Dan Elbaum has devoted his professional career to public service and the advancement of Jewish causes.  He became Regional Director of AJC Chicago in December of 2009.  Dan has appeared in media outlets ranging from the Chicago Tribune to NBC Dateline to Al Jazeera.  He regularly meets with decision makers in Chicago and across the state to advance the well-being of Israel, combat anti-Semitism, monitor the condition of Jewish communities, and promote intergroup and interreligious understanding. 

He came to AJC after six years as Civil Rights Counsel and Director of Development for the Anti-Defamation League’s Midwest Region. As civil rights counsel, he drafted multiple pieces of legislation including several amendments to the Illinois Hate Crime statute and an amendment to the Illinois Condominium Property Act that protects the right to keep religiously mandated items on doors.  Dan also conducted hate crimes training seminars for local, state and federal law enforcement agencies around the Midwest.

Prior to entering Jewish communal life, Dan was a prosecutor in the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. During his tenure at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, he tried over 100 bench and jury criminal cases in the domestic violence division and the narcotics prosecution bureau.  He earned B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

To contact Dan, send an email to elbaumd@ajc.org or call 312-251-8800