The Westchester Jewish Council (WJC) has installed its 15th president, Michael Mittelman.

“A new council president is always an exciting time for the community, and the lay and professional leaders of the council look forward to going from strength to strength under Michael’s dedicated leadership,” said WJC CEO Elliot Forchheimer.

“I am incredibly honored to assume the role of president of the Westchester Jewish Council and continue the organization’s strong legacy of connecting the Westchester Jewish community to other faith and ethnic communities, elected officials, the State of Israel and members of the Jewish community itself,” said Mittelman. “I follow in a long line of esteemed, highly respected presidents, several of whom are still active with WJC. I absolutely value their continued support, partnership and guidance.

“Looking ahead, we intend to broaden our reach to serve more members of the Jewish community, continue to support Israel in this post-October 7 era, and ensure we deepen our relationships throughout the county to help us stand strongly against antisemitism wherever it may appear.” Mittelman continued. “My primary focus is making sure we have a strong, connected, cohesive Jewish community. If we have that, we can do everything else.

On WJC’s close relationships with local elected officials, Mittelman noted County Executive George Latimer, members of the County Board of Legislators, and its chair, Vedat Gashi. “We’ve … seen over the past several months a concerted effort to get local politicians involved, developing relationships with local communities like New Rochelle and Yonkers.”

Regarding WJC opposition to Yonkers City Council’s ceasefire resolution this spring, Mittelman said, “Critical for WJC is developing these really strong relationships with our elected officials, to make sure they understand our point of view, our perspectives are on a variety of issues, and to be able to help those relationships.”

Prior to being appointed president, Mittelman served on WJC’s board of directors for six years and then transitioned to the organization’s executive committee as an officer for the past two years. During his time with WJC, he has taken roles on the organization’s Nominating, Membership, Israel Affairs and Gala Committees. He also led the organization’s Combating Antisemitism Committee.

Professionally, Mittelman is a partner in the New York office of FGS Global, a strategic communications firm. He provides counsel to clients across many industries and helps them engage with their stakeholders during moments of crisis and profound organizational change.

Prior to joining the firm in 2015, he worked at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, where he oversaw the Celebrate Israel Parade. He also worked with the Obama Administration and the Obama for America campaign as a national advance associate, organizing official presidential visits around the world.

Mittelman began his professional career in publicity at Miramax Films and later worked as an attorney at Cahill Gordon & Reindel and Weil, Gotshal & Manges. He has lived in Westchester for 10 years, in Mamaroneck, Hastings-on-Hudson and Hartsdale, where he currently resides. He and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of three children, Talia, Evan and Ariela, who all attend the Leffell School. Mittelman and his family are active members of Temple Israel Center.

Mittelman has a J.D. from the George Washington University Law School and a B.A. with honors in communication studies from the University of Michigan.

The Westchester Jewish Council is a central convening, communicating, coordinating and connecting body for the county’s Jewish community, representing over 130 Jewish organizations and serving 150,000 Jews. For more information visit www.wjcouncil.org or email [email protected].