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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Leading Jewish Public Affairs Organization Hires New Executive August 14, 2000 – New York, NY -- The Jewish Council for Public Affairs announced today that it has tapped Hannah Rosenthal, a former top official of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to lead the JCPA as Executive Vice Chair. She will assume the position in October. The JCPA serves as the public affairs arm of the organized Jewish community in the United States. "This is a critical time for the Jewish community," said Rosenthal, who recently stepped down as Midwest Regional Director for HHS. "From the developments in the Middle East to the first Jewish candidate on a national political ticket, we are surrounded by change and challenge. Especially at this time, I am eager to work with our crucial public affairs agenda." "We are thrilled to have Hannah join us," said Leonard Cole, Chair of JCPA, which represents 13 national Jewish agencies and 122 local Community Relations Councils. He continued: "It seems that everyone who has worked with her, whether in the Jewish community or in government, praises her ability to build consensus. Her commitment to social justice, to Israel and the Jewish people, is passionate and inspiring." "We had several terrific candidates to lead this important organization," said Michael Bohnen of Boston who headed the eight-member national search committee. "Hannah emerged above the rest because of her dedication to social justice and building community and her background as a Jewish and civic professional." Rosenthal was appointed by the President in 1995 to head the six-state, 16-city, Midwest Region for HHS, the country's largest. She was responsible for bipartisan efforts that resulted in health care coverage for uninsured families, implementing welfare reform efforts, and violence prevention activities. Rosenthal explained that being a child of a Holocaust survivor, her father, a rabbi, had always given her a sense of urgency when approaching community relations. "Strengthening families and building healthy communities is always what drives me whether it is my work in a religious institution, in education, in government, or in the private sector," Rosenthal said. "When I participated in a JCPA plenum, the annual conference, I admired the energy and the diversity of people involved." "JCPA is people putting Jewish social values into action," she said. Rosenthal, a current Madison, Wisconsin resident, has been a Jewish communal activist, an advocate for social justice, strong programs for children and families and the peace and security of Israel. Rosenthal comes from many generations of rabbis, and is a former rabbinical student and Jewish educator. Rosenthal served in both Democratic and Republican administrations as Executive Director of the Wisconsin Women's Council, a non-partisan state agency which focused on women's health and gender equity issues.
JCPA, formerly known as the National Jewish Community Relations Advisory Council or NJCRAC, represents major national Jewish organizations as well as the local community relations councils around the country. The 56 year-old agency's mandate is to foster the well being of Jews here, in Israel and throughout the world and to promote a just American society that is both democratic and pluralistic. As the umbrella agency for local Jewish Community Relations Councils, and many national agencies, the JCPA serves as a central voice in issues regarding Middle East peace and Israel security; civil rights and civil liberties; inter-group relations, and international human rights. JCPA programs draw young and old, Democrats and Republicans, Orthodox, Conservative and Reform Jews, college students and professionals from all over the country. JCPA headquarters are in New York City; it also maintains a Washington, D.C. office. * * * The Jewish Council for Public Affairs is the public affairs arm of the organized American Jewish community and serves as the national coordinating and advisory body for the 13 national and 122 local agencies comprising the field of Jewish community relations. |
