Matt Nosanchuk, who served as the White House liaison to the Jewish community under President Barack Obama, has been appointed by the Democratic National Committee in a similar capacity.
The DNC has not had someone in a permanent position as its Jewish liaison since Andrew Weinberg, who served in the role during the 2016 election cycle.
“This is hands down the most important election of our lifetime. With so much on the line, I am honored to have the opportunity to join the DNC team working under chair Tom Perez’s leadership to defeat [U.S. President] Donald Trump and ensure Democratic victories at every level,” Nosanchuk told Jewish Insider.
“American Jews vote Democratic by wide margins because on issue after issue, our values align with those of the Democratic Party,” he continued. “That is truer than ever this election year.”
During his time in the Obama administration, one of the biggest issues Nosanchuk faced was defending the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, which received a mixed reception in the Jewish community.
“By hiring such a high-caliber person to fill that role, the DNC is demonstrating how seriously they are taking Jewish communal outreach,” said former National Jewish Democratic Council head Aaron Keyak. “He has a demonstrated ability to mobilize the Jewish community as [Democrats] fight to defeat Trump in November. A very smart hire by the DNC.”
Jewish Democratic Council of America executive director Halie Soifer told JNS, “We are confident that Jewish voters will continue to support Democrats in overwhelming numbers, and are expanding our efforts to get out the Jewish vote in November in support of candidates who share our values.”
