Photo Courtesy of Hillel

On Sunday evening, the Board of Directors of Hillel unanimously approved Eric Fingerhut as the next President and CEO of the organization, replacing Wayne Firestone, who stepped down last month. Fingerhut, a former U.S. Congressman from Ohio, will help steer the central Hillel organization, strategizing for the movement and raising funds for the 550 campus level Hillel organizations across the nation and around the globe.

Apart from representing Ohio’s 19th district in Congress in the early 1990s, Fingerhut was a leader of the state’s public system of colleges and universities as Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents. Most recently, Fingerhut served as Vice President of Education and STEM Learning at Battelle Memorial Institute, the world’s largest independent research and development organization based in Columbus, Ohio.

On his appointment, Fingerhut remarked in statement from Hillel:

“I am honored to be joining such an esteemed and important organization. Everything in my life has led to this moment — my public service, my work on campuses and research centers across Ohio, and my lifelong devotion to Israel and the Jewish people. And so I couldn’t be more thrilled.”

Brandeis Center President Kenneth L. Marcus offered his congratulations and commented “Eric Fingerhut is a great choice to lead Hillel, and we congratulate him.  The Brandeis Center looks forward to continuing to work with Hillel, both nationally and at its many locations, as we continue to fight anti-Semitism on college and university campuses.”