About JEFA

Ensuring the taxpayer’s donation reaches the community’s children

The Jewish Education Fund of America is a 501(c)(3) Scholarship Granting Organization with a single purpose: to carry the new federal tax credit into Jewish day schools and yeshivas across the country, so that the taxes our community already pays can fund the education it has always paid for twice.

Pre-register with JEFA Why JEFA exists

A grandfather and his grandson smiling at each other over an open book in a book-lined study

The story

For generations, Jewish families have carried two school systems at once: the public schools their taxes fund, and the Jewish schools their children attend. The community made it work the way it always has: dinners, appeals, scholarship funds pieced together one year at a time, so that no child would be turned away over tuition.

The Education Freedom Tax Credit is the first federal law that changes that math. Starting January 1, 2027, up to $1,700 of the taxes each person already owes can become a scholarship instead. JEFA was founded to make sure those dollars reach Jewish classrooms: every school, every community, every state that opens its doors.

As a registered Scholarship Granting Organization, we connect donors who redirect their federal tax dollars with families seeking scholarships at Jewish day schools and yeshivas nationwide. We build the administrative and compliance infrastructure so schools and families never have to.

We are a national organization, purpose-built for the launch of the credit on January 1, 2027, so that on day one, the Jewish community is ready.

Leadership

President & Chief Executive Officer

David N. Klein

David Klein is the President of the Jewish Education Fund of America, where he leads the organization’s national strategy to expand access to Orthodox Jewish education through scholarship and tuition tax-credit programs. His work focuses on building sustainable administrative and financial frameworks that enable families across the United States to afford high-quality Jewish day school education while connecting donors with meaningful opportunities to support the next generation of Jewish students.

In addition to his leadership at JEFA, David serves as Executive Director of the Lakewood Development Corporation, where he also acts as the Urban Enterprise Zone Coordinator and Administrator of Foreign Trade Zone #235 for Lakewood, New Jersey — overseeing economic development initiatives, government programs, and strategic partnerships in coordination with government agencies, business leaders, and community organizations.

David’s background spans finance, operations, and business development, including roles as Chief Operating Officer of Hypersonic Intercept Technologies (HIT), Inc., COO of Amplified Power & Gas, Managing Director of Klein Capital LLC, and AVP and Senior Small Business Financial Specialist at Wachovia Bank. He also served as a beloved teacher of Talmudic Law at Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva and holds a Master of Talmudic Law from Torah Ore Talmudic College.

Director

Congressman Trent Franks

Congressman Trent Franks served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2003 to 2017 representing Arizona, where he became widely known as a leading national advocate for educational freedom and school choice. Nearly three decades ago, he drafted the first federal school-choice legislation proposing a tuition tax-credit framework to help families access private and faith-based education — work that helped shape the movement culminating in today’s Education Freedom Tax Credit.

His commitment to children and family policy began long before Congress. At 29, he was appointed to lead the Arizona Governor’s Office for Children, a cabinet-level division coordinating statewide policy for Arizona’s youth. Arizona legislators later honored him as “Children’s Champion,” and he founded the Arizona Family Research Institute.

In Congress, Franks served as Chairman of the bipartisan Israel Allies Caucus and was widely regarded by colleagues as the most pro-Israel member of Congress, working throughout his career to strengthen the U.S.–Israel relationship and protect religious freedom and faith-based education.

Director of Operations

Chaim Orelowitz

Chaim Orelowitz serves as Director of Operations for JEFA, managing organizational operations, program coordination, and community engagement initiatives that support the mission of expanding access to Orthodox Jewish education. He helps oversee the administrative and operational systems that allow JEFA’s scholarship initiatives to function efficiently while coordinating with community partners, schools, and families.

Chaim brings a diverse background in education, social services, and nonprofit program management, having served as a Project Manager and Licensed Social Worker with the Lakewood Community Service Corporation, where he worked on community outreach and social service programs serving children and young adults.

Earlier in his career he taught in Lakewood at Tashbar of Lakewood and through Catapult Learning, developing personalized curriculum for students with specialized learning needs, and coordinated a national business mentorship program with Aish HaTorah. He holds a Master of Social Work from the Wurzweiler Graduate School of Social Work and a B.A. in Political Science from Touro University.

Chief Marketing Officer

Philip (Psachya) Skaist

Philip (Psachya) Skaist serves as Chief Marketing Officer of JEFA, leading the organization’s national communications, branding, and donor outreach strategy. He oversees marketing campaigns, media production, and digital storytelling designed to expand awareness of Jewish educational scholarship opportunities and inspire philanthropic support for Orthodox Jewish day school education across the United States.

Philip brings more than two decades of experience in media production, marketing, and communications. As the owner of Signature Video Productions since 2004, he has worked with organizations, businesses, and community institutions to produce high-quality visual media and marketing content, with earlier communications experience at IDT Corporation.

Earlier in his career, Philip taught at the Hebrew Academy of San Francisco. He studied at the Talmudical Academy of Baltimore and continued his learning at Ner Israel Rabbinical College.

Chief Financial Officer

Joshua Brotsky

Joshua Brotsky serves as Chief Financial Officer of JEFA, overseeing the organization’s financial management, operational systems, and fiscal accountability. He is responsible for developing financial processes that support JEFA’s scholarship-granting programs, ensuring transparent stewardship of donor funds, and helping build the administrative infrastructure required to scale scholarship initiatives that expand access to Jewish day school education.

Joshua brings more than a decade of leadership experience in financial administration, operations management, and organizational systems. As General Manager of CYA Trading in Lakewood, New Jersey, he managed company operations and implemented modern organizational tools and workflow systems to improve productivity, communication, and financial tracking — and he is known for building efficient systems with strong internal controls.

Earlier in his career, Joshua served as Administrator of Yeshiva Medrash Chaim, managing tuition collections, donor relations, financial reporting, and event coordination, and as Operations Manager at Community Care Behavioral Health. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Talmudic Studies from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

Governance

The law that created the credit also sets strict rules for the organizations that carry it, and JEFA is built around them.

At least 90% of every donation becomes scholarships.

Federal law requires it; our annual audit confirms it.

Separate accounts, no commingling.

Donations are held in the dedicated accounts the law requires.

Every family verified.

Income eligibility is checked under the federal rules before any award.

Every award by the rules.

Returning students first, siblings second, then other eligible families. Donors may choose a school, never a student.

Independent.

JEFA is a private 501(c)(3) nonprofit, not part of, affiliated with, or endorsed by the IRS, the U.S. Department of the Treasury, the U.S. Department of Education, or any state or local government.

Talk to a person

Write to us at infojefamerica.org and a person will answer.

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Be first in line

Pre-register with JEFA today and we'll make sure your contribution, and your credit, are locked in the moment the program opens on January 1, 2027.

Ensuring the taxpayer’s donation reaches the community’s children

Why JEFA exists

The people behind the fund.