The Center for Jewish History is the preeminent Jewish historical institute in the United States and largest Jewish archive in the world. The Center provides a collaborative home for five partner organizations: American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. The Center opened in 2000 to bring together the five partners to share operational efficiencies under one roof. Since its creation, the Center has sought to preserve the Jewish past and mobilize it in the service of public history by emphasizing the particularities of the Jewish historical experience while stressing its universal lessons. As a collaborative space for research and public engagement, the Center opens vast collections to the public and activates the stories they hold through archive and library services, fellowships, events, and exhibitions.
The partners’ archive, library, and museum holdings comprise the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections span five thousand years, with more than five miles of archival documents (in dozens of languages and alphabet systems), more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of artworks, textiles, ritual objects, recordings, films, and photographs.
Professor Gavriel Rosenfeld joined the Center for Jewish History as its new President in September 2022. In this leadership role, he is the Center’s voice on issues of Jewish historical relevance in the contemporary world. He is a prolific writer for academic and public audiences and has published many essays in newspapers and journals like The Washington Post, The Atlantic, the Forward, and the Jewish Review of Books. Professor Rosenfeld is skilled in bringing scholarly insight to bear on topics of present-day importance, from the politics of Holocaust memory to contemporary antisemitism. He is a Professor of History and Director of the Judaic Studies Program at Fairfield University, having earned his B.A. in History and Judaic Studies from Brown University and his Ph.D. from UCLA. A specialist in the history of Nazi Germany, Holocaust studies, memory studies, and counterfactual history, Professor Rosenfeld is the author or editor of eight books, including The Fourth Reich: The Specter of Nazism since World War II (Cambridge University Press, 2019) and Building After Auschwitz: Jewish Architecture and the Memory of the Holocaust (Yale University Press, 2011), which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in the category of visual arts. His latest book is the co-edited volume (with Janet Ward), Fascism in America: Past and Present (Cambridge University Press, August 2023.
Rio Daniel, CEO
Rio Daniel
Chief Executive Officer
Rio Daniel has been a key part of the Center’s leadership team since she joined the organization as Chief Financial Officer in February 2019. In January 2021, she became Chief Operating Officer, before being promoted to Chief Executive Officer. As CEO, Ms. Daniel handles all executive functions. A licensed CPA, Ms. Daniel holds a degree from the University of Cambridge and has two decades of experience in finance and nonprofits, including positions at PricewaterhouseCoopers, the Guggenheim Museum, and AHRC NYC.
Hosted by the Center for Jewish History,Anne Frank The Exhibition gives visitors of all ages the chance to learn about Anne Frank, not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life — as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. More than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, including several never-before-exhibited artifacts, help to convey the context that shaped Anne’s life, death and posthumous fame. Her diary is one of the most translated books in the world.
Anne Frank The Exhibition opened on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, January 27, 2025, to mark the 80th commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Facility
The Center owns and operates its 135,000-square-foot facility at 15 West 16th Street in Manhattan, New York City, which includes the offices of the Center and its five partners as well as a central reading room, genealogy institute, scholars’ lounge, a 247-seat auditorium, several conference rooms, two floors of exhibition galleries, one floor of laboratories for archival preservation, and ten floors of collection storage stacks.
Collections
The collections lie at the very heart of the Center’s mission and that of its partner organizations. All research and learning that happens at the Center is based in the collections housed onsite. Researchers access materials available nowhere else in the world, and all exhibitions and events illuminate dimensions of Jewish history found in the holdings.
Visitors
In a typical, non-pandemic year, the Center welcomes over 40,000 visitors annually through its doors for research, free exhibitions, and over 1,200 live events (lectures, films, performances, conferences, festivals, tours, classes, workshops). The Center is overseen by a 22-member Board of Directors and operated by 42 full-time and 8 part-time staff members.
Global Significance
The unparalleled archive and library resources of the Center’s five partners reflect Jewish culture and experience across the globe: the American Jewish Historical Society (USA), American Sephardi Federation (Mediterranean, North Africa, and Middle East), Leo Baeck Institute (German-speaking areas and the global German-speaking Jewish diaspora), Yeshiva University Museum (art and artifacts worldwide), and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (Yiddish culture in Europe, the Americas, Asia, and Israel).
The Opportunity: Assistant Vice President, Philanthropy
The Center for Jewish History, the premier institution dedicated to preserving and presenting Jewish history, culture, and experience in the United States, seeks an Assistant Vice President, Philanthropy (AVP) to join the Center’s team. With a 25-year history and experience raising over $250M (debt-free and mortgage-free), the Center is poised for continued growth and impact. The AVP reports to Dr. Gavriel Rosenfeld, President, and maintains a secondary (dotted line) reporting to Rio Daniel, CEO, for specific projects. This high-visibility role offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of Jewish cultural preservation and education.
As the AVP will spearhead a transformative frontline fundraising initiative, driving the Center towards growth by focusing on major gifts, planned giving, annual fund campaigns, and institutional partnerships. As a frontline fundraiser, the AVP will embody the entrepreneurial spirit that defines the Center. The AVP must have a donor-centric approach and unwavering enthusiasm as an indispensable partner to the President, CEO, and Board to inspire and cultivate a network of individual donors whose generosity will fuel the Center’s ambitions.
This is more than a job – it's an opportunity to leave an indelible mark on the landscape of Jewish culture and history.
Partner with the President, CEO, and Board to set fundraising strategies and goals.
Serve as the lead frontline fundraiser for the Center.
Maintain a personal portfolio of 75-100 major donors (capacity to give a minimum of $50,000 annually). Identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward individual gifts, personally raising in excess of $3.5M annually.
Motivate, mentor, and manage members of the development team. Set goals and priorities with the team and regularly meet with staff on the progress of goals.
Oversee fund development programs with a goal to raise $10M from major gifts, planned giving, annual giving (direct mail), online giving, and coordinate with colleagues focused on special events, institutional giving, government funding, and special giving campaigns.
Create a vision to grow annual philanthropic support beyond $10M.
Work closely with leadership and department heads to support fundraising needs as determined by business plan goals, operating needs, and annual plan priorities.
Work with the President and the CEO to prepare the annual income plan for unrestricted and temporarily restricted funds; collaborate to develop annual fundraising budgets; prepare and monitor income projections, progress reports, and fundraising forecasts.
Coordinate with the Marketing and Communications team to develop and publish fundraising-related materials (annual report, newsletters, brochures, website content).
Ensure effective stewardship communications so that all fundraising communications are driven to support development functions.
Required Qualifications:
Experience of 7+ years as a frontline fundraiser with track record of success in securing six and seven-figure gifts; stability in current/past position(s); knowledge of Jewish arts and culture, and/or academic philanthropy.
Exceptional interpersonal skills. Keen observer of others, especially donors, with the ability to establish good rapport quickly and remember details.
Strong leadership and collaboration skills, with the ability to create and sustain strong working relationships with donors, Board members, and staff.
Demonstrated success in a leadership role.
Ability to serve as an articulate and compelling spokesperson for the Center, with a clear understanding of and interest in the mission.
Excellent written and oral communication skills.
Exceptional organizational skills.
Experience in museums, libraries, archives, universities, or similar organizations preferred.
What Success Looks Like:
Meeting or exceeding the $10M fundraising goal for 2025.
Personally raising $3.5M annually.
Developing and implementing innovative strategies to grow philanthropic support.
Building strong relationships with donors, board members, and staff.
Applications & Nominations
The Center for Jewish History has partnered with Boyden Executive Search. For more information about this opportunity or to submit a cover letter and resume, please email:
Lisa Vuona has decades of experience in executive search and human resource management, primarily in the non-profit, healthcare and education sectors. She is distinguished by her track record and network, and by her approach, which combines the strategic power of data with a finely tuned ability to understand the client’s organization and identify high-caliber leaders who fit the culture.
Jill Coran brings a broad foundation in human resources and executive search to our Boston team, enabling her to make valuable contributions to search assignments. She is adept at understanding client needs, researching and identifying high-level potential candidates, and shepherding the search process with integrity and professionalism. In searches for hard-to-fill roles, her tenacity is invaluable.
Don’t check off all the boxes or meet every single requirement? We have learned that potential candidates hesitate when applying for a job unless they meet every single requirement. Boyden Boston is dedicated to inclusivity and valuing diversity and equity in the workplace. If this opportunity excites you, but your background may not be a perfect match, we still encourage you to apply.
Center for Jewish History - AVP, Philanthropy - Job Description (PDF Download)
