Jerusalem, August 14, 2024—The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), announced today that Brigadier General (Res.) Hadas Minka-Brand, Ph.D has been named as the new Executive Director of JDC Israel. Minka-Brand, a highly esteemed organizational psychologist and 25 year-veteran of the IDF, will begin this role on September 15.

“I am excited to welcome Hadas Minka-Brand to the JDC family! I am confident that Hadas will ably lead JDC Israel and our dedicated team of professionals as they work around the clock to address the ongoing war and post-October 7th reality. As social needs rise steeply and the country prepares for a possible escalation in the conflict, millions of Israelis who did not need JDC’s help before are turning to us for support. We must remain a bulwark of care and innovation and stand by their side,” said JDC CEO Ariel Zwang.

Minka-Brand is the former Head of the IDF’s Behavioral Science Center, where she commanded hundreds of organizational psychologists and sociologists. She’s held numerous senior leadership roles in the Israeli military during her 25-year service, including senior advisor to three IDF Chiefs of Staff and the Intelligence Directorate, and as the head of the IDF’s Behavioral Science Research Institute. Among her numerous accomplishments, Minka-Brand played a major role in the IDF’s strategic Multi-Year Plan and led initiatives to promote equal opportunity and reduce social gaps among the ranks as well as efforts around digitization and data-based technology.

Minka-Brand retired from the IDF not long before the October 7th attacks. Shortly thereafter, she volunteered to return and became Chief Psychologist and part of the Senior Command Team of the Israeli Military Hostage Family unit, which works to ease the suffering of those who continue to wait for their loved ones to be returned from Gaza.

 “I am humbled to join the JDC, especially in these challenging times for Israel and for the Jewish people worldwide. I see it as my duty and privilege to be part of this amazing organization and fulfill its vision of strengthening the hardest-hit Israelis, the country’s most vulnerable populations, and the country overall,” said Minka-Brand. “I aim to leverage my years of experience to enhance JDC’s 100+ year legacy in Israel and look forward to working with the organization’s unparalleled staff, partners, and leadership to ensure a brighter future for Israeli society.”

Minka-Brand has an M.A in Labor Studies from Tel Aviv University and a Ph.D. in Sociology and Anthropology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She’s a graduate of the IDF’s Military Behavioral Sciences College Training, the Wexner Senior Leadership program at Harvard, and has published dozens of professional articles.

JDC’s post-October 7th emergency response efforts in Israel have directly aided more than 250,000 of the hardest-hit Israelis. Additionally, JDC has provided training and tools for more than 42,00 professionals engaged in crisis response and trauma programs, and guided more than 1,800 NGOs and municipalities providing emergency services and relief around Israel.

Before October 7th, one million Israelis every week were touched by social services created by JDC. Since its founding in 1914 to aid starving Jews in Jerusalem impacted by the outbreak of WWI, JDC has invested in excess of 10 billion shekels to improve the lives of Israel’s most vulnerable, to close social gaps, and to ensure opportunity for all Israelis.