Gratz College, located in the Melrose Park section of Cheltenham Township, announced that it has entered into a “strategic partnership” with the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia regarding the long-term future of the Mandell Education Campus at 7601 Old York Road.

As part of this agreement, control of the 60,000 sf Ann Newman Building will be transferred to the Jewish Federation in July 2025, at which time the college will leave the building. In exchange, the Federation has purchased Gratz’s equity stake in the Mandell Campus, making it the property’s sole owner. Both sides declined to disclose the size of Gratz College’s equity stake, according to the Philadelphia Business Journal.

The college is searching for a new space for administrative offices and programming near the Mandell Campus. The 28-acre campus also houses the Perelman Jewish Day School.

“Gratz College will begin its search for a new site to continue providing educational programs to the Old York Road Jewish community while preparing its new campus in Bala Cynwyd,” the college said in a statement released on Tuesday. “Meanwhile, the Jewish Federation will collaborate with remaining tenants and local stakeholders to develop a strategic plan that explores all options for maximizing the campus’s value and impact in supporting the local Jewish community.”

The 28-acre Mandell Campus, originally purchased in 1985 from the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart by a group led by Marcel Groen, Stephen Rudman, and Joel Weisbein, was transferred to the Federation following a $2.1 million sale.

Gratz College purchased the Levering Mill Tribute House in Bala Cynwyd for $1.8 million in July, Montgomery County Property records show.

“This partnership plays a crucial role in our broader strategy to sustain and invigorate Jewish life in Elkins Park and along the Old York Road corridor,” Michael Balaban, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, said in the statement. “We are proud to work with Gratz College on this initiative. By engaging closely with all agencies and stakeholders, we aim to ensure that the Mandell Campus continues to serve community interests effectively.”

Gratz College, an original tenant on the Mandell Campus, moved from 10th Street and Tabor Road to Melrose Park and invested $3 million in constructing a dedicated building on the site.

The school currently has around 500 students, offering graduate, certificate and continuing education for professionals.

“Today, Gratz is renowned for its robust graduate programs in Education, Jewish Studies, Holocaust and Genocide Studies, and Antisemitism Studies,” the college said. “These programs leverage advanced online learning modalities, leaving much of the 60,000-square-foot Newman building underutilized.”

“This is an exciting period of growth for Gratz College, in ways that are significantly different from our work forty years ago,” said Gratz College President Zev Eleff. “We are eager to rightsize our physical plant and identify a new location that will continue to serve our Old York Road community.”

In April 2023, the Federation was considering the sale of three of its other local campuses in Bryn Mawr, Wynnewood, and Philadelphia. In 2016, the Federation was considering converting some of the Mandell campus to housing, according to The Jewish Exponent.

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