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ABOUT NEFESH B’NEFESH www.nbn.org.il
Founded in 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh in cooperation with Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, The Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le’Israel and the Jewish National Fund-USA is dedicated to revitalizing Aliyah from North America by minimizing the financial, professional, logistical and social obstacles of Aliyah. The support and comprehensive social services provided by Nefesh B’Nefesh to its 75,000 newcomers has ensured that 90% of its Olim have remained in Israel.
Major General (res.) Yaacov Amidror served with the Israel Defense Forces for 36 years (1966-2002). During his long military career, he was commander of the IDF Military Colleges, Military Secretary to the Minister of Defense, Director of the Intelligence Analysis Division (responsible for annual National Intelligence Assessments) in the IDF Military Intelligence, Head of a large scale technology project, Intelligence Chief of the Northern Command and Head of the “Devil’s Advocate” branch of the Military Intelligence.
After retiring from the IDF, Amidror served as National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel and Head of Israel’s National Security Council. During his role as National Security Advisor of Israel, he participated in high-level talks with U.S. officials about the Iranian nuclear program and led efforts to restore relations with Turkey after the Gaza flotilla raid incident. In March 2014, Amidror joined the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies as the Anne and Greg Rosshandler Senior Fellow and in addition is a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
General Amidror has published Reflections on Army and Security (Hebrew); and Intelligence, Theory and Practice (Hebrew), along with journal articles on strategy and intelligence matters.
Yael Arad is an Israeli Judoka and the first Israeli to win an Olympic medal. She is widely recognized as one of Israel’s most successful athletes and is credited with bringing judo into the athletic mainstream.
In 2005, she was voted the 103rd-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet. Yael was born in Tel Aviv and began taking judo classes at the age of eight. Within half a year she ranked second in Israel in her weight class.”
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Colette Avital made aliyah to Israel with her family in 1950. While still a student, she began working in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a secretary in order to cover the cost of her tuition. Over the years, she rose through the ranks at the ministry; she served with the Israeli delegation to Paris between 1982 and 1985, as ambassador to Portugal from 1988 until 1992, and as Consul General in New York City between 1992 and 1996.
Upon returning to Israel, she was appointed Deputy Director in Charge of Western Europe, the third most important position in the ministry. In 1999 Avital decided to run for the Knesset on behalf of the Labor Party, which formed the One Israel alliance together with Gesher and Meimad. Although she claimed 24th spot on the party list, Labor won only 23 seats in the May elections (One Israel won 26, of which two went to Gesher and one to Meimad) and Avital missed out.
However, she entered the Knesset in November 1999 when Labor MK Matan Vilnai resigned. She served briefly as Chair of the Ethics Committee and headed the Investigative Commission for the Identification and Return of the Property of Holocaust Victims, which submitted its conclusions to the government in 2005. She chaired the Immigration, Absorption, and Diaspora Committee and in addition serves as the International Secretary of the Israeli Labor Party.
After retiring from the IDF, Amidror served as National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of Israel and Head of Israel’s National Security Council. During his role as National Security Advisor of Israel, he participated in high-level talks with U.S. officials about the Iranian nuclear program and led efforts to restore relations with Turkey after the Gaza flotilla raid incident. In March 2014, Amidror joined the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies as the Anne and Greg Rosshandler Senior Fellow and in addition is a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
General Amidror has published Reflections on Army and Security (Hebrew); and Intelligence, Theory and Practice (Hebrew), along with journal articles on strategy and intelligence matters.
Born in Bucharest, Romania, Rebecca Caspi is the senior vice president for Israel and Overseas of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) and director general of JFNA’s Israel office, a position she has held since joining the organization in 2007.
In this capacity, Caspi leads a team that represents North American Jewry and the Federation movement in the Jewish state. The department oversees hundreds of projects, missions and other Federation activities in Israel, interfaces with all levels of the Israeli government, liaises with JFNA’s partners, including The Jewish Agency for Israel and The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, and represents the North American Jewish community to Israel’s top business, philanthropic, military, academic, judicial, rabbinic and communal leaders. Caspi is a gifted public speaker and a much sought-after coach and mentor who frequently appears in Israeli media.
Caspi serves as the senior professional dedicated to Federations’ global agenda providing strategic leadership and engaging with a wide range of funders and organizations; delivering fiduciary oversight and grant management; system-wide crisis response in Israel and overseas; and combatting anti-Semitism and the BDS movement. She also directs the production of JFNA’s annual General Assembly (GA) conference when it takes place in
Israel – the next overseas gathering is scheduled for Spring 2023 to coincide with Israel’s 75th anniversary.
Prior to joining JFNA, Caspi worked for over 16 years at the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee where she earned the distinction of being the first woman ever appointed to JDC’s global executive management team. Rebecca has an extensive background in operational management, human resources and financial resource development. She serves on the boards of a number of Israeli organizations. Caspi holds a BA in Archaeology and Ancient History from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA in Middle Eastern Studies from New York University, and an MBA from the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem. She is married with three children and lives in Motza Illit, just outside of Jerusalem
Michal Cotler-Wunsh is a prominent public speaker, researcher and independent policy and strategy advisor on intersecting issues of law, human rights, Zionism and antisemitism. Informed by political, professional and academic experience, Michal explores topics surrounding international law, human rights and the harm of their weaponization; mutated and mainstreamed rising antisemitism; the threat of disinformation and conspiracy theories to democracies; Zionism as a millennia-old identity integral to the construction of a progressive national liberation movement; the relationship between Israel and global Jewry in collaborative nation-building; and the role of “Olim” as a “live bridge” to build resiliency, address growing internal gaps, and connect Israel to global communities, cultures and countries.
Michal was a Member of Israel’s 23rd Knesset. She served as Chair of the Special Committee on Drug and Alcohol Use, Chair of the Subcommittee on Israel-Diaspora Relations, and as active member of several prestigious committees including the Foreign Affairs and Security committee, Constitution, Law and Justice committee, and the Children’s Rights, Women’s Status, and Immigration and Integration Committees. Michal served as the first Knesset Liaison to the Issue of the International Criminal Court (ICC), was co-chair of the Canada-Israel interparliamentary friendship group, a member of several interparliamentary friendship and working groups, and Chair of the Caucus for Ethiopians in Israel. She initiated and led multiple Knesset hearings on various topics, co-founded the Interparliamentary Bi-Partisan Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism, and remains at the forefront of initiative committed to identify, expose and combat the mutation and permeation of antisemitism.
A prolific author published on multiple platforms, Michal utilizes her hybrid identity and bi-lingual competencies to transcend, reach across and bridge geographic, cultural, religious, and linguistic divides.
Michal was born in Israel and grew up in Canada. She received her LL.B. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her LL.M. from McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Michal lives in Ra’anana, Israel with her husband and their 4 children.
As the Senior Vice President for Public Policy and Director of the Washington Office of The Jewish Federations of North America since 2005, William Daroff is the chief lobbyist and principal spokesperson on public policy and international affairs for the 146 Jewish Federations and more than 300 independent communities represented by JFNA, ensuring that the voice of Jewish Federations is a prominent force in the Nation’s Capital.
On February 1, 2020, he will become the Chief Executive Officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. In that capacity, he will be the senior professional guiding the Conference’s agenda on behalf of the 51 national member organizations, which represent the wide mosaic of American Jewish life.
Named by the Forward newspaper as being among the fifty most influential Jews in America, Daroff guides the Jewish community’s advocacy efforts on the Federation movement’s key policy issues. He is a key player in foreign policy circles – advising policymakers and elected officials on Jewish communal concerns, namely those related to the US-Israel relationship, the Middle East conflict, and efforts to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. He is also a leader in the worldwide fight to combat the assault on Israel’s legitimacy, creating and overseeing the Federation movement’s Israel Action Network, and serving on both the steering committee of the Prime Minister of Israel’s global task force and the Conference of Presidents’ working group.
In addition to his focus on foreign relations, Daroff is also a leader on domestic policy issues, principally on health and human services, such as Medicare and Medicaid, long-term care, and policies affecting older Americans, including Holocaust Survivors, as well as homeland security programs and strengthening the capacity of charities to care for those in need.
Daroff is also a social networking pioneer and evangelist. In April 2016, the JTA news service named him the most influential person on “Jewish Twitter” (Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu followed in the second slot). Follow him at www.Twitter.com/Daroff.
Daroff received his Bachelor’s Degree (summa cum laude) in Political Science & History, Master’s Degree in Political Science, and Juris Doctorate from Case Western Reserve University in his hometown of Cleveland, OH. He is an adjunct Professor at George Washington University.
He lives in suburban Washington, DC, with his wife, Heidi Krizer Daroff, and their two children. The couple met in Krakow, Poland, while studying at Jagiellonian University, from which they both received certificates in the history of Eastern European Jewry and the Holocaust.
Efrat Duvdevani is Director General of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, and voluntarily serves on several forums advancing women and disadvantaged communities. Prior to this, she served as Director General of President Shimon Peres’ Office.
Efrat began her public service career working for Yitzhak Rabin’s election in 1992, and subsequently worked in the Prime Minister’s Office. Following his assassination, Efrat remained at the service of Shimon Peres as Prime Minister, and worked alongside him until his final days.
Efrat served as both Chief of Staff and Director General in the Ministry of Development of the Galil and Negev, and has held numerous senior positions within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Regional Development, and more.
Efrat holds a BA in English and International Relations from Hebrew University and an MA in Public Policy from Tel Aviv University, completing both degrees with honors.
Rabbi Paul Freedman served as USY’s first International President from 1952 till 1954. He made Aliyah together with his wife Nina in 1991, following their three sons who had all moved to Israel and served in the IDF as Lone Soldiers.
After joining the United Synagogue’s Youth Department in 1960, he entered Rabbinical School in 1966 and holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies from NYU.
In 1967 Rabbi Freedman was appointed Acting Director of the Youth Department and upon graduation from the JTS, was appointed the International Director of the USCJ Youth Department (USY) until his Aliyah. Amongst the programs he initiated was the Nativ program, which he launched 32 years ago.
In Israel he served as Head of the English Speaking Countries Desk for the Jewish Agency for Israel’s Youth and HeChalutz Dept, and subsequently as Head of the North American Desk for the combined Department of Education.
He currently serves as the Director Israel Strategic Partnerships, of the United Synagogues Israel Commission with over six hundred North American Synagogues on his Commission’s Data Bank. He was recently elected to the Board of the Masorti Movement as chair of its Committee on Aliyah and Absorption. Under his direction, the Israel Commission launched its Ma’a lot program in partnership with Nefesh
Barbara Goldstein was born and raised in New Jersey .She made Aliyah in 1998 and is the is Deputy Executive Director of Hadassah’s office in Israel, and past National Vice President of Hadassah.
A former National President of Junior Hadassah, in Hadassah Barbara chaired Youth Aliyah, two National Conventions, and the departments of Hadassah Travel and Tourism, Jewish Education, Programming, Aliyah, and Soviet Jewry. She is a past President of the Southern New Jersey Region.
In 1973-74, Barbara lived in Jerusalem for one year with her family during the Yom Kippur war. She served as a volunteer in the Public Relations Department of the Medical Center working directly with the wounded soldiers, reporters, congressmen, and other dignitaries, and acting as their escort through Kiryat Hadassah.
Barbara was a member of the Cabinet of the American Zionist Movement and served as a Commissioner on the Joint Authority for Jewish and Zionist Education. She also has proudly served as a delegate at 8 World Zionist Congresses in Jerusalem. Today in Israel, Barbara represents Hadassah on the boards of Hadassah Neurim, Meir Shfeyah, Ramat Hadassah Szold, the World Zionist Organization, Keren Kayemet and the Prime Minister’s special commission on the Legacy of Theodor Herzl. A Yeshiva University High School graduate, Barbara attended the teacher’s institute of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a graduate of Gratz College. She also served as Principal of Hebrew High School in Camden, NJ. As a dynamic speaker, she has devoted her life to promoting Zionist/Jewish education and love of Israel through her extensive tours in the U.S., speaking for Federations, Temples, schools and Colleges.
Barbara was honored during the 63rd anniversary of Israel’s Independence Day to light one of the 12 Torches at the National Ceremony on Mount Herzl. She represented Hadassah for its Zionist work on the eve of the Hadassah Centennial.
Barbara is the widow of Denverite Hazzan Mordechai Goldstein. He was also a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, and a Dr. of Sacred Music. Hazzan Goldstein served Neve Shalom in Metuchen for 25 years. Barbara is the mother of 3 children, and a proud Savta of 5 grandchildren.
Laura is a resource development and marketing professional who has served as director of these areas in some of Israel’s most distinguished non-profit organizations, most recently as VP of Philanthropic Partnerships at Start-Up Nation Central (SNC)–an independent non-profit organization committed to ensuring the continual growth and positive exposure of the Israeli innovation ecosystem Prior to SNC, Laura served as Deputy Director for Development and International Relations at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem. To her current positions at the Institute for National Security Studies, Mekudeshet, and Place-IL, Laura brings three decades of experience in communications, public relations, branding, and fund-raising in the corporate and non-profit sectors.
Vera Golovensky made Aliyah in June 1987. Since her arrival in Israel, she has worked as Assistant General Manager at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, Director of Marketing at the Jerusalem Report, and as an Independent Advisor & Consultant for public and private sector clients. Among the clients and foundations she has advised are The Tel Aviv Foundation, The Office of the Prime Minister, The Minister for Jerusalem Affairs, The Minister Of Energy and The Eretz Acheret magazine.
More recently, Vera has been an Advisor on Diaspora Affairs to Minister for Immigrant Absorption Natan Sharansky. She has also worked as Director for International Affairs at The Adelson Institue for Strategic Affairs at the Shalem Center. Vera is currently working as Senior Advisor to the Chairman of the Executive at The Jewish Agency for Israel, and is on the boards of BIRTHRIGHT ISRAEL, MASA, the National Library of Israel, Public Council, and the Yad Vashem Board of Directors.
Russell F. Robinison
Yaakov Katz is Editor-in-Chief of The Jerusalem Post.
He is a faculty member and lecturer at Harvard University’s Extension School where he teaches an advanced course in journalism.
He previously served for close to a decade as the paper’s military reporter and defense analyst and is the co-author of two books: “Weapon Wizards – How Israel Became a High-Tech Military Superpower” which will be published by St. Martin’s Press in January, 2017 and “Israel vs. Iran – The Shadow War” which came out in 2012.
Prior to taking up the role of Editor-in-Chief, Katz served for two years as a senior policy advisor to Israel’s Minister of Economy, Minister of Education and Minister of Diaspora Affairs.
In 2012-2013, Katz was one of 12 international fellows to spend a year at the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University.
Originally from Chicago, Katz also has a law degree from Bar Ilan University. He lives in Jerusalem with his wife and four children.
Born to Holocaust survivors, Ruth Oren was raised and educated in N.Y. and Boston where she did her B.Sc. in Boston University before making Aliyah to Israel in 1973 where she married a “sabra” 2 weeks before the Yom Kippur War. After graduating with an M.A. in Occupational Therapy from the School of Medicine in Tel Aviv University, Ruth worked as an Occupational Therapist for children and a Physical Therapist for infants at risk at Project Renewal-a very under privileged area in Hod Hasharon. She later joined her husband in Real Estate Development specializing in luxurious residential buildings on the Tel Aviv seafront and in London.
Ruth has been a Lion for over 10 years. Ruth has been Chair of the Lions for 4 years and is presently the President of Lions of Judah Israel since June 2015. Under her leadership the Israeli Lions help support 13 projects for the empowerment of girls and women throughout the country. Her passion and enlightenment has inspired many Israeli women to embark on the journey of “Tikkun Olam”. She has three daughters and 6 grandchildren and has proudly transmitted her legacy to her oldest daughter, who is also a Lion. Ruth embodies the spirit and vision of Lion of Judah Israel through her commitment to women’s philanthropy.
Wendy Singer has served as Executive Director of Start-Up Nation Central since its founding in 2013.She worked with the US-based funders to build the infrastructure and professional team
in Israel, and to launch its initial activities – connecting Israel’s innovation ecosystem with government and business leaders around the world. Today she heads SNC’s Jerusalem operation, and manages its engagements with foreign government leaders.Before joining SNC, Singer concluded a 23-year career at AIPAC. She was Director of AIPAC’s Israel Office for sixteen years. In that role, she and her team curated educational seminars in Israel for several dozen senior US lawmakers and political leaders annually. Singer maintained relationships with Israeli ministers and senior government leaders, members of the opposition, and a wide range of MKs, in addition to US diplomats, and Palestinian officials. She reported to AIPAC-Washington on policy, security and political developments in Israel.Prior to emigrating to Israel, Singer served as a registered lobbyist on Capitol Hill, where she was the lead contact for 20 Senators and 70 House Members. She also served as a staff aide for three Members of Congress, focusing on foreign policy issues.
Chaim I. Waxman is Professor and Founding Chair of the Behavioral Science Department at Hadassah Academic College, in Jerusalem, and Professor Emeritus of Sociology and Jewish Studies at Rutgers University. He specializes in the sociology of religion and the sociology of ethnicity with special focus on American Jews, Jews in Israel, Jewish immigration to Israel, and global Jewish identity and identification.
He has written more than 100 scholarly articles and is the author and/or editor of more than a dozen books, including, Jewish Baby Boomers: A Communal Perspective (2001), American Aliya: Portrait of an Innovative Migration Movement (1989), and America’s Jews in Transition(1983). His most recent book is Social Change and Halakhic Evolution in American Orthodoxy(2017). He made Aliyah in 2002.
Sivan Ya’ari is the Founder and CEO of Innovation: Africa, a NY based nonprofit that bringing Israeli solar, agricultural and water technologies to African villages. She was born in Israel, raised in France, educated in the United States with degrees in Finance from Pace University and a Masters in International Energy Management and Policy from Columbia University, at the mere age of 20 years, Sivan identified an opportunity for a more sustainable energy solution, and developed the groundwork for what would become Innovation: Africa.
Having worked in Africa for over 18 years and running Innovation: Africa for the past 8 years, Sivan has vast knowledge, understanding and love for the African continent. Through her work, over 1,000,000 lives in Africa have been impacted, thanks to Israeli innovation and multiple awards have been received including the Innovation Award from the United Nations. Sivan has been recognized as one of the “40 Under 40 Most Promising Israelis” by Globes magazine and one of the “50 Most Influential Women in Israel by Forbes Israel.
Aside from Innovation: Africa, Sivan also is a prominent business woman in Israel, owning multiple businesses and employs 140 women across the country. Sivan lives in Tel Aviv with her husband and 3 children. Please welcome Sivan Ya’ari.
Revital Yakin Krakovsky has 20 years of experience in public strategy, communications and content. She has been a leader in public policy, both in Israel and worldwide, while being closely acquainted with Jewish media as well as with worldwide outlets. Over the years, Revital has worked closely with dozens of organizations, non-profits, local authorities and governments, and has led conferences and events in Israel and across the globe. Revital has practical experience in planning and managing advertising campaigns, crisis management, public relations strategies, media collaborations, digital strategies, and more.
Revital has held various significant senior management positions, within a number of spheres of influence, including: Public Relations as the Deputy Director of the Debby Communications PR firm; in Media Outlets as the Business Development Manager of The Jerusalem Post and Maariv; Public work in the Third Sector as the Deputy Director General of the IFCJ; as a Senior Public Sector Official in Government as the Executive Director for Strategy and Communications in the Israeli Ministry of Strategic Affairs, responsible for the Ministry’s response to the BDS campaign.
In recent years, Revital founded “Strategic Influence”, where she counsels organizations in the Jewish World. In addition, she serves as the Deputy Director General of the International March of the Living.
Revital has a BA in Islam and Middle Eastern Studies from Hebrew University, and an MA in Political Communications from Tel Aviv University. She is trained to lead Civic Society institutions.
Binyamin Zomer has served as Noble Energy’s Director of Corporate Affairs in Israel since January 2010. In that capacity, Bini is responsible for Noble’s government relations, media relations and corporate social responsibility projects. His responsibilities also include a number of commercial endeavors. In 2014, Bini added the role of Joint Venture Manager to his responsibilities. As JV Manager, Bini is responsible managing the business relationship between the various partnerships that Noble operates off-shore Israel.
Prior to joining Noble, Bini served as Deputy Director for Policy and Government Affairs at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) where he focused on energy and homeland security issues. Before joining AIPAC, Bini was Director of Federal Government Relations at Accenture LLP and before that served as Counsel to Don Nickles, US Senator from Oklahoma, after practicing law in Chicago. Bini has a Law degree from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis and a B.A. in Government from the University of Texas.Bini and his wife, Heather, made Aliyah in 2010 and reside in Modi’in with their four daughters.