new york | One of the top professionals of the American Jewish communal world has resigned.
Hannah Rosenthal, executive director of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, announced her resignation to her board last week.
Rosenthal — known for summoning fierce and unrelenting passion for social justice — cited personal reasons for leaving the umbrella group of federation-affiliated Jewish community relations councils.
Despite Rosenthal’s stated reasons for resigning, people close to her speculate that her liberal stance on social and economic policy issues may have contributed to her decision.
Rosenthal’s Democratic politics are well known — she worked in the Clinton administration as the Midwest regional director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
She was vehemently opposed to President Bush’s domestic agenda and often was not shy about it. Rosenthal, for example, wears a necklace with a charm in the shape of a hanger, symbolizing her staunch support for women’s reproductive rights.