COMMUNITY

Malcolm Hoenlein

Executive vice chairman, Presidents Conference

Malcolm Hoenlein, the US Jewish leader once described by the BBC as “the most influential private citizen in American foreign policy,” will soon step down from the helm of one of the country’s top Jewish groups after more than three decades in the position. As executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (Presidents Conference), Hoenlein established himself in diplomatic circles as a trusted confidante of key US and Israeli officials, as well as an interlocutor with senior Arab representatives and an intermediary with such leaders as Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. Hoenlein will stay on at the organization to help his successor, William Daroff of the Jewish Federations of North America, transition into his new role as Presidents Conference CEO. (Photo: Maxine Dovere)