INEXPLICABLE

As those of you who are long-time readers of this Blog will remember, your author holds no brief for the Zionist Organization of America, even as I appreciate that organization's unequivocal support of Israel and its political acumen under its President for Life, Morton Klein. I now find myself in agreement with the ZOA in its shock and in its opposition to the nomination of the immediate past Chair of HIAS to succeed Art Stark as Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. I am, with ZOA's and many Conference leaders, in total disbelief, although my reasons may be different. And, while Jonathan Tobin, the prolific editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate, has framed his own question raised by the Conference's nomination -- Do the Jews really need a Conference of Presidents? -- there seems to this writer to be little reason to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

There are multiple reasons to oppose Dianne Lob's nomination, let alone her election, all of them compelling. None of those reasons suggest that she lacks great leadership skills: some of those reasons are more compelling than others. For example:

1. HIAS is neither a "Major" Jewish Organization nor, for that matter, any longer a "Jewish" one. It was once one of the great Jewish entities; no longer. ( I served oin its Board and Executive back in my youth.)While the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society once was responsible for bringing Jewish immigants to America by the 10's of 1000's, the organization has eliminated Hebrew from its name and, in fact, now operates as an "acronym" supporting a general refugee population and, for reasons unclear, has joined with organizations whose raisons d'être are to oppose Israel. I have written before of the HIAS fund-raising letter I received at Pesach 2019 pleading for financial assistance for a Muslim refugee; a noble effort, one about which we were reminded in a strong JTA editorial supporting Lob's nomination (Conference of Presidents Names the Right Chair) but one which ignores HIAS' current stance that has disassociated itself from those same Jewish roots. Caring for the "stranger" has always been and should always remain part of the Jewish communal n'shama but is hardly a reason for HIAS' continuing membership on the CofP or for its past-Chair to be elected to lead it.
2. Under Ms. Lob's leadership, HIAS made common cause with radical organizations and individuals which/who have stood opposed to the State of Israel. If the Conference quite properly opposed membership for JStreet, it is hard to conjure the arguments for Dianne Lob's Conference leadership. And, then, HIAS made a conscious politicasl decision to position itself as the Jewish Organization which not only opposed the Trump Administration's immigration policies but Trump himself. An ad featuring a HIAS v. Trump banner featured a fund raisng message built on that confrontation. Many of us oppose these policies ands the Administration's slavish devotion to them, but HIAS has made of its opposition a political act as well as a principled one.
3. Since its inception, the Conference has been Chaired by men and women of incredible distinction, recognized American opinion leaders and influencers with total dedication to the State of Israel. Among them: Cardin, Lauder, Tisch, Abram, Stone, Zuckerman, Klutznick and Greenberg. The organizations which they led stood in support of Israel. I have no doubt that Dianne Lob is a wonderful person and strong leader but one would have to engage in real sophistry to argue that for purposes of election to the CoP Chair, one ahould ignore that but for her leadership service to HIAS she would not be considered for the new position. There are some at the Conference who in their support of Lob's candidacy who have argued that the CoP membership should divorce Lob from her HIAS leadership service -- sorry, it doesn't work that way.

I have reflected on these pages my personal hopes for William Daroff's success as the newly "ordained" Conference CEO while reflecting on how much more difficult that success is to achieve so long as the inestimable Malcolm Hoenlein remains in a very visible, public position as the organization's "Executive Vice-Chair" (even commenting to the press on the CoP professionals' hands'-off non-role in its Nominating process -- a comment that appears to be untrue). Now...this. If Hoenlein wants to be of real support to Daroff, he should have been/should be quietly urging CofP lay leaders to go back to the Nominating Committee drawing board and start over.

Rwexler