Jewish Agency Names Boardroom Veteran as Chair

J. David Heller, president, CEO and co-founder of a U.S. multifamily development company, has been appointed chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel’s board of governors, the organization’s policymaking body. His appointment puts another senior philanthropic and business leader at the head of an institution working to support Israel’s recovery and strengthen Jewish communities worldwide.

The boardroom and its mandate

Heller succeeds Mark Wilf, whose four-year term ended October 25 during the agency’s semiannual board of governors gathering. Jewish community leaders from around the world make up the board. The announcement names Heller’s new position and the board’s policymaking role, but it doesn’t explain how the appointment was decided.

Heller’s résumé spans a network of institutions. He served as national campaign chair of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and chair of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland. In 2009, the U.S. president appointed him to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. He also serves on the boards of Parkwood Corporation, the Mandel Foundation, United Way of Greater Cleveland, Cleveland Foundation, American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the University of Michigan Ross School of Business Dean Advisory Board and several Jewish institutions in northeast Ohio.

Recovery, routed through partnerships

The Jewish Agency says it’s working to support Israel’s recovery and advance strategic initiatives in the north and south following the October 7, 2023, attacks. It also says it’s working to strengthen global Jewish communities amid a surge in antisemitism. Institutional partnerships sit at the center of that work, according to the agency: it undertook initiatives with the government of Israel and world Jewry, with support from JFNA, Keren Hayesod, the World Zionist Organization, friends of Israel, donors and foundations in Israel and around the world.

Since the attacks, the agency and its partners have assisted families affected by terrorism and missile attacks; business owners who suffered financial losses; reservists and their families; immigrant lone soldiers serving on active duty and in the reserves; and young people from northern and southern Israel. The announcement names both the groups receiving support and the network providing it. It doesn’t specify the funding amount or explain how the assistance reached people.

Heller described the work as a partnership between Israel and global Jewish communities. “Behind every effort to rebuild communities and strengthen Jewish life are people who need to know that they are not alone,” he said. He said he looked forward to working with board members and partners to help families recover, create opportunities in Israel’s north and south, and deepen connections among what he called “one Jewish people.”

A long institutional history

Executive chairman, retired Major General Doron Almog, praised Heller’s “deep love for the Jewish people and extensive leadership experience” and said he looked forward to working with him. Almog also thanked Wilf for leadership that, he said, helped the agency stand beside people in Israel and Jewish communities worldwide during a difficult period.

The Jewish Agency says it has worked since 1929 to secure a vibrant Jewish future. It helped found and build the State of Israel, serves as a link between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide, facilitates aliyah, supports society in Israel and responds to emergencies in Israel and to Jews at risk in other countries. Its announcement describes recovery as work carried out through boards, executives, government partnership, federations, foundations and donors. People needing help are named, too. Decisions and resources remain organized through those institutions.