Michael Weil
Founder and Director of Amitim
A) What qualities make the nominee deserving of the Z3 Bridge Builder Award?
Michael Weil is the founder and director of Amitim, a unique program that recruits and engages former Jewish Federation CEOs in North America to act as pro bono mentors to the leaders of nonprofits in Israel.
Michael developed the concept behind Amitim, initiated the project, created the organizational partnerships in both North America and Israel, put the program together, organized the recruiting, selection and orientation, and monitors and oversees the whole operation with close personal attention, to ensure that the goals are met. He possesses the unique ability to both develop new out of the box ideas but also implement them to the full; as he has also done elsewhere.
Michael (himself a former Federation CEO) identified the largely untapped resource of former Federation execs who possess unique skills and experience as community leaders, managers, fundraisers and spokespersons, able to navigate complex and sensitive environments, while retaining their love, passion and commitment to Israel and the Jewish People. Currently most are retired or semi-retired, and only partially involved in Jewish communal life.
As an Israeli also, and having served in multiple roles in the government, nonprofits, industry and consultant, Michael is acutely aware of both the amazing innovative work that the nonprofit sector in Israel does, while possessing significant shortcomings in some critical areas. Such as governance, financial management, long-term planning, change management and fundraising. Indeed, many have rather a narrow myopic view of their own organizational environment, are heavily reliant on government funding, tend to neutralize their own boards and do not understand the complexities of fundraising overseas.
Michael developed the concept of applying the special skills of former and retired CEOs to help and guide the CEOs and leadership of nonprofits in Israel in those areas of weakness. Amitim was getting ready to launch last fall, and October 7 increased the urgency of implementing the program as many nonprofits in Israel were severely impacted by the war though mobilization of reserve staff, cuts in government funding and new urgent war related needs, especially as many of the organizations involved were working with disadvantaged population groups, and with locations in the North and the South of Israel.
In order to build the appropriate bridge between the two groups, Michael used the existing Former Intermediate Federation Execs Forum (with its 100 plus members) to recruit mentor candidates in North America. Around 20 responded initially and after a selection process, eight former execs were elected to serve as mentors to counterparts in Israel. An additional five former execs were elected to work with some of the ravaged kibbutzim (see below).
A parallel process took place in Isael. After establishing partnerships initially with Shatil, and then with the Israeli Civic Leadership Association and Ment-Or of the Ogen Financial Group, an RFP was issued calling for the heads of nonprofits in Israel to express their interest in receiving mentoring from Jewish American former senior executives. Around 120 responded positively. This was followed by a meticulous selection and matching process conducted with the partner organizations. Prior to introductory sessions for each pair, Michael organized orientation workshops for both the Israel and the American participants to enable them to have a better understanding the nonprofit ecosystem in each country and to understand the conditions and terms of the mentoring process. Most of the CEO pairs have now been working together for six months or more, to the satisfaction of both sides, Meeting once a week or every other week, they have been discussing critical topics based on agendas proposed by the Israeli CEO. The Israeli executives have been exposed to the American nonprofit culture which is more structured and rigorous, has greater involvement of boards and lay leaders, and a higher degree of professionalism. In all the cases, the mentoring has resulted in changes and innovations in the running of the Israeli nonprofit as much of the advice and guidance given by the mentors has been implemented.
The whole process is personally supervised and monitored closely by Michael who checks in with each participant from time to time, receives regular reports and is currently in the midst of a formal six month review process.
In the course of the project, Michael worked to ensure that the fundamental goals of creating a bridge to support Israel and its needs through unique executive relationships based on mutual respect, collegiality and an appreciation of Israel- Diaspora partnership, were adhered to.
B) In what ways has the nominee demonstrated exceptional leadership and commitment to their work in bridging divides?
Starting from scratch, across significant geographic, cultural and time zone divides, Michael worked tirelessly to realize the mission of Amitim. This required creative skills in designing the details of the project, diplomatic skills in engaging partner organizations, developing recruitment mechanisms, using fundraising skills to obtain minimal funding, and continuous monitoring and troubleshooting as necessary. It was through his leadership skills and extensive networking in Jewish organizations in Israel and the North America that Michael was able to create the needed partnerships and convince former Federation colleagues to join this effort. Likewise, in explaining to the Israeli CEOs the potential benefits of having a mentor coach across many time zones and language barriers that could bring real positive change to their nonprofits in Israel. Especially as most Israelis are not inclined to turn to non-Israelis for help. But they appreciated that their American partners were not there to simply to procure easy funding but could bring non-conventional thinking, important skills and discuss sticky issues discretely. In this way, Michael is helping Israelis to think of American Jews in a different and very positive way.
Often, individual participants in Amitim call Michael to discuss issues or share experiences and request his intervention or support which he gives readily.
Michael is unusual as he understands intimately the different cultures of Israel and America, speaks (and swears) in both languages fluently and has many years of professional work experience in both locales.
In addition to the current partner organizations, Michael is currently actively recruiting additional partners to Amitim from both Israel and America, who will serve on the Steering Committee of Amitim.
C) How has the nominee's work impacted the Jewish community and beyond?
The impact of Amitim has been striking. While the number of individuals involved is relatively small, the impact on them personally, and indirectly ,on the target populations of the nonprofits is significant.
On a practical level, these are some of the actions that have been implemented by the various nonprofits as a direct result of the mentoring through Amitim:
• Development of 10 year plan and ensuring that all current decision making is compatible with long term objectives
• Replacement of long standing board chair and board members with new vibrant board members who all are adopting lay leadership assignments and with term limits
• Support for a crowd funding effort
• Help in planning an annual gala for supporters
• Prep for critical meetings with a government minister, presentation before a Knesset Committee, and speaking at meeting of the presidents of all the Universities
• Developing donor relations
• Planning a North American tour
The implementation of the above will no doubt improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the respective organizations to the benefit of their target populations in Israel.
Beyond the substance of the mentoring, the personal and cultural impact has been immense on both sides:
This is especially rewarding as Israelis on the whole are not known for their vulnerability or their willingness to ask for assistance. But the total discretion that Amitim provides and the unique skills that former Federation CEOs are able to share has created an environment of openness, trust and respect.
Even a seasoned CEO like T, felt that he had learnt a lot:
“I was fortunate to join the Amitim Program and to have P as my mentor. Despite having over ten years of experience in the nonprofit world, I have learned so much in a short period of time. What amazes me is that two Jewish individuals, located in different parts of the world but sharing the same DNA, can come together to do good for Israel.”
Conversations between the partners have extended way beyond the professional and all are discussing both personal and family matters, as well as developments in each respective country as a result of the Hamas War and its ramifications both in Israel and America. The Israelis CEOs have expressed that they feel comforted to know that they have an empathetic and caring partner in America. One CEO told me that while she had visited American Jewish communities recently as part of a delegation, only now did she feel that she had a “face” of what American Jews are experiencing.
On the American side, the former Federation CEOs have expressed satisfaction in that their skills and experience are being used effectively in Israel and that they have found a special way of contributing during these difficult times. This is especially poignant as to a large extent their talent and resources have not been utilized. Indeed, once they have left their Federation positions, they have largely been ignored by the organized Jewish community.
The former American Federation execs have spoken in moving terms how meaningful this mentoring relationship through Amitim is to them both as professionals but also as American Jews who love Israel but have felt at times disconnected.
Being in a mentoring relationship has also been very meaningful for the American mentors who feel that they are making a real contribution to civil society in Israel. S former Exec at one of federations in California expresses this so well:
“PL is a most impressive Israeli NGO where I am privileged to serve as their pro bono, strategic advisor. They are respectful of my time and their actions reflect that they can integrate and benefit from the expertise I provide. I am most fortunate as an American Jewish communal professional to add value to such a relevant Israeli organization that is devoted to breaking the cycle of poverty in Israel. “
The personal relationships that have ensued are so strong that one Israeli CEO informed me that as part of his planned fundraising trip to New York and Chicago, he would make special diversion to meet his mentor in North Carolina.
Typically, mentoring relationships, especially when they are on a pro bono basis, extend to only about six months, but many of the participants in Amitim have already expressed their mutual wish to continue the relationship for another six months, and possibly further; thus, recognizing the value to each side.
One of the benefits of Amitim is that it has created a mechanism that is flexible and nimble and can adapt to new needs and changing circumstances. Such that as a result of the horror of October 7, Michael turned to his colleagues former Federation execs and appealed for additional volunteers to work with individual kibbutzim in the Western Negev and assist them in fundraising focusing on modest but urgent unmet needs. We were especially directing efforts on behalf of the smaller and lesser known kibbutzim and ones that have had less human tragedy and physical destruction but still suffered from personal and communal trauma. Using their network of funders and philanthropists, our former Federation CEOs are helping to identify potential sources for the kibbutzim and raising awareness in North America. Currently, Amitim is still working with four kibbutzim in this capacity.
Other needs in the future could be similarly addressed, whether in Israel or in north America.
Michael is already putting together ambitious expansion plans for Amitim. These include recruiting more cohorts of former Federation CEOs every 9 months, inviting other senior Jewish communal executives such as former CEOs of JCCs, Hillels, and other nonprofits in north America; and holding a joint in person seminar in Israel next year for all participants to meet and discuss common issues and ideas.
In summary, Amitim represents a unique way of connecting American Jews to Israel and making contributions to both communities, as respective CEOs meet together as colleagues and equals, learning and supporting each other.