Jewish Federations of North America are proud to announce the appointment of Sheila Katz as Chief Jewish Life Officer.

 

In this role, she will lead efforts to expand access to Jewish education, strengthen community belonging, and help expand transformative opportunities for Jewish service and engagement through North America’s 141 Jewish Federations.

 

Following the October 7th, 2023, terror attacks against Israel, Jewish Federations have documented a widespread increase in engagement with Jewish life, known as the “Surge.” Katz's role will focus on harnessing this momentum to expand Jewish educational and engagement opportunities and ensure they are accessible to all members of our community.

 

“The Jewish community is hungering to engage in Jewish life at levels we haven’t seen in generations, and Jewish Federations across North America are working to see that every community has the tools and resources they need to flourish,” said Eric D. Fingerhut, President and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America. “Bringing Sheila Katz onto our team is a bold step toward realizing the full opportunity that the Surge offers to build dynamic Jewish life for the next generation, with focuses on Jewish education, mental health through BeWell, volunteering in Israel, and engaging the Jewish midlife community. Under her guidance, our Jewish Life Department will work to make Jewish communal life safe, inspiring, meaningful, and accessible for every Jew, everywhere.”

 

The Jewish Life team works in collaboration with local Federations, philanthropists, and programmers to develop and launch national initiatives, and scale proven models.

 

"My vision is a Jewish community where education, service, and meaning are opportunities for all,” Katz said about her new role. “Jewish Federations are the backbone of Jewish communal life and have played a critical role in supporting Jewish education for children and families around the world, which is why I’m so honored to join the team to bring this vision to life and help secure a vibrant Jewish future."

 

Katz brings an enormous wealth of experience to the role that will contribute toward Jewish Federations’ mission of creating flourishing Jewish communities around the world.

 

While serving as CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) for the past six and a half years, Sheila more than doubled the organization’s reach, expanded its grassroots network to over 250,000 advocates, and emerged as a nationally recognized Jewish leader. She has also served on the Executive Committee of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, the board of governors of Tel Aviv University, and on the board of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

 

Prior to NCJW, Sheila was the Vice President for Student Engagement and Leadership at Hillel International, where over her 12-year tenure she launched groundbreaking initiatives to engage the next generation of Jewish leaders. She has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Faith Influencers by Religion News Service and among the 50 Most Influential Jews in the World by the Jerusalem Post.

 

A proud Reform Jew and a former New York City public elementary school teacher, Katz brings both professional experience and personal passion to her new role.