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ZOA PEOPLE
Profile: Jonathan Ginsburg
Managing Director of ZOA Campus
Having been with the ZOA for almost
five years, Jonathan Ginsburg,
who was recently named managing
director of ZOA Campus, knows exactly
what it takes to succeed in his new role.
Since starting his journey with the ZOA as
a campus coordinator in 2015, Jonathan has
learned the ins and outs of campus life for
Jewish students – including the difficulties
that did not exist when he was a student
himself at SUNY Purchase, where he studied
history and literature.
Understanding of nuance is critical when
working with college students, especially
when there is no one standard attitude or set
consensus towards Israel across campuses in
North America. The current social media age
has also led to more amplified conversations
and coverage surrounding Israel than ever
before. Applying this knowledge to assist the
rest of the national network of campus coordinators,
Jonathan was later named the associate
director of ZOA Campus. In addition to
working directly with students and schools in
the New England region, Jonathan held the
role of ZOA Campus fellowship director —
essentially availing himself to every campus
where ZOA had a presence through collaborative
engagement work with coordinators
and fellows, while also organizing many
ZOA-sponsored events and helping inspire
students. As a critical component of his role,
Jonathan was determined to help guide the
rest of his colleagues through the often challenging
landscape of Israel advocacy.
Just two years later, after working with
colleges and universities across the country,
in addition to a wide number of partner
organizations, ZOA was proud and honored
to elevate Jonathan to the role of managing
director of ZOA Campus in August 2019.
Not only is Jonathan a good colleague who
is smart, creative, principled, and a natural
leader, but he is also a mensch, with a true
passion for Israel and the ZOA, making him
the perfect fit.
While it’s hard to think about Jonathan
Ginsburg without the ZOA, the truth is,
Jonathan’s passion for Israel and Zionism
stretches back to his youth and is deeply tied
to his own personal identity and family roots.
When asked to pinpoint the moment that
inspired his activism on behalf of the Jewish
people and the State of Israel, Jonathan could
not settle for just one example. Instead,
Jonathan shared details and stories about
his grandparents’ heritage, anecdotes about
his family’s connection to Israel, including
popular topics of discussion at Passover seders,
as well as memories of formative trips to Israel
to visit cousins when he was younger. In
summarizing his deep bond, Jonathan simply
added: “Israel is a core part of my identity.
Since a very young age I’ve been engaged - I’ll
just say that.” With so many influences it was
hard to count just one.