Today, the Orthodox Union announced the promotion of Maury Litwack to Director of Political Affairs of the OU’s Institute for Public Affairs – IPA.
Mr. Litwack has served the OU for the past three years in his capacity as National Deputy Director of the IPA and brings more than ten years of political experience to his new role within the organization.
As the OU/IPA’s Director of Political Affairs, Mr. Litwack will be heading up a state – by – state plan for political action and advocacy in the OU’s many communities around the country, with a principal focus on seeking greater government support for Jewish day schools and their families in order to address the acute education affordability challenge the Orthodox community is facing.
Mr. Litwack has worked for more than 14 different elected officials in his career including two stints on Capitol Hill and helping to launch Miami/Dade County’s Washington lobbying practice. In addition to his work with the OU, Mr. Litwack is viewed in national political circles as an expert on political advocacy and has been published and quoted at length on the topic of effective advocacy.
In his new role, Mr. Litwack will also continue to work within the OU’s long-established Washington presence. Led by Nathan Diament, who has been promoted to the rank of Executive Director of the IPA, the OU/IPA, since its creation, has delivered millions of dollars in federal funding to Orthodox community institutions; protected the community’s religious liberty; worked in support of Israel’s security; and been the voice of Orthodox Judaism on many matters of public policy. Mr. Litwack will continue to work with Mr. Diament in advancing the community’s federal agenda.
Nathan Diament stated: “The mission of the OU/IPA is to advance the Orthodox Jewish community’s interests and values in the public policy arena. We have long recognized that many of our communities’ interests can be advanced through advocacy in Washington, but many others must be pursued in state capitals such as Albany, Trenton, Tallahassee and Annapolis. Mr. Litwack has been a very effective member of our team in Washington for three years, and will bring that effectiveness to his expanded role managing the OU/IPA’s state – based advocacy.”
According to OU President Simcha Katz, “The OU recognizes the national problem of tuition affordability in our community and we continue to take necessary steps to expand our reach and focus on the ability of political advocacy to contribute to the solution. I am confident in Maury Litwack’s abilities to help us tackle this crisis through increased political advocacy at the state level.”
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