zack bodner
President and Chief Executive Officer
Zack has worked as the President and CEO of the Oshman Family JCC in Palo Alto, since 2013. Under Zack’s leadership, the JCC completed construction of the campus, launched the Israel Collaboration Network ICON, created a new Center for Social Impact, built the Taube Center for Jewish Peoplehood, absorbed the Maccabi Sports Camp, and began hosting an annual conference called Zionism 3.0 which became The Z3 Project, a global effort to reimagine Diaspora-Israel relations.
Zack is the author of the book Why Do Jewish? A Manifesto for 21st Century Jewish Peoplehood. The book, an Amazon #1 New Release in Jewish Life as well as Religion and Philosophy, draws on Zack’s experience as a Jewish professional in the non-profit, academic and political worlds to create a new framework for living Jewishly, based on the word TACHLIS.
Before joining the JCC, Zack served for 14 years as the Pacific Northwest Regional Director of AIPAC, where he oversaw a period of unprecedented growth in community outreach, political advocacy and fundraising. Zack holds a master’s degree in philosophy of religion and theology from Claremont Graduate University, earned his bachelor’s degree from Yale University, spent a semester studying at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and participated in Stanford Business School’s program for executives in nonprofit leadership.
Zack is an accomplished speaker, including as a TEDx presenter and MOTH storyteller, and writes regularly for publications including The Forward, Times of Israel, The J Weekly and eJewish Philanthropy. He was an Executive Leadership Seminar Fellow for The Aspen Institute, an iFellow Mentor for the iCenter, and is currently an Advisory Board Member for the following organizations: Taube Center for Jewish Studies at Stanford University, JCC Global, Heart of a Nation, Global Jewry and Early J.
Zack currently serves on the Boards of JCCA of North America, JCC Global and American Friends of Tel Aviv University Northern California. He lives in Los Altos with his wife Ronit and their three children, Talia, Elie and Orly.