Elan Carr is the CEO of the Israeli American Council (IAC) and brings to this role his extensive experience as a senior U.S. diplomat, criminal prosecutor, military officer, and community leader. He is a passionate advocate for uniting the Israeli-American and Jewish-American community around our shared heritage and love for Israel.
Elan has dedicated his career to service of country and community. In 2019, he was appointed the United States Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, directing U.S. policy and programs aimed at combating Jew-hatred throughout the world. Before his federal appointment, Elan devoted over a decade to public safety as a Deputy District Attorney for Los Angeles County, prosecuting violent felonies and some of the region’s most dangerous criminal street gangs. He also served for more than 20 years as an officer in the United States Army Reserve, and he led an anti-terrorism team in Iraq during his wartime deployment. While in Iraq, he was also able to connect to his Iraqi-Jewish heritage, when he helped preserve Jewish communal property and led Shabbat and holiday services in Saddam Hussein’s former palace in Baghdad.
Elan held senior leadership positions in the Jewish world, including serving as the 71st international president of Alpha Epsilon Pi, a voting member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, and a national councilmember of AIPAC.
Elan’s relationship with the IAC has been deep and personal since its inception, when his parents were co-founders of the organization. As a second-generation Israeli-American and native Hebrew speaker, Elan prioritizes his family’s indivisible connection to the Jewish people, culture, and faith. He and and his wife Dahlia, a rheumatologist in private practice, are the proud parents of Hannah, Rachelle, and Samuel, whom they raise bilingually, educate in Jewish schools, and bring to Israel every summer.
Born and raised in New York City, Elan holds degrees in philosophy and political science from the University of California, Berkeley, and a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law.
