Challah and Soul

What Challah and Soul does

Challah and Soul is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that connects Black and Jewish communities through food, storytelling, and education. Founded after a leadership workshop hosted by Hadassah of Southern California, the organization was created to rebuild and strengthen the historical "Grand Alliance" between these two communities and to address modern divisions through collective action against racism and antisemitism. It operates across three U.S. markets—Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Baltimore—and serves a horizontal audience that includes Jewish and interfaith mothers, broader Black and Jewish community members seeking dialogue, and minority-owned small businesses. Founder & CEO Judi Leib, who brings 40 years of food service experience, is the public face of the organization.

The organization's core programs comprise a monthly virtual book club (Zoom), a recipe resource library developed with culinary partner Whisk In The Southern (featuring dishes such as Hoppin John, Matzo Ball Soup, and Chocolate Pound Cake), a monthly email newsletter, a community events calendar, and a minority-owned business directory maintained as a Google Doc. Its most significant new initiative is MOMENTUM: A Trip to Israel—a national cohort program scheduled for November 2–8, 2026, which will bring together mothers from Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Baltimore for an 8-day journey with three pre-departure local meetings and six or more post-return reconvening sessions. Challah and Soul does not develop proprietary technology; its operational stack is built entirely on third-party SaaS tools, including PayPal for donations, Flodesk for newsletter distribution and event ticketing, Calendly for scheduling, Zoom for programming, TFA Forms for program applications, and Instagram for social engagement.

The business model is primarily donation-driven. Revenue comes from individual giving through PayPal and foundation grants, with the Feinberg Family Foundation explicitly identified as a core institutional supporter. Program revenue is negligible: the MOMENTUM Israel trip requires only a $360 refundable deposit plus airfare, with all accommodations, programming, meals, and in-country travel heavily subsidized by Challah and Soul and its partners. The go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on Instagram, email newsletter, virtual events, and word-of-mouth within established Black and Jewish community networks rather than any traditional sales infrastructure.

Name

Challah and Soul

Legal name

Challah & Soul

Website

https://challahandsoul.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Challah and Soul is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit connecting Black and Jewish communities through food, storytelling, and education across Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Baltimore. It serves interfaith families, community members, and minority-owned businesses via book clubs, recipes, and the MOMENTUM Israel trip.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Education and Cultural Dialogue Programs

NAICS

Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Interfaith & Ecumenical Councils and Dialogue Organizations (BPAGAJAJ)

akta.pro secondary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Community education programs
• Interfaith cultural dialogue
• Culinary heritage education
• Community engagement nonprofits
• Storytelling programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Los Angeles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Support: Challah & Soul operates primarily through donations from individuals and foundations. The organization accepts PayPal donations and receives support from foundations like the Feinberg Family Foundation. Donations fund media projects for high schoolers, movie screenings, community dinners, and organizational operations.
2. Program Participation Fees: The MOMENTUM Israel trip requires a $360 refundable deposit from participants. The trip itself is heavily subsidized by Challah & Soul and partners, with accommodations, programming, meals, and in-country travel covered. This creates a partial cost-recovery model for the educational program.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Challah and Soul is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that connects Black and Jewish communities through food, storytelling, and education. Its core offerings include the MOMENTUM Israel Trip cohort program, a monthly Zoom book club, a recipe resource library, a community events calendar, and a minority-owned business directory, funded primarily through donations and foundation support.

Product overview

Challah and Soul is a community organization offering a portfolio of programs that connect Black and Jewish communities through food, storytelling, and education. The core offerings include the MOMENTUM Israel Trip (national cohort program), monthly Book Club, Newsletter, Recipe Resources (in partnership with Whisk In The Southern), Community Events Calendar, Donation Program, and Minority-Owned Business Directory. These products work together to facilitate meaningful relationships, preserve shared histories, and foster unity between communities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MOMENTUM Israel Trip An 8-day subsidized national cohort trip to Israel for Jewish and interfaith mothers from Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Baltimore, combined with pre-departure and post-return sessions for ongoing community building and personal growth.
• Book Club Monthly book club selecting one book (adult or children's title) from monthly spotlight recommendations that highlight shared histories and experiences of marginalized communities, with one-hour Zoom discussions held each month.
• Recipe Resources Recipe collection and resources exploring Black and Jewish culinary traditions, featuring collaborative content with partner Whisk In The Southern, including traditional dishes like Hoppin John, Matzo Ball Soup, and Chocolate Pound Cake.
• Community Events Calendar Events calendar featuring upcoming activities including community dinners, movie screenings, and educational programs, with subscription for automatic calendar updates.
• Minority-Owned Business Directory Rolling list of local Black and Jewish owned businesses compiled to support and promote minority-owned enterprises, hosted on Google Docs and linked from the Get Involved page.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MomentumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerChallah & Soul is partnering with Momentum for the Israel trip program that brings together mothers from three cities (Los Angeles, Atlanta, Baltimore). This is the first national cohort bringing diverse Jewish mothers together for an 8-day journey in Israel with pre-departure and post-trip gatherings.
• Hadassah of Southern CaliforniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHadassah of Southern California hosted the leadership workshop that led to the founding of Challah & Soul. The workshop was originally planned as a one-off luncheon connecting Black and Jewish moms, which evolved into the organization.
• Whisk In The SouthernminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerChef Judi Leib curates recipes with Whisk In The Southern, a culinary partner that creates traditional southern-infused eats with a modern SoCal flare. The partnership focuses on recipes that show shared legacies of Black and Jewish culinary traditions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Avodah: A Jewish social justice nonprofit running service corps and educational programming. Comparable in operating Jewish-identity-rooted cohort programs with national reach and a community-building mission.
• Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ): A New York-based Jewish organization organizing against racism, antisemitism, and economic inequality. Directly comparable as a Jewish-community-led organization explicitly addressing Black-Jewish solidarity and racial justice programming.
• NewGround: A Muslim-Jewish Partnership: An interfaith organization building Muslim-Jewish relationships through dialogue, programming, and convening. Closest direct peer—same niche (interfaith community bridge-building via convening and education) with a different faith pairing.
• The Samuel DeWitt Proctor Conference: An interfaith justice-focused organization engaging Black faith leaders in social justice, education, and coalition work. Comparable as a faith-rooted organization working at the intersection of race, religion, and community dialogue in the U.S.
• Bend the Arc: A Jewish Partnership for Justice: A national Jewish social justice organization mobilizing Jewish communities around progressive causes including racial equity and interfaith solidarity. Directly comparable as a values-aligned Jewish nonprofit operating on community-driven activism in the U.S. racial justice space.
• Repair the World: A Jewish nonprofit mobilizing young adults around service and social justice. Comparable as a Jewish community-building organization with programmatic engagement, education, and community cohorts aimed at identity-rooted action.
• Be'chol Lashon: An organization that celebrates ethnic, racial, and cultural diversity within Jewish communities. Directly comparable as a Jewish organization explicitly engaging questions of identity, race, and community within and beyond Jewish boundaries.

Broad incumbents

• Interfaith America: A large-scale interfaith organization operating nationally with broader interfaith programming across many faith traditions. Comparable as a higher-resourced incumbent in the interfaith dialogue space where Challah & Soul operates.
• Anti-Defamation League (ADL): A major U.S. organization combating antisemitism and hate. Comparable as an incumbent working at the intersection of antisemitism, racism, and education—though broader in scope and far larger in scale than Challah & Soul.

Regional players

• Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston: A regional interfaith organization facilitating dialogue among diverse faith communities. Comparable as an interfaith dialogue and community-building nonprofit, though primarily regional rather than national in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/challahandsoul

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Challah and Soul