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The Future We Can Build Together

As we head into Shabbat, I am incredibly excited to celebrate Rebecca Schalit-Newman’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis.

This is wonderful news for Rebecca, for the Federation, and for our entire community. Those who know Rebecca know how deeply she cares about our community. My family experienced that care before we even moved here.

In the late summer of 2024, Rebecca learned that my son, Max, would be attending Hasten Hebrew Academy of Indianapolis with her son. Soon afterward, Max received an invitation to her son’s sixth birthday party. We had not yet made Indianapolis home, but Rebecca was already making sure our family felt included.

Just a few days after I began my role at the JCC, Rebecca invited me to lunch — on September 29, 2024, to be exact. Just as she had made a place for Max before we arrived, she made a place for me.

If you know Rebecca, none of this will surprise you. She warmly welcomes those who are new to Indianapolis, stays deeply connected to those who have called this city home for years, and is genuinely invested in the well-being of our Jewish and broader community.

Since then, our friendship has grown alongside our professional partnership. Rebecca and I experienced our first Indy 500 together, and what an experience that was! We have welcomed Shabbat together more times than I can count, and our families have grown close. I have come to know Rebecca beyond her title and accomplishments, and I know that her heart and soul are committed to the success of this community.

Rebecca is also exceptionally well prepared to lead the Federation. As Chief Development Officer and Deputy Executive Director, she led one of its most successful annual campaigns in years while strengthening relationships among donors, volunteers, and community members. She listens, connects people, and understands that this work is ultimately about relationships.

Her appointment is also significant because of the true partnership now taking shape among the Federation, JCC, and Hooverwood Living, as well as with our fellow leaders at the Jewish Community Relations Council and Jewish Family Services.

One of the great gifts of my time in Indianapolis has been my partnership with Evan Lubline, President and CEO of Hooverwood Living. Evan is a bold, experienced, and visionary leader who has transformed Hooverwood. He knows how to move an ambitious idea from conversation to reality, continually challenges us to think bigger, and cares deeply about the future of our entire community.

Over the past two years, Evan, Rebecca, and I have spent a great deal of time talking about that future. Our conversations are honest, ambitious, and energizing.

Now, the three of us — along with our committed volunteers and staff — lead institutions that are central to the city of Indianapolis. The JCC, Jewish Federation, and Hooverwood each have distinct missions, responsibilities, and identities, but our futures are connected. The most significant opportunities ahead will require all three organizations to work together with a level of shared vision and partnership we have not seen before.

I have often told Rebecca and Evan that we can change the world together. I mean it.

We have an opportunity to think boldly about what our campus can become, how we care for people throughout their lives, how we strengthen Jewish identity and belonging, and how we build a community prepared not only for today, but for generations to come.

We are not interested in simply maintaining what already exists. We want to build something bold, lasting, and transformative. With Evan’s experience and proven leadership, Rebecca’s deep relationships and commitment to community, and the tremendous momentum underway at our JCC, I believe we have the right leaders at the table to make it happen.

I hope you will join me in celebrating Rebecca and supporting her well beyond this announcement. As a former Federation professional, I have seen firsthand how important and difficult this work can be. The work carries enormous responsibility, and it requires both conviction and care. Rebecca will need our trust, honesty, partnership, and willingness to step forward when called upon. Her success will strengthen not only the Federation, but all of Jewish Indianapolis.

Nearly two years ago, Rebecca welcomed me to Indianapolis and made room for me at her table. Today, Rebecca, Evan, and I sit at that table as friends, fellow CEOs, and equal partners ready to shape what comes next.

Rebecca, I am proud of you and excited to begin this new chapter alongside you. The three of us have big plans, important work ahead, and an extraordinary opportunity to build the future of this community together.

Let’s get started.