Cynthia and Leon Shulman Acharai Leadership Program

For close to 50 years, we've developed leaders deeply committed to Judaism and the Jewish people, empowering them to lead change and make a lasting impact in Greater Boston and beyond.

CJP’s premier leadership experience

The Cynthia and Leon Shulman Acharai Leadership Program brings together diverse individuals ready to shape Greater Boston’s Jewish future. Acharai, Hebrew for “follow me,” reflects a call to step forward and lead. Participants are selected for their potential to inspire others and take on meaningful communal responsibility.

A smiling woman speaking with an engaged group, part of CJP’s Acharai Leadership Program in Greater Boston

A legacy of giving to CJP’s Acharai Program

The endowment started by Cynthia and Leon Schulman ensures the Acharai program will shape visionary leaders for generations to come. You can be part of that legacy by making a gift to the fund.

Make a gift

A grandparent and grandson spending time together, symbolizing the legacy of giving to the Acharai Leadership Program.

How to nominate an Acharai leader

Help us find the next cohort of Acharai leaders. We seek nominees who are actively engaged in Jewish life, have demonstrated commitment to the community, and are poised to take on influential leadership roles. Nominations are currently closed.

A man speaking to a congregation at a synagogue during an Acharai Leadership Program event.

A growing network of Acharai leaders

CJP Acharai fellows become part of a distinguished network spanning four decades of Greater Boston’s most committed Jewish leaders. You’ll grow alongside fellow visionaries, build relationships that last a lifetime, and discover the impact collective vision can create.

See past participants

A man and woman talking together during a CJP Acharai Leadership Program event, illustrating fellows building connections in Greater Boston’s Jewish community.

Enduring support for Jewish leadership

A passion for leadership development

Leon (z”l) and Cynthia (z”l) Shulman established the Cynthia and Leon Shulman Acharai Program Endowment Fund to give the Acharai program a strong base of financial security and allow it to grow and thrive in the years ahead. This fund continues to honor Leon’s legacy by supporting a program that he felt so passionately about. Following their generous and visionary example, supporters are helping CJP to sustain this key program for future generations of leaders. The Acharai program develops our leaders of tomorrow through study, discussion, travel and reflection.