President Barack Obama has announced the appointment of New York lawyer Herbert Block, executive vice-president of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), as a member of the US Commission for the Preservation of America’s Heritage Abroad. Block is also a member of the Strategic Committee of the World Jewish Congress on Holocaust Legacy.
JDC’s CEO Steven Schwager lauded Block’s distinguished work in the areas of Holocaust-era property reclamation, Jewish community development, and public policy. “We are extremely proud that President Obama has chosen to recognize Herbert's outstanding public service, especially his passionate dedication to reclaiming the past and shaping the Jewish future,” said Schwager. “As an organization devoted to rebuilding Jewish life in the farthest corners of Europe and the former Soviet Union, we are truly fortunate to have benefited from Herbert’s longstanding commitment to the Jewish people and the American values we all hold dear.”
The commission - an independent federal agency that helps preserve burial places, memorials, and places of worship in Eastern and Central Europe associated with the heritage of Americans - identifies properties, negotiates US agreements with the governments of the region, and encourages and facilitates private and foreign restoration, preservation, and memorialization efforts.
Block's work at JDC includes government affairs and efforts to restitute Holocaust-era assets. He represents the humanitarian Jewish organization on the board of the World Jewish Restitution Organization and serves on several European bodies dealing with Jewish heritage. Prior to joining JDC, Block's career included, among other roles, his service as the deputy director for intergovernmental relations at the US Corporation for National Service and as an assistant to the mayor of New York City.