When Bay Area board members from Friends of the IDF gathered at a Palo Alto restaurant in December, it was supposed to be a Hanukkah celebration. But the mood was far from celebratory. Days earlier, their region’s executive director of more than five years, Amarelle Green, had been abruptly terminated by the national nonprofit’s CEO.
“We were shocked,” one regional board member told J. The person asked not to be identified over concerns about retaliation from national leadership.
The annual gala earlier in the fall was considered a success, and the regional chapter under Green’s leadership was seeing record donations, according to regional board member Ricki Alon.
FIDF, a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) founded in 1981, has 25 chapters across the country that raise money for the emergency needs of soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces — a particularly urgent demand since the Israel-Hamas war began on Oct. 7, 2023.
“She was absolutely terrific,” Alon said of Green. FIDF Bay Area was on track to raise more than $6 million for the second year in a row, Alon noted.
Green declined to speak with J. about her removal.
Shortly after her termination, some Bay Area board members began to investigate what was behind the move and, in doing so, said they uncovered allegations of mismanagement by national FIDF leaders.
In light of the discovery, Alon said she and others decided to freeze their contributions to the FIDF. Some chose to redirect their support to other nonprofits that provide a similar level of support to Israeli soldiers. The unnamed regional board member, a “silver level” donor who contributes at least $10,000 annually, confirmed they had frozen their donations this year and said most of, if not all of, the 20-person regional board had done the same.
Donations plummeted. To date this year, contributions to the Bay Area FIDF chapter have fallen under $1 million, according to Alon.
The Bay Area board began crafting a letter in January, sent later in the winter to members of the national FIDF board, alerting them to concerns about board chairman Morey Levovitz and the nonprofit’s CEO, Steve Weil, and asking the board to look into the claims of fraud and misuse of funds.
Alon, who previously served on the national board and helped co-found the Bay Area chapter in 2010, said she emailed a 65-point complaint to the national board in March that included a list of people whom the board could interview about allegations related to Levovitz and Weil.
Three months later, Alon said she received confirmation that the board was investigating.
Earlier this month, a damning exposé by Israeli news outlet Ynet revealed the findings in an 18-page internal board report detailing dysfunction inside the FIDF.
Among the allegations: Board chairman Levovitz is said to have taken over the powers of the CEO and is accused of spending lavishly on travel and lodging, using donor funds meant to support IDF soldiers.
The leaked report also detailed allegations that Levovitz, who became board chairman in 2023, steered employees to work with vendors or individuals with whom he had financial or personal ties. According to the report, Weil allegedly made derogatory remarks about women and held business meetings with whiskey and cigars.
On Monday, FIDF donors were told that Levovitz and Weil had resigned, effective immediately. The nonprofit rejected all accusations of fraud or misuse of funds.
“The decisions made by the Board included accepting findings and recommendations made by an investigative committee that was recently formed to investigate organizational governance, culture and morale at the organization,” the national board wrote to donors. “Although the investigation identified certain issues related to organizational culture and staff morale, it found no fraud, misappropriation of funds, theft or kick-backs by or to Levovitz or any other employee, National Board Member or lay leader of FIDF.”
The board has named Nily Falic, a longtime donor and past chair, as interim national chair. Nadav Padan, a retired Israeli military general who has served as FIDF’s national director for the past four years, will take over daily operations.
Meanwhile, FIDF said it is determined to restore confidence among staff and supporters.
“We are fully committed to building a culture of transparency, collaboration, and unity within our organization,” the statement said. “Because when FIDF is strong internally, we are strongest for Israel’s soldiers.”
The Bay Area board members who spoke to J. expressed confidence that the organization will regroup.
“The FIDF will return to what it was,” Alon told J. on Monday. “We would not allow these two individuals to destroy what took so many across decades to build.”
Building back trust among donors, including Bay Area board members, will take time.
“I am still concerned about the organization and I hope that they’ll right the ship and it will all be great and we can all contribute again,” the unnamed board member said. “But I’m not willing to do that until I see the change, and I am sure that they’re not just trying to wipe the slate clean.”