After leading CESJDS through COVID-19, doubling the endowment program on the school’s 50th anniversary and guiding the community through the Israel-Hamas War, Rabbi Mitchel Malkus is stepping down after 12 years to start a new chapter in his career. He gave the Board of Directors a two-year notice to find a replacement as the Board creates a search committee to look for Malkus’s successor in that timeframe.
Malkus informed the larger school community via an email sent in the summer with a letter from the Board of Directors President Ayala Nuriely Kimel and a letter from Malkus himself. His letter highlighted his gratitude for the school and pledged his unwavering commitment to his work for the next two years.
Prior to sending out the email, he told a small group of administrators and his family of his decision to not renew his contract as Head of School.
“He said, ‘I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I’ve decided that I’m going to be leaving JDS in two years,’” Eitan Malkus (‘23) said. “…Coby [Malkus’s son and Eitan’s brother] and I don’t go to JDS anymore, but it’s still obviously a really hard decision for him to make, because he loves this school, and he spent a very long time there.”
Malkus has had many accomplishments over his years at JDS, such as creating the mission statement and the JDS Portrait of a Graduate documents that are pillars of the school’s values. Additionally, Malkus has hired much of the current leadership, with one being the High School Principal and Head of the Upper School Campus Lisa Vardi. Vardi works closely with Malkus, and said she has learned leadership skills from him.
“Rabbi Malkus hired me so I’ve gotten to know him well,” Vardi said. “I respect him immensely. He’s very grounded. He really lives the values of the school and loves the school.”
Malkus has no firm plans for the next step of his career, but he viewed the end of the 2026 school year as the best time to step down. He said factors in the timing of his decision included his children being in university rather than at JDS, and that this was a natural time to shift career focus in the trajectory of his career so far.
Malkus is proud of his time at JDS and looks forward to leading the school throughout the next two years. As the Board of Directors starts to look for Malkus’s successor, Malkus continues to work on improving the school. This year, the school is launching the Lauder Initiative and the Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship and Malkus pledges to continue to create new programs.
“I have shared with the board that I want to do whatever I can to set the school up for success and my successor up for success, so whatever way that I can be helpful, I want to be. I also want to be able to step aside and let the next person lead,” Malkus said.
With the start of the search for a new Head of School, the leadership in the school is reflecting on Malkus’ time at JDS and working on finding someone who remains dedicated to the school’s mission and values.
“I think it’s important for the head of school to be a master educator, to know what it means to run a school, to know what it means to lead a school and to be ethical, moral, transparent, and decision making to be collaborative…” Vardi said. “That’s something that I really admire about Rabbi Malkus.”
While JDS is going to see a major shift in its leadership at the beginning of the 2026-2027 school year, Malkus is said he is working on the same goals he had before he decided to leave, and there is no major shift to the way the school is operating until the new Head of School is chosen.
“I will always be a supporter of the school, and will always care about JDS but, as I leave, it will be time for the next person to lead our amazing school,” Malkus said.
