The cornerstone of Keren Hayesod, and the secret of its success over the years, is the partnership between Israel and world Jewry, which is maintained through Keren Hayesod’s leadership.
The leadership structure consists of an Israeli world chairman and a chairman of the World Board of Trustees who represents the global campaigns, together with partnership in all the statutory bodies.
In its early years, from 1920 until the birth of the State of Israel in 1948, the organization was led by its professionals, the directors: Berthold Feiwel in London (1920-1926), and then, after the opening of KH’s world center in Jerusalem, the co-directors Arthur Hantke (1926-1955) and Leib Yaffe (1926-1948), who was murdered in the attack on the National Institutions building, and Kurt Blumenfeld (1936-1951). The office of the chairman was instituted in 1951, with Eliyahu Dobkin, Arthur Hantke and Zvi Herman serving as co-chairmen (1951-1956). Dobkin continued working alone between 1956 and 1961, when Rabbi Dr. Israel Goldstein took office, a position he held until 1971. He was succeeded by Ezra Shapiro (1971-1977), who was followed by both Phil Granovsky and Faye Schenk as co-chairs (1977-1978). Wishing to give greater expression to the partnership with the global campaigns and the important role played by volunteer leadership, their successors, world chairman Dr. Avraham Avi-hai (1978-1988) and Keren Hayesod chair Phil Granovsky of Canada, created the KH World Board of Trustees. Granovsky, who was also the first chairman of the World Board of Trustees (1979-1983), was followed by Mendel Kaplan of South Africa (1983-1987), who became honorary president in 1995. Since then Keren Hayesod was co-headed by Shlomo Hillel as world chairman (1988-1998), together with Phil Granovsky (a second time), Julia Koschitzky of Canada, who has held the title of honorary president since 2010, and Daniel Liwerant of Mexico, as chairs of the KH World Board of Trustees. World chairman Amb. Avi Pazner (1998-2010) partnered with Harvey Wolfe of Canada and Mark Leibler AC of Australia. Eliezer (Moodi) Sandberg (2010-2018) worked with Yohanna Arbib-Perugia of Italy and David Koschitzky of Canada. Since 2019, Keren Hayesod has been headed by Shmuel (Sam) Grundwerg as world chairman and Steven Lowy AM of Australia as chairman of the World Board of Trustees.
As in the past, Keren Hayesod is blessed with first-class leaders and partners. They include the members of the Board of Trustees, the Board of Directors, the World Executive and of the various committees, as well as the recipients of its various awards, who all continue to show inspiring leadership and dedication to the people of Israel.