Tycoon James Tisch elected to head Jewish Agency board

Billionaire businessman James Tisch, who was elected chairman of the Jewish Agency's board of governors this week, said he intends to focus on the big-picture issues facing the organization rather than getting involved in programmatic issues.

"I see my role as being strategic in nature, not looking to the day-to-day management of the Jewish Agency but thinking about the direction it should proceed in," Tisch told Anglo File this week, hours before he was elected at the conclusion of the board of governor's meeting in Jerusalem. "I haven't looked at any projects yet. I'm going to take some time to really get a first-hand understanding of what the Agency is all about."

	James Tisch speaks during an interview in New York, January 2011.
	Photo by: Bloomberg

The 58-year-old New Yorker, who is the CEO of Loews Corporation, a Fortune 500 company, and one of the wealthiest men in America, succeeds Richard Pearlstone, who ends his four-year term in June.

Tisch said he fully endorses the Jewish Agency's new strategic direction and organizational restructuring, which was approved by the board Sunday. Under the leadership of the chairman of the executive, Natan Sharanksy, the agency disbanded its three departments - dealing with aliyah, education and Israel programs - and replaced them with different operational units and program units.

"There is still a major focus on aliyah," Tisch said in response to critics who fear the new strategy will negatively impact on immigration to Israel. "The Jewish Agency has identified Jewish identity and Jewish peoplehood as really important issues. It may be an issue that doesn't resonate so well in Israel but for Diaspora Jews it is really important," he added. Tisch quoted statistics saying that 500 Jews "disappear" every day.

A father of three, Tisch has been involved in Jewish communal life for decades. He is past president of UJA-Federation of New York, United Jewish Communities of North America and past chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. "My term ended about five years ago and I figured, alright, I'm done with Jewish communal service. It's been a lot fun, but I declared victory and retreated," he recalled with a smile. But when Sharansky asked him to chair the Jewish Agency's board, "I surprisingly said yes," he said.

"Yes, my schedule is busy," he added. "But I consider myself a very good delegator. I like to involve myself in the important strategic mission and I like to leave everything else for other people to do. I say: if somebody else could do it, why should I do it? I am happy to surround myself with good people and have them do their jobs."

One of the people who will be working closely with Tisch is Rany Trainin, who was elected this week as deputy chairman of the Jewish Agency's executive. The former chairman of the board of governors' Israel committee - where he was involved in aiding Israel's weak populations - served as head of the Yoav regional council in the Negev for almost 16 years.