About AFO
Established in 1992, American Friends of Ogen, Inc. (AFO) is a longstanding 501c3 US organization that raises philanthropic funds and impact investments for the purpose of supporting Ogen (formerly The Israel Free Loan Association).
Bob Gottesman is the volunteer chair of AFO, supported by a board that includes a team of professionals with expertise in finance, banking and fundraising.
AFO continues to build and expand our network of donors, investors, and financial leaders in the US to support Ogen’s mission in social impact through financial inclusion.
In addition to its fundraising role AFO also serves as an informal adviser to Ogen staff and board in Israel.
Contact Us
American Friends of Ogen EIN number: 13-3691494
US Office Mailing Address: 2330 Milton Road, University Heights, OH 44118 Contact Information: Development@ogen.org
Checks: American Friends of Ogen Inc., c/o Ari Jaffe, 2330 Milton Rd., University Heights, OH 44118, USA EIN: 13- 3691494
Reach out to development@ogen.org
Tax Forms (Form 990):
Robert Gottesman, Chair
Robert Gottesman is the Executive Chairman and Portfolio Manager of First Manhattan. He served as Chief Executive Officer from 2006 to 2019. Bob has more than 30 years of investment research and investment management experience. He holds an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business and a BA in Economics from Beloit. Bob has been a dedicated supporter of Ogen since 2001. He is deeply committed to its founding mission and its and its transformation into a leading force for social finance in Israel, significantly impacting Israeli society. Bob has served as a board member of American Friends of Ogen since 2020.
Board
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Ari H. Jaffe Treasurer
Ari is an attorney who has worked on a broad range of litigation, arbitration, and corporate for individuals, investment firms, banks, manufacturers, real estate developers, and businesses ranging in size from start-ups to publicly-traded Fortune 100. His substantive expertise includes securities, insurance, real estate, employment, ethics, and healthcare law. Ari has earned a reputation for being able to tackle the most complex matters requiring multifaceted negotiations, trials, and appeals. Civic involvement and volunteerism have been an integral part of Ari’s life since high school with much of his work benefiting Northeast Ohio’s Jewish community and Israel. He has held leadership positions with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, Mandel Jewish Community Center, Fuchs Mizrachi School, Green Road Synagogue, Brandeis Hillel, and the Cleveland Jewish News. Ari has served as the President of American Friends of Ogen since 2020. https://kjk.com/professionals/ari-jaffe/
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Ruth M. Salzman, Secretary
Ruth Salzman is the former CEO of The Russell Berrie Foundation, located in Teaneck, NJ. She brings an extensive background in providing capital to mission-oriented organizations primarily within the social and health sectors. Prior to joining the Berrie Foundation she held the position of Senior Vice President within the Community Development Group of JPMorgan Chase. In this capacity she was responsible for lending to non-profit organizations, small businesses in low income communities, and community development financial intermediaries. Ms. Salzman also initiated and managed the socially responsible investing program at JPMC. In aggregate these activities resulted in over $1 Billion being provided, through loans and investments, to customers that the bank’s mainstream business units did not reach. Ms. Salzman earned an MBA at The Wharton School, and holds a BA from Brooklyn College. Ruth was elected to the board of the American Friends of Ogen, Inc. (previously Hebrew Free Loan of Israel) in 2020 and served on the board of two national community development financial institutions (CDFIs), the non-profit Finance Fund (NFF) and the Primary Care Development Corporation (PCDC). Ruth has served as a board member of American Friends of Ogen since 2020, and serves as AFO Secretary as of 2024.
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Beth Sirul
Beth joined the National Organization on Disability as President and CEO in May 2024. Previously she served the Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego as President and CEO. Until 2015, Beth served as President/CEO of Pacific Community Ventures, a hybrid for-profit/non-profit organization dedicated to driving investment in underserved communities. Under her leadership, PCV launched a small business loan fund, scaled a small business advisory service nationally, built a nationally recognized consulting practice in assessing and communicating the social impacts of investments and built a global reputation as a thought leader in impact investing. Beth has significant experience in financial services, economic development, small business finance and development, impact investing and in creating and assessing social impact. She received the 2015 James Irvine Foundation California Leadership Award, was named to Forbes' list of 30 Top Social Entrepreneurs in 2012 and to the San Francisco Business Times' list of Most Influential Women in Business in 2013. Beth has served as a board member of American Friends of Ogen since 2020, and heads the board's marketing committee.
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Misha Glaperin
Misha Galperin, Ph.D. is President of ZANDAFI Philanthropic Advisors – a firm providing consulting services to foundations, philanthropists and non-profits in developing and implementing vision, mission and strategy. Dr. Galperin, a clinical psychologist, has over 35 years of proven expertise and achievements running non-profit organizations including as COO of UJA-Federation of New York and New York Association for New Americans, CEO of The Educational Alliance, Jewish Federation of Greater Washington and Jewish Agency International Development. Among his other projects, Dr.Galperin is currently leading the transformation of the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, after having worked with ANU — Museum of the Jewish People in Tel Aviv, Center for Jewish History and Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. Author of two books – on Jewish Peoplehood and on Leadership – Dr. Galperin was born and raised in Odessa, Ukraine and currently resides in Brooklyn, NY with his family. Misha has served as a board member of American Friends of Ogen since 2022.
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Guy Kuperman
Guy is a Co-founder at Metaktekot and Chief Strategy Officer at Innovid, leading the management and expansion of Innovid’s relationships with key strategic industry partners. Previously, Guy served as a partner at TASC Consulting and Capital and held a variety of corporate, business and strategic development roles in several global technology companies. Guy has served as a board member of American Friends of Ogen since 2024.
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Michael Lustig
Michael Lustig retired after a 25-year career on Wall Street, and now devotes the majority of his time and energies toward non-profit & impact-related enterprises. Prior to retiring, Michael spent most of his career at the asset management firm BlackRock, where he was Managing Director overseeing Structured Mortgage & Derivative Products trading and acted as advisor/portfolio manager for the Federal Reserve’s Global Financial Crisis-related managed assets. He is President Emeritus of the Baron de Hirsch Fund, and is a Board Member/Trustee of: Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, Israeli Forum for Impact Economy, Jewish Funders Network, Jewish Community Relations Council of NY, Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Assembly (formerly Hillel OOI), AJC-NY, and Congregation Shearith Israel. Michael is a graduate of Columbia College, Columbia University, and is Adjunct Professor of Finance at NYU | Stern School of Business and a Lecturer at the College for Management Academic Studies in Rishon LeZion, teaching full-time elective courses for MBAs in Fixed Income, Capital Markets, and Impact Finance. Michael serves on the Board of GigaWatt Global, the Israel-based solar energy company that built the first large-scale grid-connected fields in East Africa (with more in-process!), NatureGrowth, an AgTech Incubator based in Sderot, and jiritsu.network, a blockchain technology innovator, as well as maintaining several other corporate Advisory & Board positions. He has curated several exhibits at The Society of Illustrators and is a Licensed NYC Sightseeing Guide. Michael lives in Manhattan with his wife Rachel, and their three wonderful children. Michael has served as a board member of American Friends of Ogen since 2020.
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Ben Jaffe, Assistant to Treasurer
Ben Jaffe serves as Assistant Treasurer of American Friends of Ogen. Having first been introduced to Ogen by his great-uncle, founder Prof. Eliezer Jaffe, the organization’s mission and achievements to date are deeply meaningful to him. Ben holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Brandeis University and works as a technology and cloud solutions consultant at Deloitte. Ben has served as a board member of American Friends of Ogen since 2019.