Our History

Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-Md.-7th) joined with the Baltimore Jewish Council in 1998 to provide students from his 7th Congressional District the opportunity to learn leadership skills, promote diversity, and develop positive community relations. In 1999, the Elijah Cummings Youth Program in Israel (ECYP) was established as a 501(c)(3) organization with its own Board of Directors. One year later, the Board, recognizing the students’ leadership potential, the importance of traveling abroad to Israel, and the students’ preparation for leadership opportunities within their own communities, introduced the two-year Jerold C. Hoffberger Leadership Enhancement Program (JHLEP) to augment the Israel experience and cultivate the students’ leadership aptitude.