Jewish Council for Public Affairs names Amy Spitalnick as its CEO

The Jewish Council for Public Affairs taps Amy Spitalnick, who spearheaded a successful multimillion-dollar lawsuit against neo-Nazis, as its next CEO.

The decision is a sign that the group, called the JCPA, is pursuing a more assertively liberal approach. For nearly 80 years, it was an umbrella for local Jewish community relations groups, and was affiliated with the Jewish Federations of North America, which has historically been driven by consensus across local Jewish communities. But in December, it split from the federation system and rebranded as a more explicitly progressive group.

The statement today announcing Spitalnick’s hire highlights her work at the helm of Integrity First for America, the nonprofit that underwrote a successful lawsuit against the organizers of the deadly neo-Nazi march in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2017. The statement emphasizes fighting for democracy against hate as priorities, and calls Spitalnick “a powerful national voice on issues of democracy, antisemitism, extremism, and hate.”

Spitalnick, 37, tells the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that she would focus on building relationships with other communities that are vulnerable to hatred and erosions in democracy.