Strengthening Jewish connection, identity, and pluralistic engagement across diverse communities.
JCC Association Center for Israel Engagement
JWB Jewish Chaplains Council
Mandel Center for Jewish Education
The Center for Jewish Peoplehood aligns and advances JCC Movement professional development programs and community experiences that deepen Jewish identity and connection across generations. These programs are carried out by the Mandel Center for Jewish Education, the Center for Israel Engagement, JCC Maccabi®, JCC Camps of North America, and JWB Jewish Chaplains Council® and include initiatives in arts and culture, inclusion, and family engagement.
Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus
Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus is the executive director of JCC Association’s Center for Jewish Peoplehood, a unified home for the programs and experiences that shape Jewish identity, belonging, and shared community across North America and beyond. Before joining JCC Association he was the CEO of Shalom Austin, where, during his 10-year tenure, Rabbi Septimus increased total revenue, expanded engagement, built a leadership pipeline, strengthened staff culture, and initiated a strategic plan focused on family engagement, Israel and peoplehood, and brand storytelling. He previously was the executive director of Texas Hillel Foundation and Texas Hillel Endowment Foundation in Austin, Texas, and the associate rabbi and director of congregational learning at Temple De Hirsch Sinai in Seattle, Washington. A fifth-generation Houstonian, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Jewish studies from Tulane University and rabbinic ordination from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. Earlier in his career he was the recipient of a Hartman Fellowship for Jewish Campus Professionals and a Schusterman Foundation Fellowship for Jewish Leaders.
Contact Rabbi Daniel A.