Leon Levy, a construction engineer and the president of the American Sephardi Federation, has been nominated as chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
He is expected to be formally elected in March, and will take office in June.
The other two candidates were Melvin Salberg, former national chairman of the Anti Defamation League, and Sheldon Rudoff, past president of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. “There were three excellent candidates”, said Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents. “The committee made its recommendation after careful deliberation”.
“Leon has been involved with the conference for a long time and is universally respected and liked”, said Hoenlein. “As a Sephardi he will bring a new dimension to the leadership”.
Levy will succeed current Chairman Lester Pollack, who has served since 1993. Leaders of the Conference of Presidents each traditionally serve two one-year terms. They are drawn from the ranks of the presidents or immediate past presidents of the conference’s 50 member groups.
Born to parents who emigrated from Turkey, Levy served in the U.S. Army during World War II.
A civil engineer by training, he is chairman and chief executive officer of New York based Urban Substructures Inc, an engineering and construction firm.
Rabbi Marc Angel of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue of New York and a vice president of the American Sephardi Federation, applauded Levy’s nomination.
“Leon was chosen because he is an outstanding individual, a fine leader and a fine Jew. He’s in the position because of his own achievements.
“However, the fact that he is Sephardi is a very nice indication to the public at large that the Sephardi community is blessed with very talented activists and leaders. It is a source of pride to Sephardim and all Jews that Leon is in this position”, said Angel.
Among those joining in praise over the appointment was Jonathan Jacoby, executive vice president of the Israel Policy Forum, a group with close ties to the Rabin government.
“It is an excellent choice. This is just the kind of person who is needed to support the government of Israel and its pursuit of peace”, said Jacoby.
Last year, Levy attended an “Israeli and Palestinian Health Care Reform Seminar” sponsored by the JDC and the Israel Defense Force.
“This was series of successful working sessions, attended by Israeli Health Minister Ephraim Sneh and senior Israeli staff and their counterparts on the Palestinian Governing Council”, he wrote in a biography submitted to the Conference of Presidents’ nominating committee.
“This historic meeting convinced me genuine peace with the Palestinians will be achieved when cooperation and mutual trust is approached on a professional level such as this”, he wrote.
In addition to heading the American Sephardi Federation since 1985, Levy has a long history of involvement with the Jewish Agency for Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution committee. He also serves on the boards of the United Israel Appeal and the American Section of the World Jewish Congress.
“He was very much involved in building a community center in Kiev [Ukraine], where he brings his expertise pro bono to JDC”, said Ralph Goldman, honorary executive vice president of JDC.
“He had a central role in building the rehabilitation center in Armenia on behalf of JDC’s non-sectarian project after the 1988 earthquake”, said Goldman.
In 1991, Levy traveled to southern Turkey to assess the needs of Kurdish refugees, and negotiated with the Turkish Red Crescent to provide relief in the wake of the Persian Gulf War.
The following year, he led a World Sephardi Federation to Turkey to express gratitude for the hospitality extended to Spanish Jews by Sultan Beyazid Ii after their expulsion in 1492.
A few months ago, he traveled to Turkey on behalf of Touro College to explore the possibility of establishing a branch of the Jewish institution for the local Jewish community there.
In addition, “he played a significant role” in aiding the emigration of Syrian and Yemenite Jews, according to a JDC official.
Levy’s youngest daughter, Janet, lives in Israel. She works with the law firm headed by former Israeli President Chaim Herzog.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
