Head of JFNA announces he is stepping away from organization
The search for a new CEO could take more than a year.
By DANIEL J. ROTHJerry Silverman standing at the Western Wall. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
NEW YORK - The President and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America announced that he is stepping down as the organization's leader after nearly a decade at the helm.Jerry Silverman said he will not seek another term as head of the JFNA when his contract ends in September 2019, noting in a statement that he wants to devote more time to his family.“I wholeheartedly plan to continue at my usual pace until September 2019. My decision is bittersweet,” he wrote. “However, as I have always stated, family comes first.”Silverman is the father of five children.The JFNA is an umbrella body of local community Jewish philanthropies that helps coordinate the activities and prerogatives of 148 Jewish federations and 300 smaller “network” communities.The JFNA claims to raise more than $2 billion annually for charitable programs, which is then distributed to Jewish educational services in Israel, North America and abroad.The search for a new CEO could take more than a year, Silverman said.
