{{Short description|American politician, attorney, and academic administrator}} {{Use American English|date=April 2026}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Eric Fingerhut | image = Eric Fingerhut JFNA (2).jpg | alt = A chest-up photo of a man with white hair smiling | caption = Fingerhut in 2019 | office = Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents | governor = Ted Strickland<br>John Kasich | term_start = March 14, 2007 | term_end = March 14, 2011 | predecessor = Roderick Chu | successor = Jim Petro | state_senate1 = Ohio | district1 = 25th | term_start1 = January 5, 1999 | term_end1 = December 31, 2006 | predecessor1 = Judy Sheerer | successor1 = Lance Mason | term_start2 = January 3, 1991 | term_end2 = December 12, 1992 | predecessor2 = Lee Fisher | successor2 = Judy Sheerer | state3 = Ohio | district3 = {{ushr|OH|19|19th}} | term_start3 = January 3, 1993 | term_end3 = January 3, 1995 | predecessor3 = Ed Feighan | successor3 = Steve LaTourette | birth_name = Eric David Fingerhut | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1959|5|6}} | birth_place = Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | spouse = Amy Fingerhut | education = Northwestern University (BS)<br>Stanford University (JD) }} '''Eric David Fingerhut''' (born May 6, 1959)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=F000128 |title=Fingerhut, Eric D.}}</ref> is an American politician, attorney, and academic administrator serving as the president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA).<ref name="JFNA">{{cite web |title=JFNA Leadership |url=https://jewishfederations.org/about-jfna/jfna-leadership |website=JFNA |access-date=25 May 2020}}</ref> Prior to his appointment at JFNA, he served as president and CEO of Hillel International from 2013 to 2019.<ref>Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life</ref> Earlier, he served as the corporate Vice President of Education and STEM Learning business at Battelle Memorial Institute, Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents, Ohio state senator and member of the United States House of Representatives for one term.
Fingerhut was appointed Chancellor of the Ohio Board of Regents on March 14, 2007 by Governor Ted Strickland.<ref name="TBlade">{{cite news|title=House votes to strengthen chancellor: Bill to weaken state regents in higher education heads to Senate.|last=Provance|first=Jim|date=2007-03-22|publisher=Toledo Blade}}</ref> This position is a member of the Ohio Governor's Cabinet.<ref>{{cite news|title=Chancellor Eric Fingerhut to spend the night at KSU|last=Wolford|first=Ben|date=2008-11-12|publisher=Daily Kent Stater}}</ref> On February 22, 2011, he submitted his resignation to Gov. John Kasich, effective March 14, 2011, after serving four years of his five-year term.
== Hillel International == [[File:Eric Fingerhut 103nd Congress 1993.jpg|thumb|right|Fingerhut during the<br>103rd Congress]]
Very quickly after beginning his tenure as CEO of Hillel International, the organization experienced a major controversy. The Hillel chapter at Swarthmore College declared itself an "Open Hillel," choosing to welcome all guest speakers and student organizations, whether or not they support Zionism.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Goldberg|first=Elisheva|date=2013-12-10|title=Swarthmore Hillel Breaks From Guidelines Over Ban on 'Anti-Zionist' Speakers|language=en|work=The Daily Beast|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/10/swarthmore-hillel-breaks-from-guidelines-over-ban-on-anti-zionist-speakers|access-date=2020-10-19}}</ref> Fingerhut responded, stating "Let me be very clear – 'anti-Zionists' will not be permitted to speak using the Hillel name or under the Hillel roof, under any circumstances."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hillel.org/about/news-views/news-views---blog/news-and-views/2013/12/10/hillel-president-responds-to-swarthmore-college-hillel-resolution|title=Hillel President Responds to Swarthmore College Hillel Resolution}}</ref> This controversy is widely seen as a key part of a broad conversation in the American Jewish community regarding whether or not Zionism is, or should be, a consensus issue.
Beginning in March 2015, Fingerhut was involved in a controversy with J Street U, the student arm of J Street. Fingerhut initially accepted an invitation to speak at the national student group meeting, but subsequently withdrew. Fingerhut then issued a statement saying he had withdrawn out of "concerns regarding my participation amongst other speakers who have made highly inflammatory statements against the Jewish state." Several people involved in US Jewish student life noted that in an era when the number of Jewish students engaging with Jewish and Israel-related campus groups is shrinking, it might be unproductive to alienate the 3,000 participants in the J Street conference, a population that included 40 Hillel professionals, and that Hillel donor pressure was the likely cause of Fingerhut's withdrawal.<ref>[https://www.haaretz.com/jewish/2015-03-19/ty-article/.premium/hillel-faces-backlash-after-ceo-withdraws-from-j-street-meet/0000017f-e316-d38f-a57f-e7566e380000 Hillel faces backlash after CEO Fingerhut withdraws from J Street Conference] Haaretz, 19 March 2015</ref> On March 23, 250 J Street students marched to Hillel headquarters, leaving letters for Fingerhut demanding a meeting with him and sharing their view that he acceded to the demands of "more conservative donors instead of engaging with the full range of student voices — including those on the more liberal end."<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/03/23/tensions-among-u-s-jews-over-israel-on-display-as-hillel-leader-pulls-out-of-speech/ Tensions among U.S. Jews over Israel on display as Hillel leader pulls out of speech] The Washington Post, 23 March 2015</ref> Fingerhut then wrote to Benjy Cannon, the board president of J Street U and a senior at the University of Maryland, to arrange a meeting between the students and members of Hillel International’s board of directors. In his letter, Fingerhut said that there was "work to do in the Jewish community at large to be one people that respects, honors and celebrates its diversity rather than fearing it. This incident taught me just how deep the divide is. I don’t yet have all the answers to how we will bridge this divide, but as Hillel’s president, I am committed to working with you to find them and I have no doubt we will be successful."<ref>[http://forward.com/articles/217426/hillel-chief-eric-fingerhut-to-meet-with-j-street/ Hillel Chief Eric Fingerhut to Meet with J Street Students] The Jewish Daily Forward, 25 March 2015</ref>
==See also== * List of United States representatives from Ohio * List of Jewish members of the United States Congress
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{CongBio|F000128}} * {{C-SPAN}} * [https://www.jta.org/2014/10/08/opinion/op-ed-hillel-is-an-open-forum Hillel is an open forum], in JTA * [https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/jewish-students-deserve-a-break-from-bds/ Jewish students deserve a break from BDS], in the Times of Israel * [https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-congress-can-fight-anti-semitism-and-violence-jewish-institutions-hostage-attack-extremism-jfna-threat-landscape-dhs-11644784741 How Congress Can Fight Anti-Semitism and Violence], in the Wall Street Journal * [https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/ethiopian-aliyah-the-hope-and-the-promise/ Ethiopian Aliyah - The Hope and The Promise], in the Times of Israel
{{s-start}} {{s-par|us-hs}} {{s-bef|before=Ed Feighan}} {{s-ttl|title=Member of the U.S. House of Representatives<br>from Ohio's 19th congressional district|years=1993–1995}} {{s-aft|after=Steve LaTourette}} |- {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Mary Boyle}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Ohio<br>(Class 3)|years=2004}} {{s-aft|after=Lee Fisher}} |- {{s-prec|usa}} {{s-bef|before=Charlie Luken|as=Former U.S. Representative}} {{s-ttl|title=Order of precedence of the United States<br>''{{small|as Former US Representative}}''|years=}} {{s-aft|after=David S. Mann|as=Former U.S. Representative}} {{s-end}}
{{University System of Ohio chancellors}} {{OhioSen25thDst}} {{OhioRepresentatives19}} {{USCongRep-start |congresses=103rd United States Congresses |state=Ohio}} {{USCongRep/OH/103}} {{USCongRep-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fingerhut, Eric}} Category:1959 births Category:20th-century United States representatives Category:21st-century American Jews Category:21st-century members of the Ohio General Assembly Category:American chief executives Category:Candidates in the 2004 United States elections Category:Chancellors of the University System of Ohio Category:Democratic Party Ohio state senators Category:Democratic Party United States representatives from Ohio Category:Jewish United States representatives Category:Living people Category:Northwestern University alumni Category:Politicians from Cleveland Category:Politicians from Shaker Heights, Ohio Category:Stanford Law School alumni Category:State cabinet secretaries of Ohio