Ira N. Forman (born February 28, 1952) is a former

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, thoug ...

of the

National Jewish Democratic Council The National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) was a political lobbying organization that advocated within the Democratic Party for viewpoints aligned with the American Jewish community and in support of the state of Israel, and within the politic ...

from January 1996 through June 2010. From May 2013 until January 2017 he served as the United States Special Envoy for Monitoring and Combating anti-Semitism.

Education and career

In 1974, Forman graduated

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

from

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher ...

, where he majored in

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...

. Forman started his career in 1977 working as a legislative liaison for AIPAC. His title was political director. He stayed with AIPAC until 1981, when he left to go to

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is consider ...

, where he completed an MBA in 1983. After completing his MBA went to work for the National PAC as the New York office director, which he continued until 1985. From 1990 to 1993, he served as a fellow at the Center for National Policy where he worked on the volume "Democrats and The American Idea: A Bicentennial Appraisal". He left the Center for National Policy to serve as the director of congressional relations in the Office of Personnel Management of the Clinton Administration. He left the Clinton Administration in January 1996 when he became the executive director of the

. In September 2011, Forman was named Jewish outreach director for President Obama's 2012 Reelection Campaign. In May 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry appointed Forman as the U.S. Special Envoy of the

Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism The Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism (formerly the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism) is an office of the Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights at the United States Department of S ...

. He served in the position until January 20, 2017. In 2021, Forman was reportedly considered by the Biden administration to again head the Office to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, which was now an ambassadorship.

Personal life

Forman and his wife, Caryn Pass, have three children, and live in Washington, D.C.

References

External links

*Officia
biography
at United States Department of State *
Articles by Ira Forman
in '' The Jewish Week''
Articles by Ira Forman
in the ''

Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

''
Ira Forman on TwitterSpeech at the Center for Jewish Civilization
1952 births Living people 20th-century American Jews Harvard College alumni United States Special Envoys Stanford University alumni 21st-century American Jews {{US-diplomat-stub