UJF B’nai Mitzvah Leadership Cohort 2026–2027

Begin your Jewish-adult journey by making a difference.

Becoming B’nai Mitzvah is more than preparing for a meaningful ceremony—it is an opportunity to take your place in the Jewish community as a person who gives, leads, and helps repair the world.

As part of UJF B'nai Mitzvah Leadership Cohort, participants will explore Jewish values of giving, under the guidance of Rabbi Robert Abrams, choose a cause that matters to them, and create a meaningful service, fundraising, or charitable-giving project of their own.

There is no cost to participate.

Each student will choose their own path and design a project that reflects their interests, values, and abilities. Whether they care about hunger, animals, seniors, disability inclusion, Jewish life, Israel, education, mental health, environmental action, or another meaningful cause, there is a place for them in the cohort.

Participants may choose to:

• Make a charitable donation in lieu of gifts.
• Organize a fundraiser for a nonprofit they care about.
• Volunteer their time and encourage friends and family to join them.
• Collect needed items for a local or Israeli organization.
• Launch a creative act-of-kindness or service project.
• Combine giving, fundraising, and volunteering into a project that feels personal and achievable.
  
  Parents will receive clear guidance and resources, while students remain at the center of the experience—their ideas, their causes, and their impact.

Kickoff Gathering

Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 6:00 p.m.

UJF Offices
2009 Summer Street, Suite 302
Stamford, CT 06905

Dinner will be served.

Contact Us

Diane Sloyer,
Chief Executive Officer
dianesloyer@ujf.org

Rabbi Abrams is a Jewish Studies educator based in Stamford. He has taught Jewish studies to all ages in the Fairfield County area for over 30 years for a number of local Jewish institutions, including Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy, the Stamford Jewish Community Center, UJA/JCC of Greenwich, and Congregation Agudath Sholom, in addition to individually tutoring adults and children. Rabbi Abrams has also led 8th graders, teens, families, and Birthright trips to Israel.