Friday, January 24, 2014

THE NEW NEW NORMAL

While in San Francisco, Jennifer Gorovitz leaves as Federation CEO to return to the practice of law, back on the East Coast, a lawyer in New York City moves to the position of CEO of North America's largest and most important Jewish Federation. Eric Goldstein, a young (relatively) partner at Paul, Weiss and a Federation lay leader (a vice chair since 2013...that's July) will succeed John Ruskay in this the most complicated community in North America. He has chaired important Orthodox and secular organizations and he is, as I understand it, by marriage, part of one of the most generous, in terms of dollars and time, Jewish families in North America. So, let's be clear, Eric Goldstein has a remarkable background in lay leadership; me, I would move that he be elected as Chair of New York UJA-Federation...but, this?? 

As ejewishphilanthropy wrote:
"The appointment of Goldstein – a lay leader with no known professional work experience in the nonprofit world – as CEO of North America’s largest Jewish Federation, has already been described to eJP as a tsunami for communal professionals – particularly the up and coming working in the North American federation system. For decades younger professionals have moved to other communities all the while being groomed for more senior roles. Taken together with recent choices at other federations to hire “outside” CEO’s, many are concerned about their own career trajectories. Additionally other organizational professionals, particularly those in the overseas arena, express nervousness about a new cohort of leaders who, at best, have a different understanding of communal responsibility." - See more at: http://ejewishphilanthropy.com/uja-fed-ny-selects-professional-outsider-as-new-ceo/?
On these pages we have decried this evident collapse of the professional selection process and the results that lead inevitably to the conclusion that the federation system is in collapse. What was once a selection "outside the box" is now the new, new normal. And, the history is clear -- there is not one federation that has hired a "professional outsider" that has any demonstrated success. We can only hope that somehow Eric Goldstein will be mentored and will seek advice from within and without UJA-Federation and will break the chain of failure. (I have asked you, my readers, to tell me of a single federation that has gone "outside" those professionally trained and experienced within the best federations who have led a community to success. I have heard from...none.)

A long-time communal professional and leader has written me a passionate charge to the leaders of the system in which he/she has toiled and to which she/he is so dedicated. This is how it read in pertinent part:
"Richard

"This should be a growing concern for our Jewish communal professional field.  I do not know Mr. Goldstein so I cannot comment on his  credentials and qualifications.  But his appointment, along with the growing trend of appointing Jewish communal professional executives from outside the field and system, should be ringing an alarm bell throughout our profession.  As this article (in ejp) indicates:  it is sending waves of concern to the already nervous cadre of young professionals, mid-level executives and senior professionals...who is next?  Where is JFNA "thought leadership" on this issue?  Where are our professional organizations like AJCOP or JCSA?  Where are the voices of our senior colleagues, ______ included?  What about the schools of Jewish Communal Service?  And perhaps we have ourselves to blame for not truly organizing our profession, requiring licensing and demonstrating competencies required for the work we do and demanding recognition, respect and practical benefits for a systemwide profession.  Both the Rabbinical Assembly and Central Conference of Reform Rabbis require ordination to be recognized as a bonafide Rabbi for the movements and establish compensation and benefit parameters that all participating congregations must adhere to.  What does the Jewish Federation movement have?  Nothing.  We all fend for ourselves.  There is no national pension program or other benefit program.  There are no guidelines, no criteria, etc.  This appointment, and others that are similar to it in recent years, should be a wake up call."

In what is now considered to be the distant past, federation professional leaders like Sandy Solender and Stanley Horowitz, among other of the great federation chief professional officers now past, prided themselves on the number of their proteges, whom they trained so well, who became federation CEOs around the Continent. Today, our best and brightest don't even bother with succession plans for themselves, let alone in promoting the best of their staff in Search processes around the country. Why...why have the giants of today been so remiss in building the professional federation leadership cadre? Why have these men...and they are all men...allowed Mandel to promote its CEO searches as JFNA's agent as, first and foremost, looking outside the system? There seems to be not of whit of care that this hire, as excellent as Eric Goldstein may turn out to be, is, as one of the most knowledgeable of what is happening today wrote me: It's another "black eye for the system."

For shame.

And, that's all from system Woebegone for the moment.

Rwexler





19 comments:

  1. This trend goes well beyond Federations.

    One of the most prominent Manhattan Jewish day schools, after a long search process for a new Head of School, just hired...the (lay) Chair of that search committee (!!!!!!!)

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  2. Yesterday morning, several hours prior to publication of their daily brief, JTA posted to their website:

    "EJewishPhilanthropy, an online publication read by many Jewish communal professionals, wrote that the appointment of Goldstein, “a lay leader with no known professional work experience in the nonprofit world,” is being described as a “tsunami for communal professionals - particularly the up and coming working in the North American federation system.”

    “For decades younger professionals have moved to other communities all the while being groomed for more senior roles. Taken together with recent choices at other federations to hire ‘outside’ CEO’s, many are concerned about their own career trajectories,” eJewishPhilanthropy wrote.

    ###

    At some point following distribution of their newsletter, those two paragraphs were deleted from their website.

    Who pressured JTA? UJA Fed NY? JFNA?

    So much for JTA's supposed independence!

    Dan Brown

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  3. The censorship exercised by undisclosed censors, apparently anxious to protect their constituents from truths, is abhorrent...or should be.

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  4. Just for edification, Scott Kaufman, CEO of Detroit, was a lay leader and NYL Cabinet Alumnus who switched careers to lead his community as chief professional. He has done an amazing job, and has been a great partner for our system.

    It won't be the case in every instance, but this is one where the switch benefitted the community and beyond.

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  5. While it is true that Scott Kaufman changed careers to move to the Federation, he didn't start as the CEO. He came in at a mid-level position, learned to be a Federation professional and only then earned the CEO promotion. He also retained most (all?) of the Senior Leadership team that Bob Aronson assembled while simultaneously making clear his own leadership and direction for the Federation.

    Scott is, and I'm sure will continue to be, an amazing CEO. Part of his success can be attributed having been part of the staff before becoming CEO.

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  6. I wish it just was "another black eye for the system". In fact, it is much more - it is a nail in the coffin of the Jewish Communal Service.

    Even if Goldstein is successful, the message is the same to those who have been members of the JCS - forgetaboutit.... so sad and depressing...

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  7. An additional thought... Goldstein's selection is a direct result of the failed CJF/UJA merger. If the CJF had still be functioning, this probably would have never happened. The Detroit clarification sort of proves the point. Appointing someone w/o any significant Jewish Communal Service professional traiing and experience is .... (fill in the blank)....

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  8. So let me get this straight, I'm being asked to support - with my very hard earned dollars - a social welfare system that just appointed the man who DEFENDED *Michael Milken* to its top professional post?!

    At least Mr Goldstein can point to fact that he profited handsomely from the creation of many new JFCS clients around the country.

    For shame.

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  9. The SADDEST response, so far, to the NY Fed hire is from Anonymous (11:18am) who wrote…

    “So let me get this straight, I'm being asked to support - with my very hard earned dollars - a social welfare system that just appointed the man who DEFENDED Michael Milken to its top professional post?!

    At least Mr Goldstein can point to fact that he profited handsomely from the creation of many new JFCS clients around the country. For shame.”
    ----------------------------------------------------------
    Sad, NOT because of the statement about hiring the guy who defended Milken, but because the responder called the Federations a 'social welfare system'.

    YIKES! Sure, ONE of the responsibilities of the Federation system is Social Welfare - Tikkun Olam. HOWEVER, the Federations should be (or were when they were relevant) MUCH more than Tikkun Olam (as important as that is).

    The fact that this is now a perception is yet another result of the failed merger of the CJF and the UJA. What a horrible situation this has become on many fronts - and, for sure, our community and People are not being well served.

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  10. This is all about the lemmings who are leading the federation movement today. It's not cool to hire from within the profession -- in fact, being in and of the profession is probably disqualifying in a number of federation searches today.

    Thanks for speaking out.

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  11. I started in the field 24 years ago, working my way up at various Federation but at this point, I don't have any confidence that I can move up in the field to a larger Federation to a top post, so I have begun looking outside the field. I doubt if I am the only one.

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  12. Richard, you wouldn't believe how hard JFNA has pushed for "outsiders" to capture the open CEO positions. It's as if trained federation pros seeking higher positions are disqualified by their federation backgrounds.

    And those LCE, why have they just sat quietly while the profession is devastated?

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  13. To the last'anonymous': It would be very helpful ff you can document this and somehow make it public.

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  14. LCE 's??
    Not a few of them think they are emulating Yoda, but in actuality they come off as the Peter Sellers character in "Being There", they "like to watch".

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  15. Interview with new NY Fed Exec

    http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/new-york-news/incoming-exec-hopes-expand-sense-kehillah

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  16. Can a federation leader and major donor really be called an "outsider"? If Richard Wexler wanted to become a federation exec, would we say the same thing? True, they are not "Jewish communal professionals" in that they were trained and worked in the system for meager pay for many years, but certainly they are not outsiders. We ought to be more careful in how we characterize SOME of these people who have gone on to become quite great professionals. If there are other reasons in this particular situation, that is one thing, but it may not be fair to condemn an entire cadre of stalwart leaders who wish to make the switch to professional status.

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  17. Friends, I have to be honest. Many readers know that when I was a much younger person, I threw my hat into the ring to be considered for the position of CEO for the newly created then UJC (or, back then, maybe it was "NEWCO"). I recounted that experience and others in "United Jewish Catastrophes...A Love Story." I didn't make the cut. During that process, one of the LCE, a friend, told one of my supporters that no lay person would ever become CEO -- that the mere thought would be opposed over his "dead body."

    In retrospect, I question how I would have handled being criticized, even constructively, by someone like me!!

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  18. Now another "expert" has checked in (Jerome Chanes, formerly of NJCRAC) to assert his theory on this hire -- that it is a final step in the on-going "battle" between the Yekkes and the litvaks. This seems so simplistic and one that even the NY-UJA leaders would argue had nothing to do with the hiring of Goldstein as the new CEO.

    Richard, what do you think?

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  19. Thanks for asking.

    In the communities of which I am aware, including my own, while the rest of Chanes' version of history is spot on, the "battle" to which he and you made reference, was over long, long ago. References in the Forward Forum piece to the fight in New York to establish a CRC are to a matter particular to New York as were most of his references.

    The question for me has never been Orthodox vs. "other," it is whether one can be called a "pilot" yet knows not how to fly a plane.

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