What does it take to build a school from scratch? Especially a school as sophisticated as a Jewish day school. In this podcast, we sit down with Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl, who throughout his career has taken three schools from concept to reality. Most recently, in August 2023, he helped open the Jewish Leadership Academy in Miami, Florida. The Jewish Leadership Academy is a highly selective Jewish middle and high school dedicated to developing the skills, curiosity, and potential of Miami’s most ambitious students for a life of purpose, commitment, and service. Hear lessons learned from Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl, and stories shared from each of his successful schools. Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl is the CEO of the Ades Family Foundation and the founding head of school of the Jewish Leadership Academy in Miami. A nationally sought after speaker and award-winning teacher, Rabbi Perl earned his bachelor’s from the University of Pennsylvania, a master’s and Ph.D. from Harvard, and rabbinical ordination from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary at Yeshiva University. He is the author of the book The Pillar of Volozhin: Rabbi Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin and the World of Nineteenth-Century Lithuanian Torah Scholarship, as well as numerous articles on the history of Modern Jewry, contemporary Jewish education, and Modern Orthodoxy.