The Next Generation Has a Seat at the Table

September 25, 2026

Elie Engler is used to being one of the youngest people at the table.

As a past board chair of Jewish Fertility Foundation and current member of Federation’s board, he has spent years in Jewish communal leadership. But when he joined the newest cohort of the Ramie and Joyce Tritt Family Foundation Leadership Development Institute, something felt different. 

“It was really nice to be with similar-aged peers that had true global views on how to make the world a better place,” Elie said. 

Tritt Fellow Alli Medof noticed it, too. In previous leadership programs, she was accustomed to knowing most of the people in the room, and many of them looked and thought much like her. In Tritt, she found a mix of ages, experiences, organizations, and levels of Jewish engagement. 

“To see these talented, younger, enthusiastic Jews,” Alli said, “some of them very engaged already, some of them have dipped their toes in and are getting ready to jump in feet first. I love it.”  

That is exactly why leadership development matters. 

Now in its third cohort, The Tritt Fellowship is a year-long experience designed to deepen participants’ understanding of the Jewish community and prepare them to think more broadly and strategically about its future. Most fellows are nominated by alumni, creating a pipeline in which current Jewish leaders help identify and develop who comes next.  

“Our community is only as strong as our leaders,” said Susie Mackler, Federation’s Senior Director of Philanthropic Journeys. 

Alli saw that reflected in this year’s cohort. “They did a really good job of curating people from across different parts of the community, different age groups, different levels of previous engagement in the community,” she said. 

Those leaders will eventually help answer some of Jewish Atlanta’s biggest questions: Where are the challenges? Where are the opportunities? What does our community need next?  

And as Jewish Atlanta grows and changes, the people helping answer those questions must grow and change with it. 

“It’s a sign of a healthy organization that’s willing to bring in new ideas and not be afraid of them,” Alli said. “Hear them and be willing to change and grow.”  

The year-long program kicked off its year with a week-long journey to Israel, exploring Jewish peoplehood and seeing Federation-supported work firsthand. Elie was struck by how many organizations represented among the fellows connected back to Federation in some way. 

Those connections matter. Today, fellows may serve different schools, synagogues, and organizations. Tomorrow, thanks to the Tritt Family Foundation Leadership Development Institute, they may pick up the phone and solve a communal challenge together. 

The Tritt family’s investment in leadership development is designed to pay dividends far beyond the fellowship itself. By helping develop leaders who reflect the growth and diversity of Jewish Atlanta, their philanthropy demonstrates what is possible when donors invest with the future in mind. It also means making sure those future leaders are heard. 

“We have to make space for them at the table,” Alli said. “And be willing to entertain their questions.”