January 21, 2019

Today The IJC commemorates the legacy and life of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who dedicated himself to the greater good of humanity. Rev. Dr. King’s causes continue to inspire all of us a half century after his death.  Through our organization, we help so many achieve their dreams with many of the values that Dr King left us. 

Let's take the celebration of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day to dedicate ourselves to the American values for which Dr. King fought. 

January 2019
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New York – The Order of The Independent Jewish Crew of America (IJC) Chartered Board today announces the unanimous election of Izak J. Held as the 5th chancellor of IJC.

The Board of Regents of The IJC has unanimously elected Izak J. Held to serve as chancellor, succeeding Chancellor Hannah R. Finkel, who is stepping down at the end of the month when her term ends. The vote took place after the acceptance of the 4th chancellor, Hannah Finkel's nomination for Held, Finkel chaired the search committee as is the duties of the chancellor of the Association. Chairman of the Board Jensen L. Greif will appoint Chancellor-Elect Held to his term in February of 2019. With Finkel's term coming to an end, we thank her for her 5 years of service to the association where she served 3 years as our chancellor and 2 years as vice chancellor. In addition, chancellor-elect Held and Chairman Greif has asked Finkel to continue serving the Association as an ambassador-at-large and a visiting dean, overseeing women's initiatives.

Sender Gross, national executive director and senior vice chancellor of IJC, said: “Hannah has been a successful leader and it has been an honor to have her as our first female chancellor. I have no doubt that Izak is a worthy successor as chancellor and will be a leader of the highest commitment and integrity, it also helps that he has been my boss before."

Held is currently an executive vice chancellor, dean and an ambassador to the South East Region. He is an integral part of Chancellor Finkel's cabinet. Held has served the Association as national executive director, chairman of the board, vice chairman of the board and vice chancellor for human capital management. Held has held positions with numerous organizations such as the chief recruitment officer at Real Clear Talent and a Partner at the Heldwell Group of Companies. In his philanthropic endeavors, He serves as an ambassador for Young Jewish Conservatives, Cigar Rights of America and Weebly Technologies. He is also a matchmaker at The Bashert Agency, an adjunct professor at the RAJE Institute and an avid supporter of Israel. He holds his BA and BBA from the City University of New York and State University of NY, an MBA in Accounting from Shorter University, is a Registered Financial Consultant™ (RFC®) and a CPP® (Certified Program Planner) and a Charted Leadership Fellow (CLF®) candiate at the American College of Financial Services.

Before becoming chancellor, Finkel was a Vice Chancellor in Chancellor Gavi Smith's cabinet. Her extensive background as a professional includes, senior vice president at the Tamid Group at George Washington University and a fellow at Hasbara Fellowships. Finkel served as captain at the Gann Academy of Massachusetts, as well as serving on the board of New England NCSY. Finkel’s Bachelors Degree is from George Washington University where she is an avid supporter of the State of Israel.

​IJ Crew goes to great lengths to hire and recruit the great and most significant leaders of tomorrow. Our officers and directors have diverse interests, accomplishments, and approaches that help them forge unique connections with our members. Their extraordinarily long average tenure at IJ Crew is one indication of the high quality of our work and strong environment applications.