Amitim Initiative Connects Former Federation CEOs with Israeli Nonprofits

Once a week at the end of a long and challenging work day, the executive director of Kav LaOved/Workers Hotline, Ohad Amar, can finally exhale. After putting his young daughter to bed, he switches on the computer in Jaffa, Israel, and for one hour, he can talk freely about his concerns and doubts as he tries to safely guide his staff through a treacherous period working in a human rights organization helping vulnerable workers during a time of war in Israel.

On the other side of the computer screen, just starting his day with his morning coffee in Florida, is philanthropist and mentor Elliot Gershenson, who spent 32 years serving the U.S. Jewish community at Jewish federations and synagogues before going on to be president and CEO of Interfaith Ministries for Greater Houston and who is now CEO of his own consulting company.

Even though their worlds and work milieu are vastly different in many ways, the weekly conversations offer him perspective and tools to navigate organizational challenges, said Amar, who entered his first leadership role just under a year ago, leading a diverse staff reeling from the emotional toll of the war as well as as well as a 400% rise in requests for assistance from Palestinian and foreign workers.

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