BJE Gala - February 23, 2025

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In July 2025, Dr. Gil Graff will retire, having served BJE with 40 years of extraordinary leadership, including 32 years as Executive Director. Under his steady and inspiring guidance, BJE has benefited from rare levels of professional continuity and has established itself as a vital and trusted organization. An accomplished leader, educator and true mensch, Dr. Graff is especially beloved for his vast Jewish knowledge, his unmatched memory, and his embodiment of Jewish values. 

Among other initiatives during his tenure, BJE developed an  ambitious school accreditation process for all school types;  partnered with International March of the Living to annually lead L.A. teens on a powerful educational journey to Poland and Israel; expanded professional networks among educators in early childhood centers, day schools, and congregational religious schools to better meet the needs of students and families; secured grants to assist day schools in creating and building endowments incentivized by distributions from the Simha & Sara Lainer Community Day School Endowment; organized a consortium of day schools that it represents in accessing federally funded Title services and programs from which thousands of day school students benefit each year; and created JKidLA to help connect families with the vast array of  Jewish educational opportunities available in greater Los Angeles.

BJE provides professional development for hundreds of teachers each year on topics ranging from Israel education to meeting students’ diverse learning needs, benefiting thousands of students  at Jewish pre-schools, day schools and part-time religious schools. Amid the pandemic, BJE provided resources and support to its affiliated schools and helped many of them access available government funding. Since October 7, 2023, BJE has provided programs and resources to help teachers, students and parents navigate new educational challenges. Gil’s leadership has consistently enabled BJE to meet our community’s ever-changing needs.

We hope you will join us on February 23, 2025, to celebrate and honor Dr. Gil Graff for his important contributions to advancing Jewish education and community.