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Jewish Heritage ProgramsJewish Heritage Programs

JHP is a pioneer in peer-to-peer campus outreach and mentoring of college students.

  • About Us
    • Our Mission & Inspiration
    • Highlights
    • JHP Team
    • Maayan Collective
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    • Signature Programs
      • Shabbat for 1000 & Shabbos Unlimited
      • PB&J-A-Thon
    • Mentorship
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  • Jewish Business Network (JBN)
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    • CogWell
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    • Institute of Jewish Spirituality and Society
    • Jacobson Family Community Service Center
    • Old City Jewish Art Center
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Highlights

Since 1993, JHP has been dedicated to sustaining the Jewish community through mentorship, education and outreach to disengaged individuals.

2025-2026

JHP Penn 

  • Students made 2000 PB&J sandwiches that were donated to local homeless shelters. As a Director of one of these shelters said “These small acts of generosity by JHP make a meaningful difference in helping combat food insecurity and supporting our vulnerable neighbors with compassion and hope”.
  • 2200 students participated in Shabbat for 1000, simultaneously celebrating Shabbat and sharing Shabbat dinners across campus
  • Mentoring Retreats remained a highlight of the 2025–2026 academic year with more than 65 students and 30 mentors participating
  • JHP’s 1:1 Mentorship Program continues to deepen students’ professional journeys by matching them with accomplished alumni and business leaders for personalized, semester-long mentoring relationships tailored to their individual interests and career aspirations.

JBN

  • Grew our membership to 185 and still counting. 
  • Launched a new Women’s Initiative, building a community where Jewish businesswomen can connect and thrive.
  • Developed a new online Member & Mentor Portal designed to strengthen connections across its growing professional network

IJSS 

  • Held a conference at Stanford University with a distinguished group of faculty and graduate students from Stanford’s Departments of Education, Ecology, and Religion, and professors and deans from other universities.
  • Hosted a special event at Lilah’s in Philadelphia, introducing IJSS, featuring an intimate panel conversation with renowned restaurateurs Michael Solomonov and Yehuda Sichel 

2024

What A Great Night!

Taste of New York 2024 was one of the most powerful and inspiring yet. We want to send a heartfelt note of gratitude to our JHP family: whether you could attend or not, we are so grateful for your support of Israel and for helping ensure an enduring Jewish identity for the next generation.  Thank you to our incredible speakers for the evening. Your words carried so much meaning to all of us.

Am Yisrael Chai!

We invite you to enjoy video highlights from TONY that captures such a special evening:

2023

Jewish Heritage Programs celebrated 30 years of Jewish engagement and leadership development at TONY on June 14th, 2023, honoring some amazing JHP alumni.

2021

3,400 students simultaneously shared 476 dinners for Shabbat for 2,000 across Penn’s campus

750 students participated in CogWell training to help peers with suicidal and mental health issues

150 people attended Institute of Jewish Spirituality & Society (IJSS) conferences

117 students and 91 mentors participated in our mentoring retreats

95 students performed mitzvahs by making 3,500 pb&j sandwiches for food pantries and 500 winter bags for the homeless

2020


Despite the COVID-19 campus shutdown, dozens of students participated in 17 virtual events including mentoring, leadership training, Israel, Social Vision, and other guest speakers. And we held 4 socially distanced Shabbat dinners (including one in our Sukkah village) and 2 mitzvah week events when students made close to 4,000 PB&J sandwiches for the homeless.

2019

4627 students participated in Shabbat for 2000 dinners

2018

We became the recipient of Temple’s Fox School sponsorship of our JBN Power Lunch Series

2013

Jewish Business Network hosts its 250th Networking Power Luncheon

2008

JHP executive Director, Menachem Schmidt, receives the Avi Chai Jewish Genius Grant Award which he uses to help launch Old City Jewish Arts Center.

2007

JHP On Campus Alumni formally launch the Young Professional Network to engage alumni and their friends beyond campuses in Philadelphia & New York City.

2004

JHP now engages annually with more than 25% of the Jewish undergraduate population at Penn.

2002

PB&J-A-Thon launched as JHP’s signature community service event, held once a semester, with sandwiches made by JHP students and donated to a local homeless shelter.

2001

JHP Programs events surpass 100,000 total participants.

1999

When Birthright Israel was launched, JHP was hand-picked to be one of the 13 organizations to go on the very first trip.

1993

JHP co-founded at University of Pennsylvania by our Executive Director Menachem Schmidt and Associate Executive Director Ephraim Levin, in partnership with 2 student leaders, Ron Dermer and Paul Germain.

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