News: ‘3 weeks after damning report leaked, FIDF chair and CEO step down’

Judah Ari Gross writes:

Under mounting pressure following the leak of an internal investigation alleging internal dysfunction, inappropriate spending and a toxic work environment at the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces, the group’s embattled chair and CEO have resigned, two sources connected to the organization exclusively told eJewishPhilanthropy on Monday.

Since the initial leak, which found that board Chair Morey Levovitz has been serving as the de facto head of the organization instead of CEO Steve Weil, additional sources connected to the group — current and former staff and lay leaders — have come forward to eJP, accusing the organization of misleading fundraising tactics and mismanaged sexual harassment cases, among other issues.

In light of the allegations, which were first published by the Israeli news site Ynet, the FIDF national board convened last week to vote on Levovitz’s continued tenure as board chair. The vote, which would have required a supermajority, was delayed as the board sought to reach an agreement with Levovitz that would see him willingly resign, with the threat of a forced removal if that didn’t happen, sources told eJP at the time.