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Building Leadership in Canada

Rabbi David Hartman z”l had a vision: build bridges between Jews in Israel and those in the diaspora to strengthen the Jewish people by helping them navigate the challenges of the modern world.         

After serving as a rabbi in the Bronx and then in Montreal, Rabbi Hartman moved to Jerusalem in the 1970s and established the Shalom Hartman Institute (SHI) – a pluralistic Jewish research, education and leadership organization that enriches Jewish identity. SHI’s programs – which include research seminars, podcasts and public programs – explore pressing issues facing the Jewish people and encourage innovative leadership in Jewish communities.  

The Shalom Hartman Institute of North America (SHI NA) was formed in 2010, with headquarters in New York, to develop ideas and provide programs and resources for Jewish scholars, educators, rabbis and lay leaders throughout the continent. And with the establishment of Hartman Canada in 2022, supported by a grant from the Azrieli Foundation, Rabbi Hartman’s legacy continues to grow.  

Hartman Canada offers a range of initiatives for Jews across the country, including the Canadian Community Leadership Program, a cross-Canada virtual seminar series for lay leaders that began in late 2022. Some participants culminated their experience with a week-long intensive in Jerusalem in June 2023. 

“Coming together from different ideological and spiritual backgrounds and different positions within the community was such a unique experience that has been lacking in Canada for some time,” says a Vancouver-based participant of this program. “I am grateful to the Shalom Hartman Institute for bringing their analyses and teachings to us, better equipping us to move forward as Jewish leaders for the generations to come.”

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