Yehuda Setton, the COO and chief program officer of the Jewish Agency for Israel, was selected to serve as the organization’s next CEO, succeeding Amira Ahronoviz, who will step down in October after some six years in the role, the organization said.

Setton, 42, who has held a variety of positions within the Jewish Agency for the past 16 years, has begun preparing to take over for Ahronoviz in October when she leaves after 30 years with the organization. Setton is expected to seamlessly transition into the role due to his deep familiarity with the organization’s activities. Setton previously served as director of the Jewish Agency’s shlichut (emissaries) department and as its director of business development and in his current role oversees the organization’s emergency operations. He was chosen by a nomination committee led by the organization’s chairman of the executive, Doron Almog. 

Setton told eJewishPhilanthropy that as he enters the role he will focus on advancing the organization’s role in the country’s reconstruction process, working with other groups and the Israeli government to create a “global resilience network” for all Jews and building up “Jewish cohesion” at a time of growing polarization within the Jewish people.

He said he was heartened to see the outpouring of global support for Israel by Jews in the aftermath of the Oct. 7 attacks and throughout the current war and that he and the Jewish Agency needed to leverage that to “mobilize and engage Jews around the world.”

“[Jews are] looking now to the State of Israel and feel that they have a purpose,” Setton said, speaking over the phone while on a work trip abroad. 

“This is definitely a moment in time that people want to engage with the State of Israel,” he said. “We need to harness the power of the Jewish people to rebuild the State of Israel. For the next 5-7 years we will be in a deep rehabilitation process.”

Setton said he wanted the Jewish Agency to serve as a coordinator of these efforts, bringing together the various efforts already underway by different groups. He noted that in the aftermath of Oct. 7, organizations in Israel and the Diaspora — existing ones and new ones — came out in force to assist those affected by the attacks and the war. 

“They did an incredible job, but were not necessarily connected to each other,” he said. “We saw how many hamalim sprung up,” Setton said, using a Hebrew term literally meaning war rooms, but which refer to command centers that coordinated volunteering and relief efforts. “It was amazing how much people wanted to act, but now the question is how can we take that energy and connect [those people] to each other.”

Setton, who graduated from Haifa University’s Ruderman Program, which focuses on the American Jewish community’s relationship with Israel, added that Diaspora Jews should not only be financial funders of Israel’s rehabilitation but be active partners in the effort. “It’s not just their money. They need to be a part of this,” he said.

He anticipated that once the war ends there will be a bump in aliyah, and not only because of the rising antisemitism around the globe.

“Antisemitism is maybe the ‘push’ factor, but we see that after every war in Israel, people want to be part of the rehabilitation effort, and the State of Israel will need the demographic growth,” he said. 

“Next year will be a big year for the Jewish Agency,” Setton predicted.

In addition to boosting its role within Israel, Setton said he planned to build up the Jewish Agency as a unifying force for Jewish communities around the world. 

“Definitely after Oct. 7, we need to use this moment to strengthen Jewish cohesion,” he said, stressing the need to find common ground for cooperation if not “creat[e] love” between different parts of the Jewish community.

“We need to expand the network of mutual responsibility, create a global resilience network, [from which] no Jew will be left behind or disconnected,” said Setton.

“The Jewish Agency is well positioned to be in this specific role, to be the influencer of the Jewish world network,” he said, noting the group’s deep ties to the Jewish Federations of North America, Keren HaYesod, the World Zionist Organization and the State of Israel.

“Our unique added value is in our global presence, experience and connection to the State of Israel,” he said.

Setton stressed his admiration and appreciation for Ahronoviz, highlighting her professionalism and leadership through her time as CEO, which saw the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and a Jewish Agency leadership crisis after then-Chairman of the Executive Isaac Herzog left the position to become president of the State of Israel, leaving the position vacant for nearly a year.

He noted that on Sunday the Jewish Agency marked its 95th anniversary and that he is “so proud to take us to the centennial.”

Almog also hailed Ahronoviz’s leadership, saying that “the mark she left on the organization is priceless and will contribute to the success of the Jewish Agency forever.”

“I am confident Yehuda Setton’s extensive experience across the Jewish Agency’s operations will contribute to his success in his new position and know he will continue to lead the organization’s work with great dedication,” Almog said.