Misha Galperin Takes on Senior Global Jewish Agency Role

The Jewish Agency is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Misha Galperin to a newly established senior position for Global Public Affairs and Financial Resource Development. The position consolidates into one the existing functions of directing The Agency’s External Affairs, Financial Resource Development and Marketing and Communications worldwide, and its operations in North America. Dr. Galperin will be based in New York and will coordinate The Agency’s relationships with North American Jewish Federations, JFNA, JDC and other North American Jewish organizations and communities as well as with Keren Hayesod and other Jewish organizations and communities in Europe, Africa, Asia, Latin America and Australia.

A Subcommittee of the JAFI Executive appointed by Chairman Natan Sharansky and Chairman of the Board Richard Pearlstone is in the process of restructuring its global external affairs and financial resource development efforts. At the end of the process the committee will propose recommended changes in structure to consolidate, optimize and upgrade JAFI’s capacity to develop partnerships and resources to support its mission in the rapidly changing global philanthropic environment.

Dr. Galperin has been serving as the CEO of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington since 2001 and had been elected as an Associate Member of The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors in 2004.

Dr. Galperin has led a Strategic Planning effort in the community, has spoken and written widely on issues of Jewish identity, community building and, particularly on Jewish Peoplehood. In 2008 he co-authored with Dr. Erica Brown a pioneering book entitled “The Case for Jewish Peoplehood: Can We be One?”

Prior to coming to Washington, D.C., Dr. Galperin had served as Chief Operating Officer of UJA-Federation of New York where, together with Dr. John Ruskay, he led a re-visioning and restructuring process.

Dr. Galperin was born and raised in Ukraine and immigrated to the U.S. in 1976 at the age of eighteen. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from New York University in 1988 and had been a practicing clinician and occasional researcher until 1997.