Jeffrey Savit to leave Alliance this summer

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Jeffrey K. Savit, president and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island, announced his resignation Feb. 15. He said he will remain in the position until mid-summer.

 

Savit, who has served as the first president and CEO of the Alliance, was hired in 2011, when the Jewish Federation of Rhode Island, the Bureau of Jewish Education and the Jewish Community Center combined to form one organization. He has overseen the merged organization as it has evolved, including the establishment of the Living on the Edge Initiative and the renovation of the Dwares JCC.

For now, Savit says he will continue working “in order to complete all that we have begun together in earnest,” according to his letter to the community. His future plans include spending more time with his family.

In a letter to the community, Alliance board chair Mitzi Berkelhammer said a search committee will be convened immediately. “We will all miss Jeffrey,” she told The Voice, “but the Alliance will continue to serve all the needs of the community.”

What follows are the letters from Berkelhammer and Savit to the community.

 

Letter from Mitzi Berkelhammer

Dear Friends:

It is with mixed feelings that I write to inform you that Jeffrey Savit has submitted his resignation as President and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. He has made the difficult decision that it is time for him to consider a broad range of other professional opportunities. We are fortunate that Jeffrey has agreed to stay on until August in order to ensure a smooth transition.

It has been a privilege to work with Jeffrey these past 6 years as his passion and diligence helped to shape the new Alliance. During his tenure, he has worked tirelessly to ensure a vibrant Jewish community including the renovation of the Dwares JCC, the Living on the Edge (poverty) initiative and the new Holocaust Memorial. I am certain that you will join me in wishing Jeffrey only the best in his future endeavors and his well-deserved time with his family.

A search committee is being formed and the process of finding the next lead executive for the Alliance will begin immediately. In the meantime, it is full steam ahead for the Alliance.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at mitzib618@cox.net.

Sincerely,

Mitzi Berkelhammer

 

Chair of the Board

 

Letter from Jeffrey Savit

Dear Friends:

Six years ago I had the privilege of interviewing for the position as the first President and CEO of the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island. Driving down and up Elmgrove and Sessions on that sunny and cold March winter day stirred up so many cherished memories for me. For indeed, I had travelled these roads so many times before as a young child with my father and brother to attend Brown football games. Returning to the East Side as an adult seemed quite simply “beshert”; being asked to lead the Jewish Alliance was and remains an honor that’s quite simply heaven sent.

Since that spring day in 2011 when I accepted the position, I have passionately and energetically travelled to, from and across so many roads throughout Rhode Island, to do all that I could to fulfill and execute my professional and fiduciary responsibilities. Despite numerous bumps and challenges encountered on such roads, I am so proud with all that we have created and accomplished together. The Alliance has evolved into a smooth, vital and genuinely hamesh human services and community funding, planning, and programming entity. During these past several years, we have seen the solidification of our merger and our Alliance programming efforts; the growth of our annual fundraising and Endowment initiatives, the gorgeous renovation of our Dwares JCC; the implementation of our impactful Living on the Edge (anti-poverty) Initiative; the construction of the solemnly beautiful Holocaust Memorial; the launch of our Innovation Grants; and a renaissance of healthy partnerships with our synagogues and historic Jewish agencies. How grateful and blessed I am to have overseen all of these and other marvelous accomplishments, alongside our selfless and gifted Alliance officers and fiduciaries, including but not limited to my incomparable Board Chair and partner Mitzi Berkelhammer, community volunteers, fellow professional colleagues and Rabbis, and my magnificent senior managers and staff members, and my forever and always Gail Putnam.

But now I have come to a time in my life where my personal and professional roads have diverged, and unlike Robert Frost’s famous traveler, I shall soon embark upon “The Road Not Taken” to channel my passions in new directions and spend more time with my family. As such, I shall be resigning from my position as President and CEO of the Alliance during the summer of 2017. Change, my friends, is healthy and good, for all of us, whether personally, operationally, or governance-wise, and provides great opportunities for future success. I have reached this tremendously difficult decision with my head held high and a smile on my face.

Please know that I will always stay connected to and support my Jewish Alliance family, let alone the myriad of dear friends I have made in Rhode Island during the last six years. I shall also revel from the sidelines not only in all Alliance and Dwares’ future successes, but with all the wonderful milestones and prosperity that shall occur across the community. But now, I must go back to work in order to complete all that we have begun together in earnest, all the while happily glancing at the Brown football stadium from my windows of the elegantly renovated Myrna and Hershey Rosen office suite. Yes, six years later, I still feel my father has been watching over me with a smile on his face as well.

Thank you one and all for your trust, faith, friendship, support and wise counsel.

All my best wishes,

Jeffrey