H EADLINES
CEO Continued from Page 1
and supported the commu-
nity through crises including
Hurricane Irma and the
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School shooting.

Prior to Broward, he served
as the chief development offi cer
for the Jewish Federation of
Greater Atlanta. He also has
served the Jewish Alliance of
Rhode Island, the Columbus
Jewish Federation and Jewish
Federation of Greater Los
Angeles in senior fi nancial
resource management and
community planning roles
and worked as a development
consultant for the National
Park Service, Treatment
Research Institute, Girl Scouts
of the United States of America,
Charles E. Smith Jewish Day
School, Gratz College, Touro
Synagogue and the National
Trust for Historic Preservation.

“What really attracted us to
him is he’s just a really seasoned
executive, really built for our
forward-thinking [Jewish]
Federation,” said David
Adelman, a search committee
co-chair and Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia board
co-chair. “He’s a real builder of
relationships, which we felt was
important.” Balaban replaces Naomi
Adler, who resigned Feb. 1, 2020.

“We’ve got an executive
coming in here who under-
stands the challenges of coming
into an organization [that hasn’t
had a CEO for while],” Adelman
said. Although his work has
taken him across the country,
Balaban has strong ties to
Philadelphia. He previously
worked as director of develop-
ment for Penn Medicine at the
University of Pennsylvania.

His wife, Lynne Zeiger
Balaban, is a Philadelphia native
and a Jewish community profes-
sional, and many of their relatives
live in the area. Th e couple raised
three children in Huntingdon
Valley, where Michael Balaban
and his son were volunteer
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Michael Balaban
Michael Balaban and Lynne Zeiger Balaban (seated) with, standing from
left, Naomi, Shayna, Jenna and Jacob Balaban
Courtesy of Michael Balaban
My family is fortunate to have two homes: the world Jewish
community and Philadelphia.”
MICHAEL BALABAN
members of the local fi re depart-
ment for many years.

“My family is fortu-
nate to have two homes: the
world Jewish community and
Philadelphia,” he said. “Our
careers have oft en taken us
away from the deep roots of
our family. Th ese experiences
have been amazing, but it is an
honor to return and fully weave
ourselves into the community
that has given us so much.”
Balaban will spend his
fi rst 90 days embarking on a
community listening tour to
learn more about stakeholders’
priorities. He is looking
forward to using his experience
to support the community and
change people’s perceptions of
what Jewish Federation can be.

“We at the [Jewish] Federation
have to be thought leaders in
providing solutions and oppor-
tunities. And that’s what’s going
to really make a diff erence in
people’s lives,” he said.

He believes Jewish Federation
must move from being a sales
organization primarily known
for fundraisers like Super
Sunday to being a service
organization. “I don’t believe people give
to us because they want us to
be their tzedakah box,” he said.

“Th ey want to know that the
vulnerable are being cared for,
that we can help ensure their
grandchildren will be Jewish,
that someone will combat the
rise in anti-Semitism, for Israel
to be safe and secure.”
He noted the impor-
tance of combating poverty
and providing
support for those with disabilities,
with a mental, behavioral or
developmental disorder.

Inclusivity, both within and
beyond the Jewish community,
is also a priority in Balaban’s
vision. In addition to forming
strong partnerships with
outside secular and faith-
based groups, he wants Jewish
Federation to feel accessible to
Jews from all backgrounds.

“We’ve got to understand
that Jews and Judaism aren’t a
monolith, one size doesn’t fi t
all, and that people seek entry
into the Jewish community
for a multiplicity of reasons at
various times of their lives,” he
said. “Our job is to guarantee
that when a person wishes to
access the diversity of the Jewish
experience, these mechanisms
and responses are in place to
enchant and captivate them at
all stages of their life.” ●
citing fi ndings from Jewish
Federation’s Community
Portrait demographic study
that showed one in seven Jewish
households in the Philadelphia
area live in poverty and four spanzer@jewishexponent.com;
in seven have a member living 215-832-0729
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