|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
After more than four decades with the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, President & CEO Jacob Solomon has announced his plans to retire, effective June 30, 2024, according to the 85-year-old, Miami-based Jewish nonprofit.
Solomon joined Federation in 1981 as a planning associate and rose to senior leadership positions in the organization, taking on the top executive role 11 years later. Since 1992, he has served in the position, guiding the raising and distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars to support humanitarian services and Jewish educational programs in Miami, in Israel and in more than 70 other countries worldwide.
“This is a poignant moment for our Jewish community,” said Federation Board Chair Ariel Bentata. “Throughout his tenure, Jacob has helped shape Miami’s remarkable Jewish landscape. He has been widely revered as a compassionate, communal-minded and consensus-building professional with a passion for the Federation Mission. He has a deep love for Miami and Israel, as well as a steadfast commitment to Jewish peoplehood throughout the world. We truly owe him a debt of gratitude for his tireless leadership.”
Richard D. Fain, Chair of the Board of Directors of the Royal Caribbean Group, has been appointed to lead the search for Solomon’s successor. Fain will head a volunteer search committee charged with the difficult task of identifying and recommending Federation’s next President and CEO through an exhaustive national search.
“This is an incredibly important undertaking, and I am honored to have been entrusted with this responsibility,” said Fain. “Our search for Jacob’s successor will focus on finding a trusted leader who is poised for continued growth for our community and Jewish life in a compelling and meaningful way.”
Solomon is one of the longest-serving CEOs in the North American Federation system. Under his leadership, the Greater Miami Jewish Federation has navigated through historic crises and opportunities, locally and internationally, including the release of a million Jews from the former Soviet Union, the rescue of tens of thousands of Jews from Ethiopia and other places at risk, the population shifts and transitions of Jewish Miami throughout the years, the building and expansion of infrastructure to serve Miami’s vibrant Jewish community and, most recently, the economic and human impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the disastrous Champlain Towers South collapse. Over the years, Solomon was also instrumental in the Miami Federation taking thousands of people to Israel through seven Mega Missions – including most recently taking more than 800 people in April 2023 – as well as countless smaller trips, strengthening the local community’s bond with the land and people of Israel.
“The highlight of my career has been working with extraordinary philanthropists, gifted volunteer leaders and inspiring colleagues whose vision and dreams have been fueled by a shared desire to make our world a better place,” said Solomon. “I feel privileged and blessed to have had the opportunity to serve my community over these many years and I know the future is in good hands.”
For more information about the Greater Miami Jewish Federation, visit JewishMiami.org or call 305.576.4000.
The Mission of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation is to mobilize human and financial resources to care for those in need, strengthen Jewish life and advance the unity, values and shared purpose of the Jewish people in Miami, in Israel and around the world.
