Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life

What Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life does

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2000 and headquartered in Jackson, Mississippi. The organization serves Jewish communities, congregations, and religious schools across thirteen southern states (Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia) through a three-tiered programmatic approach spanning Culture, Education, and Spirituality. Growth has tracked from an initial four-state pilot with ten religious schools to a current footprint of dozens of partner communities and thousands of students served annually.

The core educational product is a proprietary spiraled curriculum covering ten key content areas (Community, Culture and Symbols, God, Hebrew and Prayer, Israel, Jewish History, Jewish Holidays, Jewish Lifecycle Events, Mitzvot and Jewish Values, and TaNaKh), delivered as thirty two-hour lesson plans per grade with Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic learning activities. Distribution runs through tiered partnerships (Hineinu Y'all Full Partnership for high-touch engagement, plus Associate Regional and Associate National options), a password-protected Partner Portal, and a digital Program Bank hosted on PayHip. Cultural and historical assets include the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities (state-by-state documentation across all 13 states), an Oral History initiative, and a Presenters Roster for cultural programming. Supporting channels include the biannual Shalom Y'all magazine (formerly CIRCA until 2017), an active email newsletter, the Southern & Jewish blog hosted on MyJewishLearning, and a calendar of community events.

Revenue is generated exclusively through charitable giving, including one-time donations, monthly recurring contributions via the Chai Club, planned giving, donor-advised funds, and stock/IRA contributions. Documented foundation support includes two Jim Joseph Foundation grants ($250K in 2013 and $450K in 2015), plus contributions from the Charles & Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Goldring Family Foundation, Joseph & Sally Handleman Foundation, and several community foundations as inaugural donors to the Susan & Macy B. Hart Fund. The organization employs between 11 and 50 staff and is led by CEO Michele Schipper, with Salem Pearce serving as Director of Spirituality. ISJL operates with no parent entity, subsidiaries, or public capital structure.

Name

Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life

Legal name

Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life

Website

https://isjl.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) is a Jackson, Mississippi-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2000, that supports Jewish congregations and religious schools across 13 southern U.S. states through Culture, Education, and Spirituality programs anchored by a proprietary spiraled curriculum and a tiered partnership model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Religious Education Services

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Faith-Based Education & Formation (Seminaries, Religious Schools, Catechesis) (BPAGAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sacred Texts & Scripture Publishing (Bibles, Qur’ans, Vedas, Torah, Sutras) (MPAJAHAA)

Keywords

• Religious education
• Jewish community services
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Jewish curriculum development
• Community education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Jackson

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, the ISJL is primarily funded through donations from supporters and the Jewish community. Contributions are tax-deductible as allowed by law. The organization accepts one-time donations, monthly recurring contributions through the Chai Club monthly giving society, planned giving, and major gifts.
2. Donor-Advised Funds (DAF): Accepts contributions from donor-advised funds overseen by Federations, Community Foundations, or other entities. Donors can allocate charitable dollars through their DAF to support ISJL's work.
3. Stock and IRA Contributions: Accepts donations of stock, IRA contributions, and designated/advised fund contributions as alternative giving methods.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) is a regional nonprofit serving thirteen southern states with a three-tiered program model spanning Culture, Education, and Spirituality. Its core deliverables include a comprehensive spiraled Jewish religious-school curriculum with class-by-class lesson plans, full and associate partnership programs providing direct educator coaching and curriculum support, the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities documenting Jewish heritage across 13 states, oral history preservation, a cultural Presenters Roster, and the Shalom Y'all biannual magazine for supporters.

Product overview

The Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) operates as a regional nonprofit organization established in 2000, serving thirteen southern states. The organization offers a three-tiered approach through Culture, Education, and Spirituality programs. The core educational offerings center around the ISJL Education Curriculum, a spiraled curriculum providing comprehensive lesson plans for religious schools covering key Jewish content areas. The product portfolio includes partnership programs (Hineinu Y'all Full Partnership and Associate Partnerships), the ISJL Program Bank for digital resources, a Partner Portal for exclusive access, and cultural products including the Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities, Oral History documentation, and Presenters Roster. The organization also publishes Shalom Y'all Magazine (formerly CIRCA), a biannual magazine for supporters, and provides Tour Resources for community engagement. The mission focuses on supporting, connecting, and celebrating Jewish life in the South.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shalom Y'all: The organization's biannual magazine publication, formerly known as CIRCA until 2017.
• Hineinu Y'all
• Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities
• ISJL Partner Portal
• Program Bank

Products and services

• ISJL Education Curriculum

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered affiliated.

• SRE NetworkaffiliatedStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019ISJL is a member of SRE Network, an organization supporting workplace culture and Jewish organizational excellence. Listed as a member organization on SRE Network's member page.
• Leading EdgeaffiliatedStrategic or Co-development PartnerISJL participates in the Leading Edge employee experience survey, demonstrating commitment to organizational culture and workplace excellence. Listed alongside SRE Network as part of ISJL's commitment to meaningful impact and positive workplace culture.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• JCC Association of North America: The umbrella body for Jewish Community Centers, which provide education, cultural, and spiritual programming. Comparable as a multi-service Jewish community support organization, though JCCs operate physical facilities at a national scale.
• Union for Reform Judaism (URJ): The central congregational body for Reform Jewish congregations, supporting religious schools, youth, and educator training nationwide. Comparable as a denominational umbrella providing curriculum and professional development to religious schools, though at a far larger national scale.
• Hebrew Union College (HUC): A prominent Jewish seminary training rabbis, cantors, and educators. Comparable as a producer of Jewish educational thought and teacher training, though HUC is degree-granting and national in scope while ISJL serves congregational religious schools.
• B'nai B'rith International: A longstanding Jewish service and advocacy organization supporting Jewish heritage, education, and community programming. Comparable as a national Jewish nonprofit providing cultural and educational programming, with potential overlap in heritage-preservation mission.
• Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS): A leading rabbinical and academic seminary producing Jewish educational content and credentialing clergy; comparable as a major institutional producer of Jewish educational materials, though JTS operates at a national/credentialing level versus ISJL's community-religious-school focus.

Emerging players

• Sefaria: A free digital library of Jewish texts (Torah, Talmud, commentaries) widely used by religious schools. Comparable as a digital Jewish education resource that complements (or potentially substitutes for) portions of ISJL's curriculum, particularly the TaNaKh content area.
• Hadar Institute: A Jewish education and Torah study organization offering curricula, podcasts, and teacher training. Comparable as a producer of high-quality Jewish learning content for adult and teacher audiences, with potential overlap in teacher professional development offerings.

Direct peers

• Jewish Education Project: A Jewish educational consulting and support organization serving congregations and schools with curriculum and professional development. Highly comparable to ISJL's role as a regional religious-school support backbone, though focused on the New York metro area.
• United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ): The congregational body for Conservative Jewish synagogues, providing religious school resources, education networks, and youth programming. Highly comparable to ISJL's mission of supporting religious schools and educators, though USCJ is denominational and national.
• MyJewishLearning: A leading online Jewish education and culture platform — ISJL's explicit content partner, hosting the Southern & Jewish blog. Comparable as a publisher of Jewish educational content for broad audiences, with overlapping audience and editorial focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TheISJL
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheISJL

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Goldring/Woldenberg Institute of Southern Jewish Life