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JCRC-NY Names Gideon Taylor as Executive Vice President & CEO
Click here for the full press release.
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Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
Appoints New Chief Executive Officer
NEW YORK CITY – March 24, 2021 – The Board of Directors of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) announced the appointment of Gideon Taylor as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer as of July 1, 2021 ushering in a new chapter in the leadership of New York’s most prominent Jewish community relations and advocacy organization.
Mr. Taylor has served as a member of the JCRC-NY Board of Directors for the past five years and will succeed current Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Michael S. Miller, who will conclude his longstanding tenure on June 30, 2021 after more than 36 years at the helm of the organization.
With a history of leadership, Mr. Taylor is Executive Vice President of EWKA, Inc., a commercial real estate company in New York. In June 2020, Mr. Taylor was elected as lay President of the Board of Directors of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference), the entity responsible for Holocaust restitution negotiations and social welfare programs for Nazi victims worldwide. He previously served as Executive Vice President of the Claims Conference and as Assistant Executive Vice President of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
In September 2020, a Search Committee was formed, and following a six-month search, the committee presented its recommendation to the Executive Committee which in turn conveyed its unanimous choice to the full Board at its meeting today.
“Gideon is a passionate and well-respected leader who has served the diverse New York Jewish community locally as well as the wider Jewish community internationally. At this critical moment, as our community faces increased levels of antisemitism, internal polarization, and a changing political landscape, we are delighted that Gideon has been selected to lead JCRC-NY into the future,” said JCRC-NY President Cheryl Fishbein.
“For decades, JCRC-NY has fostered meaningful relationships with the political, ethnic, and faith leadership of New York. As our city continues to evolve and diversify, we are confident that Gideon’s advocacy and leadership will be a positive force for the collective good of the Jewish community and our neighbors throughout New York City, Long Island, and Westchester,” said Jonathan Greenspun, Chair of the Search Committee and Managing Director at Mercury Public Affairs.
“As we emerge from the pandemic, we are aware that the coming years will bring other unique challenges for JCRC-NY and the New York Jewish community – some discernible and some that we cannot forecast,” said Taylor. “I intend to continue the essential work of building close relationships within the Jewish community and strengthening our commitment to build impactful coalitions with the many diverse communities that make up our City.”
Michael S. Miller noted, “JCRC-NY is very fortunate to have Gideon Taylor as my successor and its next CEO. His work on the international scale has benefitted innumerable Jewish communities, including many Holocaust survivors in New York. I have worked with Gideon both in his role as a Jewish professional and as a lay leader and have witnessed his dedication to strengthening our Jewish community and his commitment to building bridges of understanding with others.”
“UJA-Federation is a proud supporter and partner of JCRC-NY in the community relations and advocacy arena,” said Eric S. Goldstein, Chief Executive Officer of UJA-Federation of New York. “We welcome Gideon as the new CEO of JCRC-NY. He is an accomplished leader, and we look forward to working with him, and the entire JCRC-NY team, in building stronger bridges across our community.”
William C. Daroff, Chief Executive Officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations said: “I have often sought Gideon’s guidance on effectively engaging Members of
Congress, the Executive Branch, and international governments on issues pertaining to Holocaust
survivors and property restitution. Gideon is a trusted advisor and confidante who knows the New
York civic and political scene very well.”
Originally from Dublin, Ireland, Mr. Taylor is a law graduate of Trinity College in Dublin and received his master’s degree in law from Oxford University. He is admitted as an attorney in the State of New York, Ireland and the United Kingdom.
ABOUT JCRC-NY
JCRC-NY, a proud UJA-Federation of NY agency, serves as the primary community relations agency for the Jewish community in the metropolitan New York area. As an active force in New York civic and communal life, JCRC-NY operates as a central coordinating and resource body to: (1) Be a common table to cultivate understanding and joint action amongst diverse groups within the Jewish community; (2) Cultivate deeper relationships with the broader New York community to address critical issues and engender a shared society; (3) Ensure the security of the Jewish community in the face of rising antisemitism; and (4) Foster understanding and appreciation for the Jewish community’s relationship with Israel, and to increase knowledge, exposure, and support for Israel among diverse groups of New Yorkers.
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Additional Comments
Amy A. B. Bressman, President, UJA-Federation of New York
“We at UJA welcome Gideon Taylor to his role as CEO of JCRC-NY. He is an outstanding leader who will bring much to the work of the JCRC. We are looking forward to working with him to advance the Jewish community relations agenda and wish him much good luck in this new position.”
Alisa Doctoroff, past President of UJA-Federation of New York
“Gideon Taylor is a highly experienced and tested leader whose understanding of the JCRC of the future, combined with his passion for representing the values and interests of the New York Jewish community will serve JCRC and our City well.”
Stuart Eizenstat, former Deputy-Secretary of the US Treasury; Special Negotiator of the Claims Conference
“I have often worked side-by-side with Gideon Taylor observing his keen knowledge and sound judgement. With his exceptional ability, leadership experience in the Jewish world, and the trust of US government officials that he has earned, Gideon is an excellent choice to lead JCRC-NY into the future.”
Abe Foxman, Holocaust Survivor; former National Director of the Anti-Defamation League
“I have seen Gideon’s tenacity and determination to help the thousands of survivors living in New York receive the reparations and services they require. These skills will serve him well in his advocacy for the Jewish community as CEO of JCRC-NY.”
Robyn Polansky Morrison, Founder & Lead Principal of MORR Strategy LLC; Secretary of JCRC-NY
“Through the process of finding the right candidate who will continue to ensure the continuity, interests, and vitality of the diverse metropolitan Jewish community and who will continue building bridges between New Yorkers of all age groups, religious movements, nationalities, and political persuasions, Gideon Taylor has outstandingly acknowledged a deep understanding of the significance of this work as well as his steadfast commitment. I look forward to collaborating with Gideon particularly on engaging the next generation for JCRC-NY.”
Sol Werdiger, Chairman of Agudath Israel of America’s Board of Trustees
“Gideon Taylor has worked with Orthodox Jewish communities in both professional and volunteer capacities ensuring that the most vulnerable of us are cared for with humanity and respect. We are blessed to continue working with him in this new capacity.”
2021 JCRC-NY Focus on Communal Priorities
Read the 2021 JCRC-NY Focus on Communal Priorities here.
Be sure to click through the document for links to articles and further information!
JCRC-NY Congressional Conversations
JCRC-NY Op Ed in Queens Daily Eagle: Shame on NYC council candidates seeking DSA endorsement
Op-Ed in The Jewish Week Thanking Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer for his Response to Anti-Semitism & Covid-19
Anti-Semitism and Covid-19 Demanded a Strong Government Response. We New Yorkers Got One.
Confronted with the challenges of our lifetime, we owe Chuck Schumer our gratitude.
By Michael S. Miller and Eric S. Goldstein
January 14, 2021
Leading a march against anti-Semitism across the Brooklyn Bridge are, from left to right, front row, Rep. Gregory Meeks, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, Sen. Chuck Schumer and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Jan. 5, 2020. JCRC CEO Michael Miller is second from left; UJA-Federation CEO Eric Goldstein is seen between Schumer and Cuomo. (Jake Asner/UJA Federation of New York)
It was a year ago. The Jewish community had barely passed the commemoration of the first anniversary of the Tree of Life Massacre, and suddenly we were again reeling after brazen and deadly anti-Semitic attacks in Poway, California; Monsey, New York; and Jersey City, New Jersey. Further inflaming fear and sowing hate were a series of violent anti-Semitic attacks against Orthodox Jews across the New York region.
Against this backdrop, on Dec. 30, 2019, U.S. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer invited us, along with other nonprofit leaders, to his office to present a bold idea. In the face of significantly escalating threats, Senator Schumer announced that he would be leading an effort to dramatically increase U.S. government funding of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP) so that Jewish and other faith-based institutions across the country would be able to better access critical resources to protect our communities.
Sen. Schumer went to work. While moving this effort through the legislative process, he took his voice to the streets to publicly denounce anti-Semitism. Speaking at the historic “No Hate. No Fear” march and rally we organized on Jan. 5, 2020, which brought together tens of thousands of New Yorkers, he proclaimed, “When anti-Semitism raises its ugly head … if people say there’s nothing we can do about it, then it grows. But if we fight it – then we can snuff it out.”
Despite significant budget challenges, Sen. Schumer led the charge that resulted in doubling the fiscal year 2021 NSGP budget from $90 million to $180 million. It was a critical achievement.
Last year, 186 New York nonprofits, including synagogues and day schools, were awarded government funding exceeding $17 million. With this new 2021 increase, many additional institutions will now be positioned to obtain grants that will support urgent “target hardening” measures, from security cameras to bollards that will help prevent attacks. With tens of millions of dollars available in new NSGP funding, our institutions will be safer and better equipped to help protect our community.
As Sen.Schumer was leading the fight for additional federal support, UJA-Federation and JCRC-NY created the Community Security Initiative to strengthen Jewish communal security, including by helping local institutions qualify for this newly available federal funding. Led by NYPD veteran Mitchell Silber and David Pollock, this team of top security experts has been helping hundreds of synagogues, schools, camps, and JCCs develop security plans over the last several months. The goal is to ensure that our communal organizations and spaces have adequate funding and professional support to help them provide the highest level of safety for the New York community.
The one thing, of course, none of us were able to foresee as we dealt with the surge of anti-Semitic incidents was the Covid-19 crisis. New York was hit with a speed and ferocity that has devastated so many. Along with illness, suffering, and loss came the reality that many of our treasured institutions — the historic beating heart of New York Jewish life — might not survive the economic impact of the pandemic.
While UJA and many other philanthropic sources immediately made available tens of millions of dollars in grants and loans to address the immediate challenges, avoiding imminent closures required the kind of support that only the federal government can provide. We couldn’t be more grateful that under the leadership of Sen. Schumer and the entire New York delegation, both the initial CARES Act and the just-passed Covid relief legislation provided hundreds of millions of dollars in forgivable PPP loans for our city, and in particular, for our nonprofits, including synagogues and yeshivot — forestalling a crippling economic collapse.
As we look ahead, even with the arrival of vaccines and the hope they offer, the reality is that recovery will take years. Addressing the economic, emotional and mental health toll, food insecurity, and job loss will take a level of investment unprecedented since the Great Depression.
Confronted with the challenge of our lifetime, we owe Chuck Schumer our gratitude and know that we can count on him in the trying times to come. We thank Sen. Schumer for all he has accomplished on behalf of New York and all those in need across the nation, and we congratulate him on his new role as Senate Majority Leader. We look forward to continuing to work together on additional state and local aid, health and housing supports, hunger relief, extending PPP eligibility, and strengthening the nonprofits so vital to New York’s future.
Michael S. Miller is the Executive Vice President and CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York. Eric S. Goldstein is the CEO of UJA-Federation of New York.