Key Facts
Career & Education
About
Tova Dorfman was born in Jaffa, Israel, and raised in Oak Park, Michigan, by Holocaust survivor parents—her father hidden for two years during the war and her mother surviving nearly three years in concentration camps. After completing high school in Israel, she pursued undergraduate and graduate degrees in international relations and education at the University of California, Los Angeles, before making aliyah in 1984 at around age 27. She began her career at Melitz, the Center for Jewish-Zionist Education in Jerusalem (1984-1993), later directing the Israel and Overseas Department of the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit (1993-1996), where she fostered ties between Detroit Jews and Israelis. Dorfman has held key leadership roles including CEO of the Steinhardt Family Foundation in Israel, chair of the Herzl Center/Museum, co-chair of the Forum of Foundations in Israel, a founding member of the Yesh Atid party, and previously in the Jewish National Fund and other Zionist institutions. Elected as the first woman President of the World Zionist Organization in February 2023 (serving until 2025) at age 64, following her role as Deputy Chair and head of the Department for Israel and Holocaust Commemoration since 2021, Dorfman focused on raising awareness of Zionism among global Jewry, particularly American Jews, and promoting unity in Zionist institutions. She oversaw initiatives like Birthright Excel and TALMA, and contributes opinion pieces to outlets such as The Times of Israel, JNS, Jerusalem Post, and Hadassah Magazine. Married to Dr. Raviv Schwartz, she resides in Savyon, Israel, with their two sons, Matan and Yaniv.