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What happens when you bring Jewish grad students, alumni, and young professionals together around a shared set of values?

At the Jewish Grad Organization (JGO), we're finding out, one conversation at a time.

On September 9, JGO launched the inaugural Jewish Values Roundtable in New York City, welcoming an accepted cohort of 26 Jewish grad students, alumni, and young professionals for a new kind of Jewish learning and community-building experience.

The first four sessions served as a beta round, giving JGO the opportunity to test the program, learn from participants, and refine the experience. Along the way, the team worked through early challenges, discovered what resonated most, and began shaping a program where meaningful conversations and lasting connections could take root.

That first round laid the groundwork for what came next.

On October 5, JGO welcomed its second Roundtable cohort, bringing together 30 participants for a new 10-week experience. Many participants from the inaugural round returned, joined by new faces ready to become part of the growing community.

And this time, the program had a new home.

The second cohort kicked off at the new JGO Townhouse in Manhattan, marking one of the building's first programs and an exciting new chapter for the Roundtable. Led by Rabbi Dave, the 10-week experience brings participants together every week at the Townhouse, with a different executive joining each session to share their perspectives and experiences. Together, these conversations create opportunities to explore Jewish values, exchange ideas, and consider how those values shape decisions in professional and personal life.

But the Roundtable is about more than a weekly gathering. It's an opportunity to strengthen the connections between Jewish grad students and the broader network of Jewish professionals in New York City.

For students preparing to enter their careers, that means building relationships beyond their campuses and learning from established leaders. For alumni and young professionals, it means finding new spaces for Jewish learning, community, and connection as their lives and careers evolve. And for JGO, it creates another way to bring together people who might otherwise never have crossed paths.

The return of participants from the inaugural cohort, alongside the arrival of a new group, reflects the potential for the Roundtable to become a lasting part of JGO's community in New York.

At JGO, we believe Jewish community shouldn't end at graduation. It should grow with people as they build their careers, form new relationships, and discover new ways to connect with Jewish life.

With 30 participants gathering weekly at the Townhouse and executives helping guide the conversation, the Values Roundtable is helping turn that vision into reality, one conversation at a time.

And this is only the beginning.

The Jewish Grad Organization is the national movement for Jewish grad students and alumni. Our mission is to foster Jewish community on grad school campuses and to cultivate Jewish identity and leadership among young adults at this critical life stage. Since 2011, JGO has built a network of grassroots Jewish affinity clubs at over 170 graduate campuses across North America, impacting 14,000 unique students a year through more than 948 annual programs. We have empowered a generation of young Jewish leaders and touched the lives of more than 50,000 individuals.

To support JGO's work across campuses in North America, visit https://www.rayze.it/JGO.