The founder of the Progressive Jewish Alliance was hired as the CEO of the San Francisco-area Jewish federation.
Daniel Sokatch, 40, will start as the top professional at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, the Peninsula, Marin and Sonoma Counties on July 15.
Sokatch replaces Tom Dine, the former director of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Dine resigned from the post last June after only 20 months on the job, saying “I don’t think it was a good fit.”
The federation said it interviewed some 50 candidates before deciding on Sokatch, whose Los Angeles-based Progressive Jewish Alliance is a peace and human rights education and advocacy group.
“I’m thrilled that our community has secured an exciting and dynamic leader,” the federation’s president, John Pritzker, said in a statement. “Daniel combines energy and charisma with intelligence, Jewish wisdom and a compelling vision for the future of the Jewish community.”
The federation’s endowment fund also will have a new head next month. Lisa Gurwich is replacing Phyllis Cook as executive director, according to a federation spokeswoman.
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