Program trains leaders in Jewish community

Wexner Foundation helps people work together, see past differences

Inside a large brick building in New Albany is one of the most well-regarded leadership programs for Jewish volunteers and professionals in the world.

The Wexner Foundation, founded in 1983 by L Brands founder and former chairman and CEO Les Wexner, has six programs for Jewish leaders – open to Jewish people who meet eligibility requirements in Israel and North America, no matter their denomination or beliefs.

“It's the one place where the Jewish community leaders all sit together as students,” said Rabbi B. Elka Abrahamson, the foundation's president. “They all say they're meeting someone they never

COLUMBUS DISPATCH PHOTOS BY JOSHUA A. BICKEL/ Judd, who took part in the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program, says it has molded more than one generation of Jewish leaders. She has taken on numerous leadership roles in the Columbus Jewish community.

Robin Judd, an associate professor of history, teaches her History of the Holocaust class in August at Ohio State University. Judd is a graduate of the Wexner Graduate Fellowship program.