James S. Snyder Appointed Director of New York's Jewish Museum After 19 Years Leading Israel Museum

James S. Snyder has been appointed to head the Jewish Museum in New York, stepping down from his position as president of the Jerusalem Foundation. He previously directed the Israel Museum in Jerusalem for 19 years, a period characterized by remarkable expansion. During his tenure, the museum's annual visitor count surged to nearly one million, and its endowment skyrocketed from $200 million to over five times its original amount. Snyder managed a $100 million expansion project covering 28,000 square meters on the museum's 20-acre grounds. Prior to his role in Jerusalem, he served as deputy director at New York's Museum of Modern Art from 1986 until 1996. In 2016, he faced controversy when Ha-Makom revealed he received $8.3 million from the American Friends of Israel Museum between 2010 and 2015, alongside an annual state-funded salary of NIS 333,000–343,000. Snyder refuted the allegations, labeling them as "slanderous claims and false accusations," and received considerable backing from the Israel Museum board, despite some dissent. He takes over from Claudia Gould, who announced her exit from the Jewish Museum last year.