Media Kit - President

JCC Association

Allan Finkelstein
President

ALLAN FINKELSTEIN is a native of Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he attended the University of Minnesota, receiving a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Social Work.

Before assuming his new position, in October 1994, as Executive Vice-President of the Jewish Community Centers Association of North America, Mr. Finkelstein had served as Executive Vice-President of the Jewish Community Centers Association of Los Angeles. Prior to that, he presided over the opening of the new Leo Yassenoff Jewish Community Center in Columbus, Ohio, where he served as Executive Vice President for nine years.

Mr. Finkelstein came to Columbus from Buffalo, New York, where he served the JCC in a number of capacities, including Assistant Executive Director, Resident Camp Director, and Director of Youth Services. He began his career as Regional Director of B'nai B'rith Youth Organization in Minneapolis.

Allan has taught in the graduate program of the Irwin Daniels School of Jewish Communal Service at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, and has served for the past six years on the faculty of the Sherman Seminar for Outstanding Young Professionals at Brandeis Univeristy. He served as Chair of the Professional Advisory Committee for the Hornstein Program at Brandeis. He is often called upon to speak about one of his passions--new models of looking at Jewish communal life, and enhancing the "Jewish Educational journey", especially as it applies to collaboration between institutions.

Allan has been honored on the continental level as a participant in the JCC Association (then JWB) Executive Development Training Program, and as a member of the JWB Executive Fellows Program, which included a three-month sabbatical at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. He was selected as the 1990 Max Tasgal Lecturer—the keynote speaker—for the annual Conference of the Association of Jewish Center Professionals. His topic was: "Beneynu-Between the JCC Professional and Israel."

Allan is a musical director by avocation, conducting community theatre musicals, synagogue choirs, and even a symphony orchestra! He is married to Bonnie, and is the father of Shari and Bryan.

send an email