Director of the Israel Center

Job Summary

The Director of the Israel Center will provide strategic vision, intellectual leadership, and operational oversight for a flagship initiative engaging Israel’s history, culture, challenges, and triumphs with nuance and honesty.

The Israel Center will bring clarity, sophistication, and depth to the understanding of modern Israel for Jewish and broader audiences alike. The Director will be responsible for conceptualizing and implementing high-level programming that reflects a range of perspectives consistent with 92NY’s Israel policies, while fostering serious, thoughtful engagement around complex and often sensitive issues.

The Israel Center is committed to presenting a diversity of perspectives on Israel and seeks an individual who values thoughtful dialogue across a broad spectrum of viewpoints.

This role requires a dynamic leader who combines subject-matter expertise with program-building skill, public presence, and the ability to cultivate partnerships across cultural, academic, civic, and philanthropic communities.

Job Responsibilities Include

The Director will be responsible for the conceptualization and execution of the following categories of activity, aligned with the strategic vision of the Bronfman Center.

Strategic Leadership and Vision

• Develop and articulate a compelling vision for the Israel Center.
• Position the Center as a leading national platform for nuanced, intellectually rigorous engagement with Israel.
• Ensure all programming aligns with institutional values and policies while embracing complexity and diversity of thought.

Flagship and Expanded Initiatives

• Israeli-Themed Public Programming
  • In consultation with the Talks and Roundtable teams, the Director will meet with key stakeholders of those departments who lead the programming initiatives to ideate about upcoming programs and discuss potential programs. This role will coordinate Israeli-themed talks and cultural programs addressing contemporary Israel, including art, culture, innovation, politics and society from diverse perspectives consistent with 92NY’s Israel policies.
• Community Conversations Series
  • Design and host off-the-record community conversations, especially involving the Jewish community, that invite participants to engage in structured dialogue around timely and “hot-button” topics related to Israel.
  • Ensure conversations are facilitated with professionalism, intellectual rigor, and emotional intelligence, with a goal of civilly airing community differences and finding areas of commonality and consensus.
• Person-to-Person Programming
  • Develop culturally resonant experiences that strengthen connections between Israeli expatriates and the broader Jewish community in New York and across the United States.
  • Expand programming geared toward Israeli Ex-Pats living in New York and elsewhere in the United States, building on the success of the Bronfman Center’s Shabbat B’Ivrit initiative.
  • Develop culturally resonant experiences bringing members of the Jewish community and other New Yorkers in contact with Israelis, both in the United States and in Israel, including exchange and travel programs.
• Research and Thought Leadership
  • Partner with professional pollsters and researchers to assess Jewish and non-Jewish opinion regarding Israel.
  • Oversee the publication of White Papers presenting findings, analysis, and insights that contribute meaningfully to public discourse about Israel.
  • Position the Center as a thought leader through data-driven analysis and public scholarship.
• Israeli Artist Residency Program
  • Develop programs, in conjunction with other 92NY departments, designed to platform deplatformed Jewish and Israeli artists, which could include residency programs.
  • Select and host Israeli artists to live in 92NY’s Residences and, while in residency, create, and exhibit or perform their works at 92NY.
  • Integrate resident artists into public programming, educational initiatives, and communal life.

Institutional and Operational Leadership

• Develop and manage program budgets and ensure fiscal responsibility.
• Partner with Development to cultivate donors and secure funding for flagship initiatives.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Communications to ensure strong positioning and visibility.
• Supervise relevant staff and consultants as the Center grows.
• Evaluate program impact and refine strategy based on feedback and communal trends.
• Serve as an ambassador for the Center within national Jewish and cultural conversations.
• Coordinate logistics for events with appropriate departments within 92NY.
• Perform other appropriate duties as assigned by the Director of the Bronfman Center and Executive Leadership.

Experience, Education, & Skills Desired

• Deep and sophisticated knowledge of Israeli history, Israeli society, and contemporary political and cultural dynamics.
• Advanced degree in Jewish Studies, Israel Studies, Public Policy, Education, Arts Administration, or related field preferred.
• Minimum 7–10 years of senior leadership experience in Jewish communal life, Israel education, public policy, academia, media, arts administration, or a related field.
• Demonstrated ability to engage complex and contested issues with nuance, balance, and credibility.
• Proven experience building high-level public programming and managing multi-dimensional initiatives.
• Experience working with artists, scholars, and public intellectuals preferred.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including experience moderating conversations and speaking publicly.
• Experience overseeing research initiatives or publishing thought leadership materials preferred.
• Demonstrated fundraising partnership experience.
• Strong project management skills and ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Exceptional interpersonal skills, diplomacy, and emotional intelligence.

Work Environment & Requirements

40 Hours/week.

Application Instructions

Interested applicants should forward a resume and a cover letter with salary requirements.

Due to the high volume of applications that we receive, we are only able to contact those applicants whose experience most aligns with the position profile.

Compensation Range

$110K - $125K

The actual compensation offered will be based on a number of factors including, but not limited to the qualifications of the applicant, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location in which the applicant lives and/or from which they will be performing the job.