The Jewish Federation Los Angeles is adopting a new shared executive leadership model, with longtime L.A. Federation leader Becky Sobelman-Stern assuming the newly created board-appointed role of deputy chief executive officer.
Sobelman-Stern will share executive responsibility for the organization with Rabbi Noah Farkas, the L.A. Federation’s president and CEO, in a structure designed to accommodate the growing size and complexity of the organization.
Under the new arrangement, Sobelman-Stern will oversee the L.A. Federation’s internal management and enterprise strategy, while Farkas—who has served as CEO since 2021—will have greater capacity to focus on the organization’s external role, according to a letter shared with the Federation board on Sept. 3.
The announcement marks a “momentous change to our Federation’s leadership structure,” the letter, co-signed by Farkas and Sobelman-Stern, says.
The two leaders will retain shared authority and operate from a common vision for the Federation’s future, while taking primary responsibility for different areas of the organization.
“At a moment when the external role of the CEO is paramount, this new model provides me greater capacity to focus on global strategy, civic and communal issues, public speaking and representing JFEDLA in moments of opportunity and crisis,” Farkas said in announcing the change.
Farkas also cited financial resource development, including relationships with major donors and foundations, as a key area of his continued focus.
Sobelman-Stern, meanwhile, will take on responsibility for the Federation’s internal operations, drawing on her extensive experience within the organization and the broader Jewish community.
“Federation’s internal management will now be in the hands of a leader with unmatched institutional knowledge, credibility and judgment,” Farkas said, describing Sobelman-Stern’s nearly 12 years of experience at the L.A. Federation and across the national Federation system as positioning her to lead its internal enterprise strategy.
The new structure represents a significant shift from a traditional model in which the chief executive holds primary responsibility for both the internal management and external representation of an organization. At L.A. Federation, the two executives will instead divide leadership responsibilities while maintaining joint authority.
“Each of us will lead a distinct lane but the authority of JFEDLA is shared and complements our strengths,” Farkas and Sobelman-Stern say in the letter.
Sobelman-Stern has served for 11 years as the L.A. Federation’s chief impact officer, where her work has included guiding the organization’s response to the COVID epidemic, the crisis in Ukraine, recent wildfires and the Israel emergency, according to the L.A. Federation website.
Married to Stephen Wise Temple Rabbi Ron Stern, she has been a longtime figure in Los Angeles Jewish communal life. Her experience also includes serving as vice president of consulting at community development at Jewish Federations of North America.
The announcement did not provide details about how the transition will affect specific departments or staff reporting structures. Farkas and Sobelman-Stern said they expect to share additional information about the transition “in the coming weeks.”
In the letter, the two leaders emphasized that the new model is intended not merely as a management change but as an opportunity for “expanding our concept of what a Federation can be.”
The leadership change comes as Jewish Federations nationally and locally navigate an increasingly complicated communal landscape, including heightened demands for advocacy, fundraising, crisis response and support for Jewish communities in Los Angeles, Israel and around the world.
The sharing of the letter with L.A. Federation leadership followed what the announcement calls “a closed board session” held Sept. 1.
