Newsletter
Newsletter Support JNS

JTS graduate in Midrash named head of pension fund for teachers in Pennsylvania

The governor’s office said Uri Monson “has spent decades serving the people of Pennsylvania, managing public finances with integrity, strengthening major institutions and helping deliver real results for our commonwealth.”

The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa.
The Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.

Uri Monson is stepping down as the Pennsylvania state budget secretary to become executive director of the Pennsylvania Public School Employees’ Retirement System, a pension fund, according to the office of Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat.

Uri Monson
Uri Monson. Credit: Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Shapiro is appointing Zachary Reber, deputy secretary for fiscal policy and program coordination in the state’s budget office, as a replacement.

“Pennsylvania taxpayers are fortunate to have dedicated public servants like Uri and Zach carefully managing the commonwealth’s budgetary and fiscal health,” Shapiro stated. “Uri has demonstrated exceptional financial leadership and integrity throughout his career, and as secretary of the budget, he instituted new policies that helped the commonwealth receive its highest bond rating in more than a decade, saving taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.”

Monson holds an undergraduate degree in Midrash from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, per the governor’s office.

“Uri has spent decades serving the people of Pennsylvania, managing public finances with integrity, strengthening major institutions and helping deliver real results for our Commonwealth,” stated Dana Fritz, chief of staff of the governor’s office.

Monson lives in Wynnewood, Pa., with his wife and three children, is an “active member of his synagogue,” and was a vice president and treasurer of Camp Ramah in the Poconos, per his official bio.

“Our goal is to safeguard our security while also expanding the circle of peace around us,” he added.
The find will be housed in an archaeology, art and innovation wing of the Tower of David Museum slated to open in late 2028.
A clip from an upcoming documentary on the late U.S. senator shows him praising the two leaders in the context of confronting Iran.
Jewish groups and community representatives blast Frans Timmermans, an honorary adviser to the government and king, as an out-of-the-closet antisemite.
The national platform, meant to guide the party for the next three years, calls for an end to the “occupation” and condemns “extremist settler violence.”
The Military Police has opened an investigation into the incident.