The Jewish Museum Announces New Board Leadership and Welcomes Two New Trustees

New York, NY, July 29, 2024 – The Jewish Museum today announced that its Board of Trustees has elected philanthropist Shari Aronson as Chair of the Board, and that Sander M. Levy and David Shapiro will serve as Board Co-Presidents. Ms. Aronson has been a member of the Museum’s Board of Trustees since 2011 and was instrumental in the creation of its Young Patrons program, which engages young professionals interested in art and Jewish culture. Mr. Levy, Managing Member of Lakeside Capital Holdings, is the former Board Vice President and has been a Museum Trustee since 2020; and Mr. Shapiro, a partner in the Corporate Department at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, is the former Board Secretary and a Museum Trustee since 2020. Additionally, the Museum appointed two new trustees, private investor Marc Abramowitz and philanthropist and publisher Cassie Arison.

Ms. Aronson steps into the role of Chair just as the Jewish Museum embarks on a number of timely initiatives, including a major reinvention of its third and fourth floors that will transform half of the Museum’s public space, where art and objects will tell stories about Jewish culture throughout the global diaspora over 3,500 years. Opening in Fall 2025, the renewed spaces will also be used for teaching and learning in gallery settings, notably as a counterpoint to the ignorance and xenophobia that are darkening the world today.

Ms. Aronson succeeds Robert A. Pruzan, Partner and Co-Founder of Centerview Partners, who served as the Museum’s Board Chair for 13 years. Mr. Pruzan will become Chairman Emeritus and remain a Museum Trustee, a role he has held since 2003.  During Mr. Pruzan’s tenure, the Museum’s national and international visibility grew substantially through a series of important exhibitions connecting Jewish cultural history with art.  He also spearheaded the transition to James Snyder’s appointment in 2023 as the Museum’s Helen Menschel Goldsmith Director, following Claudia Gould’s twelve-year tenure as Director, during which they enhanced the Museum’s reputation in the art world and successfully navigated the challenges of the COVID years.  

James S. Snyder, Helen Goldsmith Menschel Director, said, “Shari has devoted more than a decade of service to the Jewish Museum, and we are thrilled to welcome her as our new Chair and to work together with Sander and David as Co-Presidents to advance the Museum’s role as a beacon for the Jewish community and a platform for exploring and illuminating universal values. We are grateful to Robert for his outstanding leadership as Chair for more than a decade and for the role he has played in shepherding the Museum as a vital platform for stories about the vibrancy and complexity of Jewish culture.”

Ms. Aronson said, “I am honored to be named Chair of the Jewish Museum’s Board of Trustees, and I want to acknowledge Robert Pruzan for his years of service and dedication to the Jewish Museum. I bring my passion for art and Jewish culture and a commitment to education, as well as supporting the next generation of museum patrons. I look forward to working with James, the board, and our talented staff to bring the Museum’s goals to fruition.”

Mr. Pruzan said, “It has been a pleasure and a privilege to serve as the Jewish Museum’s Chair over these past 13 years, and especially in a period when the Museum’s mission and mandate have taken on that much greater meaning given the complexities of the times in which we live.  I look forward to remaining an active member of the Board and to supporting Shari’s and James’ work in every way.”