The P in PEJE stands for much more than Partnership. PEJE is: A Provider of much needed leadership learning for lay and professionals. A Public advocate for Jewish day schools with local and national officials. A Proponent and catalyst for data-driven decision making. A Professionally run organization that sets the standard to which we all aspire. And most importantly, A Pillar of the field of Jewish day school education. We are proud to be programmatic partners with PEJE in so many schools and communities throughout North America.

I recently received a copy of each of your new publications--Strategic Annual Campaigns, Toward Increased Enrollment, and Maximizing Community Collaboration. They are fantastic not only because of their design but because they are so content rich! They are really almost like workbooks or how-to manuals. I really appreciate PEJE's effort in pulling them together.

Josh Elkin has led PEJE from its inception to become a major force in Jewish education, helping Jewish educators and professionals learn, grow, and shape future generations.

The increased investment by local philanthropists in their day schools has far more than doubled in the years since PEJE was founded. . . It is also important to note that PEJE is now modeling what many Jewish institutions can follow. They are remaining committed to their original mission while undergoing a thorough process of self-reflection and evaluation that has led to new strategic thinking and new planning to answer the current needs of the Jewish Day School Community.

Thank you, PEJE, for your unparalleled devotion and passion to uplifting, strengthening and in many ways transforming Jewish day school education. I know there is so much left to be done, but it is almost mind-boggling to think of where the field is today compared to where it was in 1996.

PEJE . . . was a guiding force that built a Jewish day school in South Florida. Whether it be mentoring, grants, or conferences, Hochberg Prep has accomplished many of its accolades because of PEJE. I cannot thank you enough.

PEJE contributed to the professionalization of the day school movement. More heads of school are now paid a respectable salary. Administrators can benchmark their school's performance against other Jewish day schools; data now exist to make these comparisons. Boards of trustees can benefit from best practices in governance because training and research are available. Admissions directors and development directors have communities of professionals with whom they can share experience and gain advice. [The quality of the experience] has increased dramatically. I credit PEJE for that!

The contribution of PEJE to increasing the level of professionalism in the day school field has been immense. There is no substitute for full-time Jewish education. Other programs — camps, birthright etc. — are extremely valuable. But they are no substitute: it is like saying that if we have a local state college we don't need Harvard, Yale, MIT, Oxford or Cambridge. Our school — 85% non-orthodox — shows that it can be done.

PEJE’s "Beyond the Gala" conference was, hands-down, one of the most relevant and practical conferences I have ever attended — within both the Jewish and the corporate environments. I am so impressed with PEJE and grateful for its ability and commitment to helping development professionals become more effective and efficient.

Before PEJE, there was no address for Jewish day school advocacy. There was no place to turn for expertise or for models of professionalism. There was no Jewish day school movement. To a very significant degree, PEJE created all that. It changed the landscape. It normalized the idea of non-Orthodox day school as a legitimate option and an important investment in future Jewish leadership.