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Eric Fingerhut | |
---|---|
Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents | |
In office March 14, 2007 –March 14, 2011 | |
Governor | Ted Strickland John Kasich |
Preceded by | Roderick G. W. Chu |
Succeeded by | James M. Petro |
Member of the Ohio Senate from the 25th district | |
In office January 5,1999 –December 31,2006 | |
Preceded by | Judy Sheerer |
Succeeded by | Lance Mason |
In office January 3,1991 –December 12,1992 | |
Preceded by | Lee Fisher |
Succeeded by | Judy Sheerer |
Member of the U.S.HouseofRepresentatives from Ohio's 19th district | |
In office January 3,1993 –January 3,1995 | |
Preceded by | Ed Feighan |
Succeeded by | Steve LaTourette |
Personal details | |
Born | Eric David Fingerhut May 6,1959 [1] Cleveland,Ohio,U.S. |
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse | Amy Fingerhut |
Education | Northwestern University (BS) Stanford University (JD) |
Eric David Fingerhut (born May 6,1959) is an American politician,attorney,and academic administrator,serving as the President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA). [2] Prior to his appointment at JFNA,he served as president and CEO of Hillel International from 2013 to 2019. [3] Earlier,he served as the corporate Vice President of Education and STEM Learning business at Battelle Memorial Institute,Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents,Ohio state senator and member of the United States House of Representatives for one term.
Fingerhut was appointed Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents on March 14,2007 by Governor Ted Strickland. [4] This position is a member of the Ohio Governor's Cabinet. [5] On February 22,2011,he submitted his resignation to Gov. John Kasich,effective March 14,2011,after serving four years of his five-year term. Chancellor Fingerhut earned a reputation as an innovative leader and ardent advocate of the value of higher education. [6]
While representing Ohio's 19th congressional district in the 103rd Congress,Fingerhut was the co-sponsor of four bills in support of Israel. Including:
H.R. 1407 confronted a boycott of the State of Israel by aiming "To prohibit government-to-government and commercial arms sales to any country that is participating in or cooperating with the boycott of Israel by Arab countries." [7]
H.R. 3656 unequivocally voiced its support for Israel seeking to "restrict sales and leases of defense articles and defense services to any country or international organization which as a matter of policy or practice is known to have sent letters to United States firms requesting compliance with,or soliciting information regarding compliance with,the secondary or tertiary Arab boycott." [8]
Very quickly after beginning his tenure as CEO of Hillel International,the organization experienced a major controversy. The Hillel chapter at Swarthmore College declared itself an "Open Hillel," choosing to welcome all guest speakers and student organizations,whether or not they support Zionism. [9] Fingerhut responded,stating "Let me be very clear –"anti-Zionists" will not be permitted to speak using the Hillel name or under the Hillel roof,under any circumstances." [10] This controversy is widely seen as a key part of a broad conversation in the American Jewish community regarding whether or not Zionism is,or should be,a consensus issue.
Beginning in March 2015,Fingerhut was involved in a controversy with J Street U,the student arm of J Street. Fingerhut initially accepted an invitation to speak at the national student group meeting,but subsequently withdrew. Fingerhut then issued a statement saying he had withdrawn out of "concerns regarding my participation amongst other speakers who have made highly inflammatory statements against the Jewish state." Several people involved in US Jewish student life noted that in an era when the number of Jewish students engaging with Jewish and Israel-related campus groups is shrinking,it might be unproductive to alienate the 3,000 participants in the J Street conference,a population that included 40 Hillel professionals,and that Hillel donor pressure was the likely cause of Fingerhut's withdrawal. [11] On March 23,250 J Street students marched to Hillel headquarters,leaving letters for Fingerhut demanding a meeting with him and sharing their view that he caved to the demands of "more conservative donors instead of engaging with the full range of student voices —including those on the more liberal end." [12] Fingerhut then wrote to Benjy Cannon,the board president of J Street U and a senior at the University of Maryland,to arrange a meeting between the students and members of Hillel International’s board of directors. In his letter,Fingerhut said that there was "work to do in the Jewish community at large to be one people that respects,honors and celebrates its diversity rather than fearing it. This incident taught me just how deep the divide is. I don’t yet have all the answers to how we will bridge this divide,but as Hillel’s president,I am committed to working with you to find them and I have no doubt we will be successful." [13]
B'nai B'rith International is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit Jewish service organization and was formerly a German Jewish cultural association. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish people and the State of Israel and combating antisemitism and other forms of bigotry.
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Hillel:The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life,also known as Hillel International,is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world,working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 850 colleges and communities throughout North America and globally,including 30 communities in the former Soviet Union,nine in Israel,and five in South America.
The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) is an American nonprofit pro-Israel organization. Founded in 1897,as the Federation of American Zionists,it was the first official Zionist organization in the United States. Early in the 20th century,it was the primary representative of American Jews to the World Zionist Organization,espousing primarily Political Zionism.
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA),formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC),is an American Jewish umbrella organization for the Jewish Federations system,representing over 350 independent Jewish communities across North America that raise and distribute over $2 billion annually,including through planned giving and endowment programs,to support social welfare,social services and educational needs. Jewish Federations also provides fundraising,organization assistance,training,and overall leadership to the Jewish Federations and communities throughout the United States and Canada. The Federation movement protects and enhances the well-being of Jews worldwide through the values of tikkun olam,tzedakah and Torah.
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The Haavara Agreement was an agreement between Nazi Germany and Zionist German Jews signed on 25 August 1933. The agreement was finalized after three months of talks by the Zionist Federation of Germany,the Anglo-Palestine Bank and the economic authorities of Nazi Germany. It was a major factor in making possible the migration of approximately 60,000 German Jews to Palestine between 1933 and 1939.
J Street is a nonprofit liberal advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatically. J Street was incorporated on November 29,2007.
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The Anti-Defamation League (ADL),formerly known as the Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith,is a New York–based international non-governmental organization that was founded to combat antisemitism,bigotry and discrimination.
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The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law (LDB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Kenneth L. Marcus in 2012 with the stated purpose of advancing the civil and human rights of the Jewish people and promoting justice for all peoples. LDB is active on American campuses,where it says it combats antisemitism and anti-Zionism.
The AMCHA Initiative is a non-advocacy group that combats antisemitism on campuses through investigation,documentation,and education in order to protect Jewish students from assault and fear. In that capacity,it has sought to undermine BDS activities on campuses. AMCHA was founded in 2012 by University of California Santa Cruz lecturer Tammi Rossman-Benjamin and University of California Los Angeles Professor Emeritus Leila Beckwith. The term Amcha is Hebrew for "your people" or "your nation."
Students for Justice in Palestine is a pro-Palestinian college student activism organization in the United States,Canada and New Zealand. It has campaigned for boycott and divestment against corporations that deal with Israel and organized events about Israel's human rights violations. In 2011,The New York Times reported that "S.J.P.,founded in 2001 at the University of California,Berkeley,has become the leading pro-Palestinian voice on campus."
Stuart Weinblatt is an ordained rabbi and the President of the Rabbinic Cabinet of the Jewish Federations of North America. He is the senior rabbi of Congregation B’nai Tzedek in Potomac,Maryland. He and his wife founded the Conservative synagogue in 1988 with only a handful of families. The congregation's membership is now over 650 families. Rabbi Weinblatt also served as Director of Israel Policy and Advocacy for the Rabbinical Assembly starting in 2009 and was tapped by the Jewish National Fund to head up and organize their "Rabbis for Israel" affinity group.
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