Silverman Looking Golden at First G.A.

Jacob Berman
Jewish Telegraphic Agency

WASHINGTON

When President Barack Obama canceled his appearance at the annual conference of the Jewish federation system this week so he could attend a memorial service for the 13 killed in the shooting in Fort Hood, Texas, there was concern that the gathering had lost some of its buzz.

Over the course of the three-day parley, however, it became clear that there was still a big story about a fresh new leader -- and attendees didn't have to look beyond the conference halls to find him.

This G.A. was the first for Jerry Silverman since he took over in September as CEO of Jewish Federations of North America.

A federation outsider, Silver-man came to the organization after a much-heralded stint as the CEO of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, where he raised the philanthropic profile of Jewish camps, helping to bring in tens of millions of dollars per year.

Local and national federation leaders acknowledge it's been a rough year, with pledges to local campaigns off by more than $80 million.

Many federation insiders now embrace the idea that even before the recession hit, theirs was a system that needed to do a better job of embracing change.

Yet the mood among G.A. participants seemed upbeat, especially compared to the economy-related gloom-and-doom mood that gripped last year's gathering. According to the hallway chatter, much of that positive feeling is tied up with Silverman's arrival.

Silverman's message to the federations and their partners is clear: The system has its problems, but he and they are all in this together.

"We have many problems to solve, and we won't agree on any point," he said during his address at the opening plenary. "But we have shown in the last year of challenge the ability to make real and unprecedented progress."

Judging from dozens of conversations with local federation heads, people seem to be listening.

A key to the good will, some said, was Silverman's decision to spend his first weeks on the job listening. He started off by traveling thoughout the United States on a tour of the federations, letting them tell him what they needed from their national office.

One of his stops was in Philadelphia, where he met with communal leaders, several of whom traveled to Washington for the G.A.

Silverman's tour was viewed in many corners as an important step for a central office that has had to wrestle with unclear and conflicting notions of what it was supposed to be and whom it was supposed to be serving.

While such questions have still not been fully resolved, several chief executives at local federations say that Silverman's outsider status is a benefit.

All of his predecessors have been former big-city federation executives, some with clear ideas about how to make the organization better. This left many feeling they had no say.

Silverman was a constant presence in the hallways, but probably more important, he was a presence at the bar late at night, when the sessions of the G.A. were over and the hundreds of folks from local federations let loose a little.

It will be important to watch to see whether Silverman and his colleagues at Jewish Federations are able to translate the positive feelings into improved results and concrete accomplishments.

But by most accounts, this G.A. was a very good first step for a new leader with a tough road ahead. Jerry