Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah has named Aaron Dorfman as its second President, effective September 1, 2016. Part of Lippman Kanfer Family Philanthropies, the Foundation launched in 2013 with the purpose “to repair and enrich the world through thriving Jewish life.” Dorfman will take over the role from Jonathan Woocher, PhD, who will remain on the Foundation’s professional staff as its inaugural Senior Fellow.

A Brooklyn resident with more than 20 years of experience in the Jewish community, Dorfman spent a decade at American Jewish World Service, rising from Director of Education to Vice President for National Programs, building the division and managing both program strategy and grantmaking, overseeing strategic planning and an organizational restructure. An alumnus of Harvard Kennedy School, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies, Dorfman was a Wexner Graduate Fellow and has also trained with the AK Rice Institute and the Rockwood Leadership Program. He began his career as the Director of Informal Education at Temple Isaiah in Lafayette, CA. Known as an effective and inclusive agent for social change as well as a respected leader, Dorfman will be returning to the Jewish professional world from his most recent role as Vice President and Campaign Director at Encore.org, an organization that mobilizes older adults to support the social good.

Since its founding in 2013, Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah has distributed more than $4.4 million in grants to over 40 grantees, hosted a number of gatherings convening Jewish professionals, funders and other thought leaders, released a Jewish Sensibilities card deck as a tool for the field with over 2,300 distributed to date, and launched the Lippman Kanfer Prize for Applied Jewish Wisdom, which will award its first prizes this December.