The Most Over-Paid Jewish Charity Chiefs

From The Forward, Dec. 15 2013: A new list of overpaid heads of Jewish organizations is made up of well-known names, each viewed by his board members as being exceptional, and each compensated exceptionally well. According to an independent analysis of Forward data, the list includes, in ascending order, the Anti-Defamation League’s Abraham Foxman, Malcolm Hoenlein of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Morton Klein of the Zionist Organization of America and Matthew Brooks, who runs the Republican Jewish Coalition.
Finally, Marvin Hier, the longtime head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, is “by far the most overpaid CEO,” the analysis concluded, earning more than double the amount expected, given the size of his organization.
“The idea that it is only about the size is ridiculous,” said Norm Brownstein, a prominent Denver lawyer and top Democratic donor who chairs the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s compensation committee. His committee decided to pay Hier, the center’s founder and dean, $751,054 in 2012, which according to the Wharton analysis represents a 113% overpayment for an organization with only 121 employees and $25 million in expenses.
“What about the prominence of the organization in the Jewish world? What about the stature of its leader?” Brownstein asked.
Hier, 74, founded the center 36 years ago, and has since built it into a 400,000-member national organization that operates a museum in Los Angeles and another being built in Jerusalem. It also works with state and federal authorities to educate civil servants on tolerance. As the organization grew, so did Hier’s compensation: His wife and one of his sons are also on the payroll.
In deciding Hier’s salary, the center’s board compared his pay with the top compensation offered by other leading Jewish groups: ADL, the American Jewish Committee, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Presidents Conference. This choice reflects the group’s view of itself as being comparable in influence, if not in revenue, with the largest and most powerful organizations in the Jewish world. The board added considerations based on Hier’s seniority and fundraising accomplishments.