Eric David Fingerhut (born May 6,1959)[1] 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.
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.[6] 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."[7] 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 Fingerhut then issued a statement saying he had withdrawn out of "concerns regarding my participation amongst other speakers who have made highly inflammatory statements against the Jewish state."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.[8] 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 acceded to the demands of "more conservative donors instead of engaging with the full range of student voices —including those on the more liberal end."[9] 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."[10]
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