Name:
Howard Friedman
AIPAC Role:
Member of AIPAC's Board of Directors
Professional Profile/Associations:
AIPAC national board member and former President of AIPAC (2006–2010), the youngest and first Orthodox president in the organization's history. Named one of the 100 most powerful people in Washington by Washington Life Magazine in 2007 and 2009. Founding Partner of Lanx Management LLC, a hedge "fund of funds," and Co-Founder, Publisher and CEO of Watermark Press, Inc. (1986–1998) until its sale to Cendant Corp. Board Member of Sinclair Broadcast Group and Honorary Chair of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America; Co-Chairman of Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, NJ; serves on the Boards of Touro College, the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the Talmudical Academy. Served as President of the American Israel Educational Foundation (AIEF) (2010–2012). Former Chair of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore; past President of the Baltimore Jewish Council and JTA–The Global News Service of the Jewish People. His wife Karen Friedman serves as a Judge with the Maryland Judiciary and was Director of Criminal Justice Innovation, Development, and Engagement at the U.S. Department of Justice (2022–2025).
Accountability:
As a member of AIPAC's Board of Directors, Howard Friedman bears individual legal responsibility for the organization's conduct. Under U.S. nonprofit law, board members hold fiduciary duties to ensure organizational compliance with applicable legal standards, implement oversight systems for core activities, and respond to credible information about organizational wrongdoing. In Stern v. Lucy Webb Hayes (1974), the federal district court held that nonprofit directors who fail to supervise organizational decisions breach their fiduciary obligations. In In re Lemington Home for the Aged (3d Cir. 2015), the Third Circuit upheld $2.25 million in damages against nonprofit directors who ignored red flags and failed to exercise reasonable oversight. The information in these profiles is drawn primarily from AIPAC's most recent IRS Form 990, supplemented by publicly available sources including news reports, official announcements, and public records. As a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization, AIPAC is legally required to file Form 990 annually with the Internal Revenue Service, and these filings are public documents.
However, IRS regulations allow organizations up to eleven months after their fiscal year ends to submit these forms, meaning publicly available data typically lags by approximately one year. This inherent delay underscores why AIPAC—like most major organizations of its size and influence—should maintain a current, public-facing leadership page identifying its board members and senior executives. The absence of such transparency from AIPAC necessitates this project. We are committed to accuracy and will update these profiles as new information becomes available. If you have corrections, updates, or additional sourced information, please contact us at advocacy@dawnmena.org.
