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January 4, 2002/20 Tevet 5762, Vol. 54, No. 16
Popular ADL official fired
TOM TUGEND
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
LOS ANGELES - Jewish community leaders are reacting with surprise and dismay to the firing by the national Anti-Defamation League of its top regional representative.
David Lehrer said he was "shocked and stunned" by the dismissal, coming after 27 years of service as director of ADL's Pacific Southwest Region.
The importance of what would ordinarily be an intra-organizational personnel action was shown by a lengthy article in the Jan. 1 Los Angeles Times. The article quoted angry reactions by Jewish leaders, as well as by Muslim spokesmen with whom Lehrer sought to establish working relationships.
In New York, ADL officials would not comment directly, but national spokeswoman Myrna Shinbaum released a statement. "We are undertaking steps to strengthen our leadership and development efforts," she said.
Lehrer, 53, said he was summoned to New York on Dec. 21 and told of the dismissal by Abraham Foxman, ADL's national director.
According to Lehrer, Foxman said that he didn't like the quality of the lay leadership in Los Angeles, and, as the statement indicated, the regional development and fund-raising efforts.
However, the Jewish Journal reported that under Lehrer's leadership, the local ADL's annual budget has grown from $2 million to $6 million and that in 2001 fund raising was up 30 percent over 2000.
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