January 23, 2013

NEW YORK (JTA) — Some comings and goings in the Jewish community:

Jennifer Goldstone was named chief operations officer of the Birthright Israel Foundation, the U.S-based fundraising arm of Taglit-Birthright Israel. Goldstone, now the co-executive partner of SeaChange Capital Partners, previously was director of member services at the Jewish Funders Network.

David Hoffman assumed his post as Limmud International chair at the Limmud Conference 2012, where upwards of 2,500 Jews, including more than 100 activists from 40 Limmud communities around the world, gathered Dec. 23-27 in England.

David Eisner was named CEO and president of Repair The World, a Jewish social action organization. Eisner brings to Repair The World several years of executive experience in the public sector, including CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service, now a $1 billion federal agency established by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. More recently, Eisner was tapped by President Bill Clinton to serve as CEO and president of the nonprofit National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, where he served from 2009 until stepping down last October. 

Dr. William Weitzer was named executive director of the Leo Baeck Institute, the New York-based research library and archive of primary source material related to German-speaking Jewry. The former executive vice president of Fairfield University in Connecticut succeeds Carol Kahn Strauss, who will become the institute’s international director.

Rabbi Joshua Lookstein, the major gifts officer at the UJA-Federation of New York and scion of the family that founded and leads the Ramaz school in Manhattan, will be the new head of Westchester Day School in Mamaroneck, N.Y., beginning in the fall.

The Jerusalem Prize, an annual award recognizing contribution to Israeli society and the State of Israel, was awarded to AMIT, a network of 108 schools, youth villages and other programs for more than 25,000 Israeli students. Founded in 1925, AMIT promotes religious tolerance, service to the state and child development for students primarily from development towns. The award was presented by Israeli Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar at the annual Jerusalem Conference on Jan. 8.

Rabbi Charles Savenor, director of kehilla (congregational) enrichment for the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, was named the recipient of the 2012 USY Alumni Award. The Manhattan resident was presented the award at the USY International Convention in his native Boston on Dec. 23.

The Jewish Federation of Cleveland honored Adam Wieder at its 2013 campaign closing event on Dec. 13. An accounting partner at KPMG and board treasurer of the Fuchs Mizrachi School, Wieder was presented with the 2012 Ambassador Milton A. and Roslyn Z. Wolf Young Campaigner of the Year Award, which honors an annual campaign volunteer with an all-expenses-paid trip federation mission to Israel.

Deidre Berger, director of the AJC Berlin Ramer Institute for German-Jewish Relations, was one of five recipients of the Role Model for Societal Integration Prize awarded each year during International Migrants Day. Berger was recognized in the category of Achievements for Contributions to Social Harmony, Promotion of Democracy, Mutual Understanding Among Cultural and Religious Groups, and Engagement Against Racism and Xenophobia.

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