Below is a letter shared by Jewish Peninsula Board President Steve Shapiro, followed by a letter from Jewish Peninsula CEO Eric Maurer

Fellow Community Members –

It is with extremely mixed emotions that I write this letter today. It’s purpose to inform our Community that our CEO, Eric Maurer, has announced that he will be resigning his position effective June 30, 2027.

On one hand, I am truly saddened that Eric will be leaving our community, where he has made such a great impact and has become someone I consider a good friend. On the other had I wish Eric, Becca, Ami, Matan, Anaelle and Eden nothing but the best wishes for whatever the next chapter holds. When Eric came to us, some 5 years ago, I and others knew that as talented as Eric is, it would be a matter of time before he would part with our Community.

I could go on for many paragraphs extoling Eric’s virtues, but I think we see it day in and day out with his leadership, forward thinking ideas and sheer energy that Eric brings to his position and therefore to all of us. It is said that the mark of a true leader is whether they leave the organization in a better place than when they arrived. In Eric’s case, there is no doubt that the Jewish Peninsula is in a better place thanks to Eric.

Fortunately, Eric has given us plenty of time to find a replacement and to that end, I have appointed a search committee to carry out the process. I asked Josh David to Chair the committee and he has graciously accepted. The other members of the committee, in addition to myself, will be Steve Marks, Robin Levy, Scott Wolf, Chuck Stern, Eric Karlin, Jonathan Rathsam and Jody Sarfan. The committee will work with our partners at the Jewish Federation of North America (JFNA) to bring the best candidate to our Community.

I hope you all join with me in wishing Eric “Be’hatzlacha”, much success and good luck in his next endeavor.

Sincerely, 

Steve Shapiro
President
president@jewishpeninsula.org 

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Dear Community -

It is with a full heart and a great deal of gratitude that I share with you my decision to step down from Jewish Peninsula, effective June 30, 2027. This decision was not made lightly. It reflects the difficult work of discerning what is best for myself and my family. As some of you know, my family commutes daily across the water for my children to attend Jewish day school. Jewish education is non-negotiable for our family and the consequences of that distance - both in terms of the actual commute, but also the social implications on our children - has become too difficult for our family to continue.

Serving the Virginia Peninsula Jewish community has been the greatest privilege of my life. I feel blessed to have worked alongside such a passionate group of volunteers and staff. We are small, but mighty, and I have been honored to lead a community that punches above its weight class. I am deeply proud of what we have accomplished together during my tenure, in true partnership.

Together, we dared to dream bigger, expanding friendships across our J family and discovering new ways to connect, all year long. We lived our values boldly and called our community toward broader, deeper engagement. We faced deferred maintenance and invested boldly in the next generation, so that our campus could remain the beating heart of our community for years to come. We embraced the truth that our mission reaches far beyond our own walls, deepening partnerships with Jewish intuitions in the region. And when October 7th and the surge of antisemitism that followed shook us to our core - the greatest Jewish communal crisis in decades - we rose to meet the moment. And through it all, we have been humbled and moved by your unwavering faith in us, reflected in an Annual Campaign that continues to grow.

Above all, we have doubled down on the belief that everyone belongs in Jewish Peninsula.

Every story matters.

Every voice counts.

And every person has a place.

None of this was the work of one person. It was made possible by lay leaders willing to dream boldly, an exceptional professional team willing to give generously of themselves, and a community willing to show up for one another again and again and again. I will carry that partnership with me wherever I go.

I have enthusiastically committed to the Board of Directors to passionately carry out my duties through my last day and look forward to accomplishing many things in the year ahead – together with you.

With gratitude and blessing,

Eric Maurer
CEO
emaurer@jewishpeninsula.org