Published: 15 April 2022
Last updated: 27 June 2024
JUDY MALTZ: Deal to retain Grundwerg, who fell out of favour with Netanyahu after he elevated a left-wing activist to a top position in UIA, was backed by Steven Lowy
SAM GRUNDWERG, CHAIRMAN of Israel's international fundraising arm Keren Hayesod, will hold onto to his position for another three-and-a-half years as part of a new deal conceived under pressure from the organization's board of trustees.
Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had tried but failed to oust Grundwerg after the Keren Hayesod leader recruited a well-known leftist activist for a top position in the organization.
Last month, World Zionist Organization Chairman Yaakov Hagoel agreed to demands from Keren Hayesod’s international trustees that Grundwerg’s appointment be extended until late 2025, when the next World Zionist Congress is scheduled to take place.
The WZO is effectively the parent company of Keren Hayesod, Israel's fundraising arm in all major Jewish communities in the world outside the United States.
In a letter notifying Keren Hayesod’s world leadership about the extension of Grundwerg’s appointment, World Board of Trustees Chairman Steven Lowy wrote, “I am very pleased that this issue has finally been resolved and this gives Keren Hayesod the much-needed stability and continuity in its senior leadership.”
Lowy was one of two representatives of Keren Hayesod to sit on the 10-person committee tasked with selecting a new chairman of the executive of the Jewish Agency. The committee failed to reach a consensus on any of the candidates that were put forward, resolving last month to begin the search again from scratch.
