponsored programs and events;
• Stay informed of, and develop expertise in, a combination of: current trends and issues in Jewish education and Israel education and engagement; policy, legal and related strategies regarding combating antisemitism and maintaining support for Israel, among other issue areas;
• Represent Maimonides Fund within the nonprofit and philanthropic communities, including local and national site visits, conferences, and events.

You have:

• 2-5 years of experience in a related field (e.g., Jewish/pro-Israel nonprofit work, policy, philanthropy, or related fields);
• A growing working knowledge of the organized Jewish community and Israel;
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills;
• Excellent quantitative and qualitative analytic and financial skills, including competency in reviewing and preparing Excel spreadsheets, familiarity with theoretical and data-informed research and analysis, and comfort with emerging technologies (including AI tools and AI-powered resources); and
• Sound professional judgment, objectivity, tact, and humility.

You are:

• Passionate about the Jewish People and the State and People of Israel;
• Comfortable working both independently and collaboratively with a small team, as necessary;
• Willing to take guidance from others and work with multiple colleagues in furtherance of the Fund’s objectives;
• Flexible, creative, and able to adapt to shifting priorities in a fast-paced, evolving organization;
• Excited to take on new challenges, learn, and grow;
• Emotionally intelligent, with the ability to exercise discretion in difficult or confidential situations; and
• Willing to travel nationally and internationally.

This is a full-time position, currently 4 days in-person in our Manhattan office and 1 day remote, with a salary range of $75,000-$90,000 (based on experience), an excellent benefits package, and the possibility to participate in a bonus program.

To apply, please send a resume and a writing sample to jobs@maimonidesfund.org, with “Program Associate Applicant” as the subject line. Applicants will be considered on a rolling basis.

Maimonides Fund is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to an inclusive work environment and welcomes a diverse pool of candidates for this search.

NEW YORK, NY, August 27, 2026 — Maimonides Fund (MF) today announced a significant expansion of its North American work, including the formal launch and first dedicated hires of the Maimonides Jewish Leadership Institute (MJLI); the creation of a new Director of Emerging Technologies position; a new Leadership & Gatherings Department; and the addition of two program officers to MF’s grantmaking team. 

“These are natural and exciting next steps for our organization, and a direct response to the enormous challenges and opportunities of the current moment,” said Mark S. Charendoff, President of Maimonides Fund. “Over the past several years, we’ve expanded our grantmaking while developing new ways to bring people together, deepen the Jewish knowledge of influential leaders across many sectors of American life, and strengthen the networks and institutions on which Jewish life depends. At the same time, the rapid development of AI demands that we think seriously about how emerging technologies will reshape Jewish life. These new efforts reflect our conviction that philanthropy today requires us not only to support outstanding organizations, but also to invest directly in people, ideas, and the future.” 

A cornerstone of this growth is the Maimonides Jewish Leadership Institute (MJLI), now in the midst of its pilot year and poised to grow significantly in the coming years. MJLI educates and cultivates a new generation of Jewish leaders across a wide range of professional sectors, combining rigorous Jewish learning with leadership development and community-building in a yearlong fellowship, followed by sustained alumni engagement. 

Developed from the educational vision of Rabbi David Wolpe and Dr. Mijal Bitton during their tenure as Scholars in Residence at Maimonides Fund, MJLI is currently operating in New York and Los Angeles, with plans to add new cohorts and reach additional communities over the next several years. Beginning August 31, Dr. Bitton will assume the role of Dean of MJLI, with responsibility for the Institute’s educational vision and curriculum. Maimonides is also launching a search for a Director of MJLI, a new senior position responsible for overseeing the program’s growth and development. 

“Nobody hands you a leadership credential at the end,” said MJLI Fellow Jarrod Bernstein, Policy Director and Counsel at Morrison Cohen LLP. “You leave with a room full of people who’ve pushed back on you all year and a community you actually feel obligated to. At a moment when everyone wants to tell Jews what being Jewish means, MJLI does the opposite — it makes you figure it out for yourself, alongside people who take the question as seriously as you do.” 

The expansion also includes several new and redefined roles across MF. 

Chanan Weissman, previously Director of SAPIR Institute, has assumed a new role as Director of Emerging Technologies, where he will lead MF’s work on the implications of AI and other emerging technologies for Jewish education, communal life, content creation, and philanthropy. Building on SAPIR Institute's efforts to explore the intersections of AI and Jewish life, and drawing on his previous work at the State Department on technology and national security, Weissman will help shape both MF’s philanthropic strategy in this area and its engagement with the broader Jewish community. 

Yael Warach, previously Assistant Director of SAPIR Institute, has become Assistant Director of MF’s new Leadership & Gatherings Department, which will design and execute convenings, retreats, and other high-touch experiences across MF’s portfolio. These gatherings bring together Jewish communal professionals, philanthropists, volunteers, and thought leaders to build relationships, exchange ideas, and advance shared work on behalf of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. 

MF is also adding two Program Officers to its grantmaking team. 

Rabbi Dr. Jonathan Hack will become Program Officer, Policy Initiatives on August 18. Hack comes to MF from the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard, an interdisciplinary center focused on ethics, technology, and democratic institutions. He holds a PhD in political science from George Washington University and will work on MF’s growing portfolio of policy initiatives, which use policy, legal, and other strategies to combat antisemitism, support Jewish life in America, educate about Israel, and strengthen the U.S.-Israel relationship. 

Alina Bitel will join the team as Program Officer, Jewish Life & Learning, on September 14. Bitel was previously Senior Manager, Strategic Planning & Grants at UJA-Federation of New York, focused on its Jewish Life portfolio. Prior to UJA, she held positions at COJECO, Foundation for Jewish Camp, and the JCC of Bensonhurst. Bitel will oversee one of MF’s longest-standing grantmaking portfolios, supporting transformative, joyous, and content-rich Jewish education as well as the educators, clergy, and professionals who make that work possible. 

Together, these developments reflect MF’s continued evolution as a philanthropic organization, complementing its grantmaking with new investments in the leaders, ideas, relationships, and technologies that will help shape Jewish life for decades to come. 

About Maimonides Fund 

Maimonides Fund is a private philanthropic organization that supports programs and institutions in North America and Israel. Through grantmaking, publication of SAPIR: Ideas for a Thriving Jewish Future, and an expanding portfolio of leadership initiatives and convenings, MF seeks to connect Jews to their heritage, advance serious ideas, and strengthen the vitality of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.