LOS ANGELES (Press Release) — The American Society of the University of Haifa (ASUH) has added two team members who will strengthen its community engagement efforts.
Dahnie Brandes brings a unique combination of passion for changemaking, advocating for Israel and promoting marine sustainability to a new role in which he is charged with expanding ASUH’s fundraising and community-building initiatives in the Western region. He comes to ASUH with commitment for making a positive impact through his work, especially in the areas of advancing Israel’s diverse community and marine research. A native Angeleno, he spent several years working in education before transitioning to nonprofit management as an Area Director at AIPAC and then as Director of Advancement at a Southern California environmental group focused on water policy. Brandes joins the ASUH team eager to help University of Haifa broaden its impact as an educational institution committed to Israel’s diverse community by investing in its ability to train the next generation of leaders and researchers.
Well-known American Jewish leader Barry Shrage, meanwhile, is working to deepen ASUH’s relationships and elevate University of Haifa’s presence among current and prospective supporters, especially in New England. He is deeply committed to the University’s critical role in educating and supporting Israel’s underserved populations and in its unique programs studying Jewish identity and increasing Israeli understanding of American Jewry, such as the Ruderman Program for American Jewish Studies.
Shrage served for 30 years as president of Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston (CJP). He is known for his tireless support of Jewish education; promotion of engagement by religious and nonreligious Jews; commitment to working for social justice at home and abroad alongside others; strong support of Israel; and engagement with the non-Jewish community in creative partnerships. While at CJP, he played a leading role in co-founding and expanding the Boston-Haifa Connection, which since 1989 has supported at-risk families, fostered Jewish identity, connected youth, and empowered changemakers in both communities. Following Shrage’s retirement from CJP in 2018, he joined Brandeis University where he teaches in the Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program as a faculty member, serves as a Distinguished Fellow in the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies and is working to deepen and increase support for the University’s work. His deep knowledge of the sister city bond between Haifa and Boston promises to intimately shape his efforts to build support in New England for University of Haifa’s mission.
Lisa Silverman, CEO of ASUH, in welcoming the two new colleagues, notes that this team expansion is the beginning of a strategic growth plan including the recruitment of an additional 10 staff members.
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Preceding provided by American Society of the University of Haifa