Eric Goldstein, who steered the nation’s largest federation, UJA-Federation of New York, through the rise in antisemitism, the COVID-19 pandemic, has played a key role in the rebuilding of Israel after multiple wars, will step down as CEO at the end of the next fiscal year, after 12 years in the role, he told the organization’s board yesterday.

In his announcement, Goldstein did not specify why he was stepping down on June 30, 2026, but indicated that his departure from the organization will be a move toward retirement. He started as CEO of UJA-Federation of New York on July 1, 2014, having served as the vice chair of the organization’s board and after an extended career at the Paul, Weiss law firm. 

“After 30-plus years at Paul, Weiss and what will be 12 at UJA, I look forward to taking on new projects of consequence to our community and, please God, to spending more time with my wife, kids, and grandkids,” he said, noting that over the past 11 years, the organiztion has raised $2.8 billion and grown its grant portfolio. 

Goldstein was considered an unexpected choice for the role of top executive of UJA-Federation of New York, as he was Orthodox, when his predecessors had generally come from more progressive denominations of Judaism, and had not risen from within the Jewish nonprofit ranks, but had instead come from the for-profit world, his lay leadership roles notwithstanding. 

Linda Mirels and Marc Rowan, the president and board chair of UJA-Federation of New York, lauded Goldstein for his service with the organization, calling him a “once-in-a-generation leader.”

“Since assuming the role in 2014, Eric’s tenure has been transformational. From the outset, he demonstrated visionary leadership marked by compassion, integrity, and an unwavering commitment to the Jewish people and the greater New York community,” they wrote in a statement. “Eric’s deep understanding of Jewish tradition — his Yiddishkeit — and sensitivity to the diversity of Jewish life enabled him to lead with authenticity and clarity. He has uniquely connected with the full spectrum of our community, forging bonds of unity and shared purpose.”

In his announcement, Goldstein noted that he entered the role in the midst of a crisis in Israel, a day after the bodies of three kidnapped Israeli teenagers were found in the West Bank and just before the start of what would become a 51-day war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza known as Operation Protective Edge. Instead of a gradual entry to the position, Goldstein said he was forced to hit the ground running. 

“My first public role was speaking at a heartbreaking memorial service,” Goldstein said. “I learned by doing, witnessing in real time the power of UJA to respond in crisis. I also saw how, in moments like these, our community — so often divided — would come together, finding strength and solace in one another.”

During his tenure, Goldstein led the organization as it dealt with rising domestic antisemitism, following the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., as well as the deadly shooting attack in Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue. “In 2014, UJA did not have a single line item in its budget for confronting domestic antisemitism or Jewish communal security,” he noted. “Today, UJA is leading the charge in responding to this growing threat in New York — including through the creation in 2019 of the Community Security Initiative, now a vital 20+ person team responsible for helping secure over 3,400 Jewish institutions in New York and beyond.”

Goldstein also steered the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic, a particularly trying time for the group that saw dozens of layoffs in the early months of the outbreak, as well as rare large withdrawals from its endowment fund, as well as the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

UJA-Federation of New York, as the largest Jewish federation in the U.S., also played a key role in the overall American Jewish community’s response to the Oct. 7 terror attacks and resulting wars in Gaza, Lebanon and, most recently, Iran. 

“This past year alone, UJA distributed $336 million for grants and programs, including approximately $134 million for Israel,” Mirels and Rowan noted. 

A search committee for Goldstein’s successor has been launched, with Mirels at its head.