Guidance, not placement
Etzah is not a job placement program, recruiting service, or hiring platform. Mentors are not expected to find jobs for mentees, make introductions on demand, or act as recruiters.
A professional career mentorship programSun, September 20, 2026 · 9 Tishrei 5787
Share what you know. Discover what’s possible.
Etzah is a new professional career mentorship program at Temple Sholom. It is designed to connect members together to share experience, build relationships, and help one another grow professionally.
Applications open at Kol Nidrei, 20 September 2026. The program is expected to begin with a pilot cohort in early 2027.
01Why Etzah exists
Everyone here has something to offer, and something to gain
Careers today are rarely linear. Many people are navigating early career decisions, career transitions, changing workplaces, leadership opportunities, new industries, or questions about what comes next. At the same time, our community includes members across generations, fields, and career stages with professional wisdom and experience to share.
Etzah means counsel. Wisdom or advice given from one person to another, of the kind that helps a career find its way. This program is designed to create thoughtful, curated professional mentorship within the Temple Sholom community. Conversations may include career paths, workplace experience, industry knowledge, leadership, transitions, skill-building, professional confidence, and navigating different stages of working life. The focus is on career guidance and professional growth, rather than job placement, recruiting, and general networking.
The program is expected to begin with a pilot cohort in early 2027 so the committee can start small, learn from the experience, and continue shaping the model over time. After members express interest, the committee will work on creating thoughtful, impactful matches for the first Etzah cohort. Because this is a pilot program, some applicants may be considered for the first cohort while others may be considered for future cohorts.
Etzah is rooted in a simple idea: within our community, we have knowledge, experience, and perspective to share. By connecting more intentionally, we can help one another grow professionally while strengthening the relationships that make Temple Sholom a place to belong.
If you are curious about what this kind of connection could offer, we encourage you to take the first step and apply!
02
Worth saying plainly
The focus is on professional guidance, career perspective, skill-building, and meaningful mentorship. So that everyone arrives with the same expectations, here is what Etzah is not.
Professional in scope
Etzah is not intended to provide religious guidance, counselling, therapy, life coaching, or general advice outside of a professional career context.
Curated, not networking
The intention is a thoughtful and curated approach rather than a self-directed or open networking model, so no one browses a directory.
03Who Etzah is for
Seeking guidance,
or offering it
Etzah is being designed for Temple Sholom members who are interested in professional career mentorship, whether they are seeking guidance or offering guidance.
Early in their careers
People at the beginning of working life.
Navigating a career transition
A change under way, chosen or not.
Exploring a new direction
Curiosity about a different field.
Growing into leadership
More responsibility, and what it asks.
Returning to work
A gap of any length, for any reason.
Looking for perspective
From someone with relevant professional experience.
A member who is only ever helped is a recipient. A member who is also helping someone else is a participant.
That distinction is the difference between a program people remain part of and one that quietly empties. It is why Etzah asks everyone what they are able to offer, as well as what they are hoping to find.
04How a cohort runs
Five steps, three months
- 01
You apply
You express interest through a short application: your professional background, interests, goals, and availability.
- 02
We curate every match
The committee reviews the information shared by interested participants and works to create meaningful matches. Thoughtful and curated, rather than self-directed or open networking.
- 03
The cohort begins
Everyone meets at an in-person kickoff at the temple, with a short orientation for mentors and for mentees.
- 04
Three months together
You are encouraged to meet with your mentor or mentee at least once a month, either in person or online.
- 05
A wrap-up gathering
The cohort closes together in person, and those who wish to may tell the congregation what came of it.
05How matching works
Curated, and
still being shaped
The matching process is still being developed, but the intention is to take a thoughtful and curated approach rather than a self-directed or open networking model.
What the committee learns
As part of the pilot, the committee will learn more about members’ professional backgrounds, interests, goals, and availability, and use that information to shape meaningful mentorship connections.
What the program includes
A thoughtfully curated match with a mentor or mentee, over a three-month period, with an in-person kickoff and wrap-up event.
Still to be confirmed
Etzah is still being shaped. The committee will confirm the full format, including how meetings are arranged, before the first cohort begins.
06Two ways in
Two ways in
Become a mentor
What is being asked of you
- Three months, meeting at least once a month, in person or online.
- Conversations about career paths, workplace experience, industry knowledge, leadership, transitions and skill-building.
- No obligation to find jobs, make introductions on demand, or act as a recruiter.
- An in-person kickoff and a wrap-up event.
You need not be senior, retired, or an authority in your field. You need only be a step further along than someone else.
Apply to be a mentorFind a mentor
What you can expect
- Three months, meeting at least once a month, in person or online.
- A thoughtfully curated match, rather than a directory to browse.
- What you share stays between you, your mentor, and the committee.
- An in-person kickoff and a wrap-up event.
Being between roles, or beginning again later in your working life, is met here with respect and nothing else.
Apply to be a menteeWhat happens next
Your application will be answered
Applications open on the night of Kol Nidrei, 20 September 2026, and remain open through the autumn. The committee reads them, curates the matches with care, and the pilot cohort begins in early 2027.
Because this is a pilot, not everyone who applies will be in the first group. You will hear from us either way, and you may be considered for a future cohort.