On January 17, the Samis Foundation promoted Rob Toren from grants director to executive director. Toren, an ordained rabbi and former director of Judaica at the Jewish Community Centers of Cleveland, Ohio, had served as grants director since 1997. Founded by Sam Israel in 1987, Samis has granted over $65 million to Jewish camps, day schools, Israel experiences, and projects focused on poverty and immigration issues in Israel. “Our promotion of Rob allows us to fully integrate our programmatic services with the operation and management of the late Sam Israel’s real estate portfolio,” said Eddie Hasson, chair of the Samis Foundation board of trustees.