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Abrahams Appointment

DMFI names Brian Abrahams to top leadership role

Abrahams, a longtime Jewish communal advocate, joins the group after its political arm engaged heavily in the 2024 cycle

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Brian Abrahams

Democratic Majority for Israel has appointed Brian Abrahams, a longtime Jewish community activist and pro-Israel advocate, as vice president and chief advancement officer, the group announced on Monday in a statement first shared with Jewish Insider.

“Brian’s proven track record as an effective fundraiser and organizational leader will be a huge asset for DMFI,” said Mark Mellman, the group’s president and CEO. “As DMFI enters its sixth year, he’s the ideal leader to help us in this moment.”

Abrahams — who most recently served as the CEO of American Friends of Sheba Medical Center — previously worked for the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, where he spent 12 years as Midwest regional director and helped grow the organization’s total fundraising from $2.2 million to $16 million, according to an online biography.

He left AIPAC in 2015 and has since held several leading roles in the private and nonprofit sectors, including as the senior vice president for financial resource development at the Jewish Federations of North America. 

Earlier in his career, Abrahams, who lives in Chicago, served as director of political outreach for AIPAC in the mid-1980s and then as Midwest director for the United Jewish Appeal — a predecessor to JFNA.

He also worked as a campaign volunteer for Democratic lawmakers including the late Rep. Abner Mikva (D-IL) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), the statement from DMFI notes.  

Todd Richman, co-chair of DMFI’s board of directors, said that Abrahams’ “leadership in the pro-Israel advocacy sector will be instrumental in advancing DMFI’s mission.”

DMFI, a political nonprofit affiliated with a super PAC that helped to unseat two Squad members last cycle, took in around $4 million in revenue in 2023, according to its most recent federal tax filings.

The group, founded in 2019 to counter mounting opposition toward Israel on the left, frequently hosts live events on Middle East policy issues and has engaged in Democratic Party platform fights in several states, among other efforts. 
In 2023, DMFI released a six-figure TV ad buy in Detroit hitting Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) for her vote against a resolution standing with Israel after Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks, presaging more recent efforts by its political arm to oust some Democratic incumbents who have grown increasingly hostile to Israel.

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