The tally bodes well for the beginning of Lauder’s two-year tenure, which begins in June.
Just hours before the election, rumors and even an article in the New York Times had hinted at a major rift in the consensus-based organization. Some member organizations felt that Lauder had not adequately answered questions about his political and financial ties to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But in the end, the majority of conference members opted for a solid front.
“There had been a fear” that the controversy “would split the conference, but the conference pulled through,” said Betty Ehrenberg, director of international affairs and communal relations at the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs.
One day earlier, Lauder had reconvened with the conference’s seven-member nominating committee to address questions that arose last week from news reports published by the New York Jewish Week and the Israeli daily Ha’aretz. Those articles investigated Lauder’s involvement with right-wing Israeli organizations and his indirect support of Netanyahu’s 1996 campaign.
All along, Lauder had insisted that he had accurately responded to questions about the matter when they had been raised by the nominating committee. He said he had done nothing that would prevent him from leading the organization, which speaks for the organized Jewish community to the U.S. government and world leaders.
Following his confirmation on Wednesday, Lauder was congratulated by Philip Meltzer, the president of the Association of Reform Zionists of America, and Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president of the Reform movement’s Union of American Hebrew Congregations.
Both men said they had been reassured in their support of Lauder by the nominating committee’s positive reports.
In his acceptance speech, Lauder, who is a former U.S. ambassador to Austria, thanked the group for its trust and called for unity and consensus.