Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty

The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, commonly known as Met Council, is a New York City-based nonprofit social-services organization. It was created in 1972 after studies identified approximately 300,000 Jewish New Yorkers living in poverty. Its original structure brought together 36 national and grassroots Jewish organizations, including the American Jewish Congress and the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York, to coordinate assistance for Jewish households facing economic hardship. Although the organization was established to address Jewish poverty, its services have broadened over time. Met Council now describes its work as serving New Yorkers in need without regard to religion, race, ethnicity, age, sex, or other personal characteristics. Its programs address immediate emergencies as well as longer-term economic insecurity. Areas of work include crisis intervention, food distribution, employment and career services, support for Holocaust survivors, and assistance with housing, utilities, medical needs, and other household emergencies. Met Council operates through a network that includes local Jewish Community Councils and partnerships with organizations such as UJA-Federation of New York, Food Bank For New York City, City Harvest, and Masbia. Its food-relief activity has included the largest kosher food pantry in the United States and kosher soup kitchens established with Masbia. The organization has also developed initiatives intended to modernize food access, including a digital food pantry program designed to reach the more than 200,000 New Yorkers relying on its food-distribution network, according to the supplied reference material. The organization experienced a major governance and criminal-accountability crisis in the early 2010s. In 2012, former chief executive William Rapfogel was arrested in connection with an alleged long-running kickback arrangement involving the organization's insurance broker. Prosecutors alleged that he received approximately $7 million over 21 years. Earlier that year, former executive director David Cohen and former chief financial officer Herbert Friedman were arraigned on charges including grand larceny, money laundering, and conspiracy. The scandal placed the organization and its subsidiaries at risk of dissolution and led to restitution being awarded to Met Council. The supplied reference describes a combined annual budget of $112 million for Met Council and its subsidiaries at the time. Met Council responded with governance and compliance reforms. In 2015 it hired a former federal prosecutor as chief compliance officer and general counsel. David Greenfield, a prominent New York Jewish community leader and former New York City council member, became chief executive officer on January 1, 2018, after announcing in 2017 that he would leave electoral politics to lead the organization. During Greenfield's tenure, Met Council announced new initiatives and partnered with UJA-Federation of New York on a $35 million poverty-fighting initiative. During the coronavirus pandemic period following Passover, it also operated a specialized program that assisted more than 1,000 Holocaust survivors, according to the supplied reference material. Met Council's identity combines Jewish communal infrastructure with broad anti-poverty service delivery. It remains a New York-focused organization whose work spans emergency assistance, food insecurity, employment support, community coordination, and advocacy or public awareness concerning poverty.

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty was established in 1972 in response to research indicating that roughly 300,000 Jewish residents of New York were living in poverty. Its original name was Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty. The organization was created through cooperation among 36 Jewish national and grassroots organizations, including the American Jewish Congress and the Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of New York. This founding model emphasized coordination: rather than operating only as a direct-service agency, Met Council was intended to connect communal institutions and organize a more effective response to poverty. The organization's scope later expanded beyond its original Jewish constituency. While Jewish communal needs remain central to its identity and partnerships, Met Council's services are available to New Yorkers regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, sex, or age. Its work reflects the distinctive conditions of poverty in New York City, where housing, transportation, and tax costs can make standard national poverty measures an incomplete description of household hardship. Met Council developed a broad service portfolio. Crisis-intervention staff assist people facing events such as job loss, eviction, utility shutoff, urgent medical needs, and other financial emergencies. Career-services programs provide job-search workshops, résumé and interview assistance, and training connected with healthcare careers. Food security has become one of the organization's most visible activities. Met Council operates a major kosher food pantry and has worked with Masbia on three kosher soup kitchens. It also distributes food through a wider network serving hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers and has partnered with Food Bank For New York City and City Harvest. The organization works with 25 local Jewish Community Councils and is affiliated with UJA-Federation of New York. These relationships allow it to combine centralized fundraising and program coordination with neighborhood-level delivery. Other initiatives have included support for Holocaust survivors and digital approaches to food-pantry access. After Passover during the coronavirus pandemic, a special program served more than 1,000 Holocaust survivors, according to the supplied reference material. Met Council suffered a severe institutional crisis in 2012. At that time it was described as one of New York City's largest and most influential charities and as the largest Jewish anti-poverty agency in the United States. Former CEO William Rapfogel was arrested over allegations that he received approximately $7 million in kickbacks from the organization's insurance broker over a 21-year period. Former executive director David Cohen and former chief financial officer Herbert Friedman were also arraigned on charges including grand larceny, money laundering, and conspiracy. The scandal threatened the organization's survival. Met Council later received restitution connected with the misconduct. The organization subsequently strengthened its compliance structure. In 2015 it hired a former federal prosecutor as chief compliance officer and general counsel. Leadership changed again when David Greenfield, a New York City council member and prominent Jewish community figure, announced in 2017 that he would not seek reelection and would instead lead Met Council. He became CEO on January 1, 2018. His tenure included a digital food-pantry initiative and a partnership with UJA-Federation on an announced $35 million anti-poverty effort. Available reference material indicates that grants and contributions represented approximately 88% to 92% of funds distributed during 2012–2018, while Passover-meal funding remained comparatively consistent. A combined annual budget of $112 million for Met Council and its subsidiaries was reported in the context of the 2012 scandal. No current financial figures are included here because the supplied sources do not provide sufficiently current, independently contextualized data. Met Council's continuing role is that of a New York-focused nonprofit combining Jewish communal coordination with inclusive poverty-relief services.

• 2018

  David Greenfield began CEO role

  [1]Metropolitan Council on Jewish Povertyen.wikipedia.org

  David Greenfield became chief executive officer and introduced new initiatives, including a digital food-pantry program.

• 2018

  Anti-poverty partnership announced

  [1]Metropolitan Council on Jewish Povertyen.wikipedia.org

  UJA-Federation of New York and Met Council announced a $35 million initiative focused on poverty reduction.

• 2015

  Compliance function strengthened

  [1]Metropolitan Council on Jewish Povertyen.wikipedia.org

  Met Council hired a former federal prosecutor as chief compliance officer and general counsel.

• 2012

  Governance and corruption crisis

  [1]Metropolitan Council on Jewish Povertyen.wikipedia.org

  The organization faced a major scandal involving former senior executives and an alleged insurance-broker kickback scheme.

• 1972

  Organization founded

  [1]Metropolitan Council on Jewish Povertyen.wikipedia.org

  The Metropolitan New York Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty was formed after studies identified substantial Jewish poverty in New York and after 36 Jewish organizations agreed to cooperate.

A Jewish communal social-services institution with citywide anti-poverty reach, combining emergency relief, food security, employment support, and coordinated community assistance.

• Emergency social services

  Crisis Intervention

  A direct-assistance service for New Yorkers experiencing acute financial or household emergencies, including job loss, eviction, utility shutoffs, medical needs, and related crises. The program represents Met Council's immediate-response role within its broader poverty-relief system.

• Food security

  Kosher Food Pantry Network

  Met Council operates a major kosher food pantry and coordinates food distribution for New Yorkers facing food insecurity. The network is supported by community partnerships and is described in the supplied reference as the largest kosher food pantry in the United States.

• Meal service

  Kosher Soup Kitchens

  Three kosher soup kitchens operated in partnership with Masbia provide prepared meals to people experiencing hardship. They extend the organization's food-security work beyond pantry distribution and connect emergency nutrition with neighborhood-based service delivery.

• Employment support

  Career Services

  Employment programs include job-search workshops, résumé preparation, interview coaching, and training for careers in healthcare. The offering addresses longer-term economic stability rather than only immediate material relief.

• Specialized social services

  Holocaust Survivor Assistance

  Specialized support is provided to Holocaust survivors, including a coronavirus-period program that served more than 1,000 survivors after Passover. The program responds to the distinct financial, health, and social needs of this population.

• 2012

  Rapfogel kickback case

  Former CEO William Rapfogel was arrested over allegations that he received approximately $7 million in kickbacks from Met Council's insurance broker over 21 years. The case severely damaged the organization's reputation and threatened its continued operation.

  Source

• 2012

  Charges against former executives

  Former executive director David Cohen and former CFO Herbert Friedman were arraigned on charges including grand larceny, money laundering, and conspiracy. Both were subsequently jailed according to the supplied reference material.

  Source

Read more

• 2018Digital Food Pantry Initiative

  New York City

  Met Council introduced a digital food-pantry initiative intended to improve access for the more than 200,000 New Yorkers relying on its food-distribution network.

  Outcome. The initiative was presented as part of the organization's post-2018 service modernization.

  Source
• 2018UJA-Federation Anti-Poverty Initiative

  New York City · New York metropolitan area

  UJA-Federation of New York partnered with Met Council on an announced $35 million effort to combat poverty.

  Source

• 2018

  Expansion of digital food accessStrategy

  Background

  The organization sought to improve food-distribution access for the large number of New Yorkers relying on its network.

  Action taken

  Under CEO David Greenfield, Met Council instituted a digital food-pantry initiative.

  Aftermath

  The initiative became one of the new programs associated with the organization's post-crisis leadership period.

  Source

• 2015

  Establishment of enhanced compliance leadershipStrategy

  Background

  The decision followed the 2012 corruption crisis, which exposed weaknesses in the organization's governance and oversight.

  Action taken

  Met Council hired a former federal prosecutor as chief compliance officer and general counsel.

  Aftermath

  The appointment was intended to strengthen legal oversight and prevent a recurrence of the misconduct that had threatened the organization.

  Source

1. 1Metropolitan Council on Jewish Povertyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty official websitemetcouncil.org