Eric David Fingerhut (born May 6, 1959) is an American politician, attorney, and academic administrator, serving as the President and CEO of The
Jewish Federations of North America
The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), formerly the United Jewish Communities (UJC), is an American Jewish umbrella organization representing 146 Jewish Federations and 300 independent Jewish communities across North America, which rais ...
(JFNA).
Prior to his appointment at JFNA, he served as president and CEO of
Hillel International
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also known as Hillel International or Hillel, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 550 coll ...
from 2013 to 2019. Earlier, he served as the corporate Vice President of Education and STEM Learning business at
Battelle Memorial Institute
Battelle Memorial Institute (more widely known as simply Battelle) is a private nonprofit applied science and technology development company headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. Battelle is a charitable trust organized as a nonprofit corporation u ...
, Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, Ohio state senator and member of the
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...
for one term.
Fingerhut was appointed Chancellor of the
Ohio Board of Regents The Ohio Board of Regents was created in 1963 by the Ohio General Assembly to: provide higher education policy advice to the Governor of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly; develop a strategy involving Ohio's public and independent colleges and uni ...
on March 14, 2007 by Governor
Ted Strickland
Theodore Strickland (born August 4, 1941) is an American politician who was the 68th governor of Ohio, serving from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the United States House of Representatives, representing ...
.
This position is a member of the
Ohio Governor's Cabinet. On February 22, 2011, he submitted his resignation to Gov.
John Kasich
John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...
, effective March 14, 2011, after serving four years of his five-year term. Chancellor Fingerhut earned a reputation as an innovative leader and ardent advocate of the value of higher education.
Early life and education
Fingerhut earned a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree from
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world.
Charte ...
in 1981 and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
degree from
Stanford University
Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...
in 1984. He practiced law at Hahn Loeser & Parks LLP in
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
until becoming associate director of Cleveland Works, where he served from 1987 to 1989.
Career
![Eric Fingerhut 103nd Congress 1993](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Eric_Fingerhut_103nd_Congress_1993.jpg)
In 1989 Fingerhut served as the campaign manager for
Michael R. White, then a candidate for
Mayor of Cleveland
The mayor of Cleveland is the head of the executive branch of Local government in the United States, government of the Cleveland, City of Cleveland, Ohio. As the chief executive in Cleveland's Mayor–council government#Strong-mayor government fo ...
. After the successful campaign, Fingerhut became the director of White's mayoral transition team.
Fingerhut served as member of the
Ohio Senate
The Ohio Senate is the upper house of the Ohio General Assembly. The State Senate, which meets in the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, first convened in 1803. Senators are elected for four year terms, staggered every two years such that half of the se ...
from 1991 to 1993. In 1992, he was elected to the
U.S. House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
from
Ohio's 19th congressional district
Ohio's 19th congressional district was created following the 1830 census and was eliminated after the 2000 census. Between 1863 and 1880, it was represented by future US President James A. Garfield, who became the only sitting House member ever ...
and took office in 1993. In his re-election bid in 1994, however, Fingerhut was defeated by
Lake County Prosecutor
Steve LaTourette.
After losing his seat in Congress, Fingerhut easily won a seat again in the Ohio Senate, representing district 25. He served two full terms from 1999 through 2007, retiring due to term limits.
In 2004, Fingerhut was the
Democratic nominee for the
U.S. Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and powe ...
seat of
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
George V. Voinovich, who was seeking a second term in that office after previous service as mayor of Cleveland and
governor of Ohio
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
. Both candidates were from the Cleveland area, but Fingerhut apparently could not dent Voinovich's longstanding popularity there and elsewhere in the state. Voinovich was handily re-elected, defeating Fingerhut 64%-36%.
Support for Israel
While representing
Ohio's 19th congressional district
Ohio's 19th congressional district was created following the 1830 census and was eliminated after the 2000 census. Between 1863 and 1880, it was represented by future US President James A. Garfield, who became the only sitting House member ever ...
in the 103rd Congress, Fingerhut was the co-sponsor of four bills in support of Israel. Including:
H.R. 1407 confronted a boycott of the State of Israel by aiming "To prohibit government-to-government and commercial arms sales to any country that is participating in or cooperating with the boycott of Israel by Arab countries."
H.R. 3656 unequivocally voiced its support for Israel seeking to "restrict sales and leases of defense articles and defense services to any country or international organization which as a matter of policy or practice is known to have sent letters to United States firms requesting compliance with, or soliciting information regarding compliance with, the secondary or tertiary Arab boycott."
Tenure at Hillel International
Very quickly after beginning his tenure as CEO of
Hillel International
Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, also known as Hillel International or Hillel, is the largest Jewish campus organization in the world, working with thousands of college students globally. Hillel is represented at more than 550 coll ...
, the organization experienced a major controversy. The Hillel chapter at
Swarthmore College
Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the earliest coeduca ...
declared itself an "Open Hillel," choosing to welcome all guest speakers and student organizations, whether or not they support
Zionism
Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת ''Tsiyyonut'' after ''Zion'') is a Nationalism, nationalist movement that espouses the establishment of, and support for a homeland for the Jewish people centered in the area roughly corresponding to what is ...
. Fingerhut responded, stating "Let me be very clear – "
anti-Zionists" will not be permitted to speak using the Hillel name or under the Hillel roof, under any circumstances." This controversy is widely seen as a key part of a broad conversation in the American Jewish community regarding whether or not Zionism is, or should be, a consensus issue.
Beginning in March 2015, Fingerhut was involved in a controversy with
J Street U, the student arm of
J Street
J Street ( he, ג'יי סטריט) is a nonprofit liberal advocacy group based in the United States whose stated aim is to promote American leadership to end the Arab–Israeli and Israeli–Palestinian conflicts peacefully and diplomatica ...
. Fingerhut initially accepted an invitation to speak at the national student group meeting, but subsequently withdrew. Fingerhut then issued a statement saying he had withdrawn out of "concerns regarding my participation amongst other speakers who have made highly inflammatory statements against the Jewish state." Several people involved in US Jewish student life noted that in an era when the number of Jewish students engaging with Jewish and Israel-related campus groups is shrinking, it might be unproductive to alienate the 3,000 participants in the J Street conference, a population that included 40 Hillel professionals, and that Hillel donor pressure was the likely cause of Fingerhut's withdrawal. On March 23, 250 J Street students marched to Hillel headquarters, leaving letters for Fingerhut demanding a meeting with him and sharing their view that he caved to the demands of "more conservative donors instead of engaging with the full range of student voices — including those on the more liberal end." Fingerhut then wrote to Benjy Cannon, the board president of J Street U and a senior at the
University of Maryland
The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...
, to arrange a meeting between the students and members of Hillel International’s board of directors. In his letter, Fingerhut said that there was "work to do in the Jewish community at large to be one people that respects, honors and celebrates its diversity rather than fearing it. This incident taught me just how deep the divide is. I don’t yet have all the answers to how we will bridge this divide, but as Hillel’s president, I am committed to working with you to find them and I have no doubt we will be successful."
Hillel Chief Eric Fingerhut to Meet with J Street Students
The Jewish Daily Forward, 25 March 2015
Personal life
Eric Fingerhut is married to Amy Fingerhut and has two sons, Sam and Charlie. His parents are Samuel and Alice Fingerhut. He has been an active member in the Jewish community serving as a teacher and President of his synagogue.
Select Essays
Hillel is an open forum
in JTA
Jewish students deserve a break from BDS
in the Times of Israel
''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.
How Congress Can Fight Anti-Semitism and Violence
in the Wall Street Journal
''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...
Ethiopian Aliyah - The Hope and The Promise
in the Times of Israel
''The Times of Israel'' is an Israeli multi-language online newspaper that was launched in 2012. It was co-founded by Israeli journalist David Horovitz, who is also the founding editor, and American billionaire investor Seth Klarman.
See also
* List of United States representatives from Ohio
* List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fingerhut, Eric
1959 births
Politicians from Cleveland
Living people
Chancellors of the University System of Ohio
Democratic Party Ohio state senators
State cabinet secretaries of Ohio
Northwestern University alumni
Stanford Law School alumni
Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Ohio
Jewish members of the United States House of Representatives
American chief executives
21st-century American politicians
Politicians from Shaker Heights, Ohio
21st-century American Jews
Candidates in the 2004 United States elections