AIPAC's Change

The Passing of the Torch of AIPAC's Professional Leadership

President Herzog


Anyone making even a passing visit onto social media will be hard-pressed not to be confronted with vitriolic anti-AIPAC hatred - blaming AIPAC for almost everything both re Israel and far beyond. And of course being pretty-effective at what it does; makes AIPAC a convenient “scapegoat” for broader social and political issues. I’d suggest that AIPAC has replaced ADL as the “all-purpose” focus of attack and blame. (And of course people say “AIPAC” but not-infrequently, mean something else.)

It’s probably never-been an easy-time to head the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). The subject is too-important. The challenges always very great. The need to be bipartisan and to balance the wishes of American supporters of Israel with whoever might be the Government of Israel. And that’s before one starts examining Administrations, Congress, political parties and organizations with views different to Israel. And with all of that; the need to always plan for the unpredictable future.

In its almost 70 years since its founding; the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) (and its precursor) has had five Executive Directors/CEOs : AIPAC Founder: I.L. “Si” Kenen; Morris (Morrie) Amitay; Tom Dine; Neal Sher and Howard Kohr.

This month a sixth CEO formally takes over at AIPAC. Elliot Brandt succeeding Howard Kohr who in late March, announced his retirement from AIPAC by the end of the year. Elliot was formally announced as Howard’s successor, 10 weeks later.

This is the first change at the top of AIPAC in almost 30 years. The previous change occurred when Howard Kohr succeed Neil Sher in 1996 after Sher’s short two year stint at AIPAC. (Howard had previously served as “Acting Director” for several months after Tom Dine who was the head of AIPAC when I joined, (sadly) departed AIPAC in 1993. Howard who joined AIPAC in 1987, has the distinction of being AIPAC’s longest-serving head. An accomplishment which will probably never be matched.

Elliot is the first AIPAC CEO to come from California. (Kenen originally came from Canada; Dine and Howard came from different parts of Ohio - Cincinatti and Cleveland respetively; And Amitay and Sher from New York. By my calculations, Elliot is the oldest CEO, at the time of taking over (albeit still just in his middle-50s.)

Elliot is someone who spent virtually his entire almost 35-year professional life at AIPAC in various positions. Starting as an intern and working his way to the very top; spending most of the time on the West Coast with the last decade in AIPAC Washingon DC office. At the time of his announcement as AIPAC’s next head; Elliot was AIPAC’s #2 after the passing of then Co-AIPAC CEO, Richard Fishman in October 2023.

AIPAC with its strong and important Lay Leadership is an organization that has shown it can grow, evolve and adapt as circumstances require. All the changes and evolution (and massive growth in the organization and membership) being far too-big-a-topic for this piece.

Howard obviously made a massive and permanent contribution to AIPAC. But as has famously been noted “The Graveyards are full of indispensable men.” (The organization has even survived my departure! Something I thought could never happen!) So the organization will move on. There’s a term in British politics: That someone is “A Safe Pair of Hands.” That’s clearly going to be the case with Elliot as the organization have opted for stability and continuation and deep knowledge of AIPAC’s Culture and history and of course how AIPAC is run. The AIPAC that I joined in the mid-1980s and that Elliot first interned at just a couple of years later; is so very, very different than what it is today.


Just to note in passing that today (December 16) marks the third anniversary since AIPAC announced that AIPAC was formally launching two AIPAC PACS

Note I left AIPAC in late September of this year after 38 years at the organization. I wrote about my continued “belief” in AIPAC and “The Cause” in a Times of Israel piece - Saying Goodby to AIPAC…But Not to ‘The Cause’

The AIPAC “Elliot Brandt” announcement in June

Michael Tuchin

AIPAC President

Betsy Berns Korn

AIPAC Board Chair

Bernie Kaminetsky

AIPAC President-Elect