Author: shai

Name : Tamar Ish-Shalom, Lead Anchor, Reshet 13 News

20 years Ish-Shalom has held senior positions in various Israeli media groups.  She was an anchorwoman and magazine reporter for Channel 2 News (2010), the Chief Correspondent in Europe for Channel 2 News, based in London (2007-2009); the host for Channel 10 TV’s daily morning show (2005-2007);  host of the daily night news magazine in Galey-Tzahal radio station, following her job as the Galey-Tzahal parliamentary reporter.
During her work, she reported from the field in the 2005 disengagement, covered the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, Interviewed several Israeli Prime Ministers and senior American officials and presented an award winning documentary on the American Jewish community
She started out in 1999 on her army service in Galey-Tzahal, the Israeli Army radio, as a police reporter, covering the El-Akza Intifada.
Ish-Shalom graduated suma cum laude with an M.A. in Religion in Contemporary Society from King’s College, London, and suma cum laude with a B.A. in Jewish Philosophy and Psychology from Tel Aviv University.
Recipient of the 2008 Bnei Brith Journalism Award.

Name: Dr. Sigal Shelach- CEO, JDC – Israel

Sigal knows the importance of asking the right questions. With her tenure as CEO of JDC Israel coinciding with the organization’s major strategic planning process, this focus will serve Sigal, and JDC, well.
Sigal holds an MA and PhD from Tel Aviv University’s Department of Labor Studies, specializing in employment and migration. After working for six years as a Senior Research Fellow at Israel’s Ministry of Economy and Industry she joined JDC in 2007 as Director of Minorities and Immigrants programs within its Israel Employment Initiative. In this role she brought about a sea change in employment services in the Arab- Israeli sector not least by forging relationships with a major philanthropic foundation and the Israeli Government.
In 2012, Sigal was promoted to Director and given overall responsibility for JDC’s efforts to help Israelis exit poverty through employment. She steered the Initiative toward providing tools for Israel’s ever evolving workforce. As Deputy Director of JDC-Israel since 2014, Sigal also applied her forward-thinking approach to shaping JDC’s overall strategy in Israel.
As the first CEO of JDC-Israel to have “risen through the ranks” of JDC’s field staff, Sigal is keen to actively involve her colleagues in planning for the organization’s future. “Our professionals’ connections to grassroots Israeli life are vital for generating postive change.”

Name: Prof. Rabia Khalaila

Joined Zefat Academic College (ZAC) in 2009, after many years as a head nurse in the intensive care unit at Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem. During the years 2009-2018 he served as Chair for the department of Nursing, and since then he has served as Vice-President for Academic Affairs of the college. Prof. Khalaila is a committed scholar in gerontology and beyond his studies and numerous publications in the field; he invests much effort in the advancement of services for the elderly in the Israeli Arab population. Serves as a board member on numerous national committees and social organizations for promoting the welfare of both the healthy and impaired elderly in Israel. His work to date has received the recognition of the Venus International Foundation, as well as of the Israel Gerontological Society.

Name: Michael Balaban – President and CEO, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia

of Greater Philadelphia. Michael previously served as the President and CEO of the Jewish Federation of Broward County, Chief Development Officer for the Atlanta Jewish Federation, and before that, as Director of Development for Penn Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Michael believes that the Jewish Federation should both enchant and captivate members of the community when they are looking to access the richness and diversity of the Jewish experience.

Name: Jay Sanderson: President and CEO, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

He has been professionally active in the Jewish community for twenty-seven years and offers a wealth of knowledge and experience in new and old media as well as evolving communications technologies. Jay is recognized as one of America’s leading entrepreneurs and has over 30 years of experience transforming non-profit organizations, and was named to the Forward 50 list.

Formerly, Jay was the CEO and Executive Producer of Jewish Television Network (JTN). Sanderson created, produced and wrote over 700 hours of award-winning television programming. Jay was the creator and Executive Producer of the PBS landmark series, The Jewish Americans, and of the epic genocide documentary, Worse Than War. In 2007, he led JTN’s broadband Initiative, JewishTVNetwork.com, the only fully Jewish video website on the internet, attracting over 1.75 million unique visitors and hosting the largest Kol Nidre service ever.

Jay lives in Encino, California, and is married to Laura Lampert Sanderson. They have two children, Jonah and Isabelle.

Name: Meir Cohen- Minister of Welfare and Social Services, Israel

Cohen is an educator and was a school principal before entering politics. In 1973, Cohen was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces, joined the Paratroopers Brigade, and fought in the Yom Kippur War. In 2003 he was elected Mayor of Dimona, after which he was elected for a second term in 2008. In 2012 he joined Yesh Atid and entered the Israeli parliament following the 2013 national elections. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Jewish History and Jewish Philosophy from Ben- Gurion University of the Negev and a master’s degree in Jewish Sciences from the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem.

As Mayor of Dimona, Cohen promoted social causes including battles to decrease the price of water, to ensure the fair distribution of lands between the regional councils and towns, and against the reduction of welfare and education budgets in the local authorities. In 1973, Cohen was drafted into the Israel Defense Forces, joined the Paratroopers Brigade, and fought in the Yom Kippur War.

As Minister of Welfare and Social Services, Cohen initiates policies to tackle the root causes of poverty, establishing a public committee tasked with dealing with poverty in Israel.

Meir Cohen is married, has three children and two grandchildren, and resides in Dimona.

Name: Reem Younis – Founder, “Alpha Omega Ltd.

and functional neurosurgery. Born and raised in Nazareth, Younis earned her B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from the Technion- Israel Institute of Technology. She co-founded “Alpha Omega Ltd.” in 1993 and her second company, “Alpha-Cad Ltd.” in 1994, making her first exit in 2003.
Younis is a role model for Arab- Israeli entrepreneurial success and works to support others to follow in her footsteps. A board member of various non-profit organizations, she works with business, civil society and government to create equal opportunities in Israeli society. Younis is an expert on the integration of Arab-Israeli citizens in the hi-tech workforce. She is a board member of “Kav Mashve”, a coalition for the promotion of Arab academic graduates, as well as the “Israel Public Employment Service”, a government corporation committed to decreasing unemployment. Her mission is to impact Nazareth as a city of diversity and technology by promoting entrepreneurship among the young generation.

Name: Eliot Horowitz – Founder and Former Chief Technology Officer, MongoDB Inc.

commercial support for the open source NoSQL database MongoDB. Previously, Eliot was the founder and CTO of ShopWiki.
Horowitz attended Brown University where he received a B.S. in Computer Science. After college, he joined DoubleClick as a software developer in its R&D group. He then left to start up ShopWiki, a search engine for e-commerce. In 2006, BusinessWeek selected Eliot as one of its Top 25 Entrepreneurs Under Age 25.
In 2007, Horowitz formed 10gen with Kevin P. Ryan and Merriman, and started writing the core code base for MongoDB, an open source database. Its first public release came two years later in 2009. MongoDB has become widely used to build high-performance systems by companies.

Name: Eynat Guez: co-founder & CEO of Papaya Global

Eynat, who was born in Israel and lives in Tel Aviv, has over 20 years of career experience in global workforce management.

Guez served as the COO of LR Group, a global holdings group with extensive operations in developing countries. She then founded Relocation Source in Israel, a Global Mobility Solutions provider that served hundreds of multi- national companies. In 2015 she founded Expert Source, a Hong Kong- based PEO helping US corporates navigate business expansion into the Asian market.

It was here that she identified the technology gap in the field of global payroll. She combined two of her passions, technology and global HR, to found Papaya Global and start a revolution in payroll management.

Eynat Guez is a mother of three and is committed to promoting diversity in the workplace. She is involved in programs that encourage science education among young women and regional economic initiatives.

Name: Nir Erez – CEO, Moovit

in May 2020 to join forces with Mobileye and advance its MaaS strategy. Nir is a serial entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience leading technology startups. Prior to Moovit, Nir was also the founder and CEO of both ActionBase and Optimal Plus.

Name: Tomer Bar Zeev – CEO and Co-Founder, ironSource

ironSource a truly global company, spearheading the company’s international growth and establishing offices on 4 continents, with over 850 employees worldwide. Under Tomer’s leadership, ironSource has grown incredibly fast through organic and inorganic growth, including 7 M&As along its journey. Tomer is a member of the Young Entrepreneurs Council, sits on the board of the IATI, and has been named one of the 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs by Goldman Sachs three years running. He is also an active investor in other technology startups.

Name: Becky Sobelman-Stern- Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer, The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles

, Israel, and internationally. Becky’s leadership has continued to propel the Federation’s active engagement with the community through program offerings, strategic partnerships, and relationships.
Most recently, Becky served as Vice President of Consulting & Community Development at the Jewish Federations of North America, where her leadership energized over 150 Jewish Federations to enhance community impact and Jewish identity programs, foster dynamic connections with Israel, and care for Jews in need.
Becky received her BS in Business Education from New York University and her Masters of Social Work in Community Organization from Hunter College.

Name: Greg Schneider- Executive Vice President, Claims Conference

He earned a Master in Public Policy at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. After working in the private sector for several years, Mr. Schneider joined the Claims Conference.

Mr. Schneider was appointed Executive Vice President of the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) in 2009. A passionate advocate for Holocaust survivors, he joined the Claims Conference in 1995 as an assistant to the then Executive Vice President, becoming Director of Allocations and Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Schneider has overseen the creation and implementation of several Claims Conference individual compensation payment programs for Jewish victims of Nazism. Mr. Schneider also guided the creation of many additional programs to compensate victims such as the victims of Nazi medical experiments, former refugees to Switzerland, survivors of the Nazi occupation of Budapest, first-ever one-time payments to Nazi victims in the former Soviet Union, child survivors, and Kindertransport survivors.

Mr. Schneider has guided the Claims Conference’s Institutional Allocations Program since its inception in 1995, facilitating its growth from $90 million allocated annually in 24 countries to $587 million allocated for 2020 to benefit 132,000 Nazi victims in 47 countries. Since 2011, he has facilitated the preparation for ongoing negotiations with the German government that have resulted in dramatic increases in funding for home care for Holocaust victims. The growth of these allocations has enabled pioneering care for Nazi victims as they age and require more assistance.

Name: Aaron Merki: Managing Director, Programs and Grants- The Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation

is responsible for leading the program team in distributing approximately $126 million in annual grants, all focused on improving the lives of people experiencing poverty in the United States and Israel.
Under Aaron’s leadership, the Foundation has prioritized strategic and collaborative approaches to grantmaking, focused on achieving measurable impacts within the communities that we serve. He has also overseen the streamlining of the Foundation’s grantmaking within the areas of Housing, Health, Jobs and Education, enabling the Foundation to focus greater resources on select funding priorities and initiatives.
Prior to his current role, Aaron served as a Program Director at the Foundation, and was responsible for grantmaking focused on aging and older adult services, which is now covered under the Foundation’s Housing and Health portfolios. In that role, Aaron helped lead the expansion of Housing Upgrades to Benefit Seniors (HUBS) in Baltimore City, a collaboration of nonprofits, city government, and philanthropy to enable low-income older adult homeowners to remain independent by providing home modifications and repairs, occupational therapy, and wraparound services. To date, the Foundation has invested $9.3 million in this initiative, which has enabled more than 2,500 older adults to age in place.
Before coming to the Weinberg Foundation, Aaron served as the Executive Director of FreeState Justice, dedicated to improving the lives of Maryland’s LGBTQ citizens through legal services and advocacy. From 2010-2013, Aaron worked as a corporate litigator at Venable LLP where he represented a range of Fortune 500 companies, in addition to smaller businesses and individuals. From 2008-2009, Aaron clerked for the Honorable Judge Susan K. Gauvey of the United States District Court for Maryland. He earned his J.D. from the University of Maryland School of Law and his B.A. in Political Science from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), Phi Beta Kappa, where he was a Walter Sondheim Public Affairs Scholar.
Other past and present leadership roles include service on the boards of Grantmakers in Aging, the Public Justice Center, The Journey Home, and FreeState Justice.

Name: Eran Weintrob – CEO of Latet

The scope of his top-down responsibilities includes driving Latet forward by formulating the organization’s strategy and expanding the business development activities in Israel and abroad. Eran supervised the leading of complex national fundraising campaigns, international funds, and federations, and creating new partnerships while nurturing existing ones with the largest companies in Israel. As well, Eran ensures the association’s good visibility in the media, while supervising the different organization’s departments.
Under his management, the organization’s volume has grown from NIS 9 to 170M. The number of volunteers has increased from several hundreds to 25,000 – totalizing 450,000 hours of volunteering each year. Public awareness has risen from 1% to 90%, and the network of partner NGOs has developed from 30 to 180. Latet has been branded and positioned as one of the most influential and effective NGOs representing the civil society in Israel, and as the leading umbrella organization & National Food Bank. In addition, Latet is recognized for its fight for the eradication of poverty, and developing solutions to tackle the food insecurity issue.
Before joining Latet, Eran took major and influential public and social positions within civil society. Among others, he was the chairperson of the National Union of Israeli Students, chairman of the Tel-Aviv University student union – where he completed his LLB –, chairman and board member of a few leading students companies in various fields, such as ISSTA lines (tourism), Job Tov (HR), Neches (production and media), Tel-Aviv university, Elite sport center, the Council of Higher Education, Dionon (Books retail chain) and Master Bit (insurance). Over the years, he has developed a wide expertise in marketing & branding, media, business development, and project management, operations and strategy execution.
Eran is a leader, and a family man. He is 47 years old, father to Amit, Noam and Rani, and married to Lital. He was born in the Southern Israeli city of Dimona, and currently lives in the center next to Tel-Aviv, in Ramat-Gan.

Name: Lonnie Nasatir – President and Chief Executive, Jewish United Fund (JUF) of Chicago

Taking the helm just prior to a global pandemic, Lonnie quickly mobilized JUF resources to understand and address the complex and emerging needs of the community. Under Lonnie’s leadership, JUF allocated $21.6 million in COVID-19 emergency relief funding. These funds are above and beyond JUF’s regular annual allocations, providing critical dollars in five key areas: food assistance; emergency financial aid; health and safety; expanded social services; and organizational stability. His handling of JUF’s response to the pandemic is emblematic of the new energy and vision Lonnie brings to the organization. He has led a strategic process with his senior staff to articulate a clear vision for JUF’s role in the community, communicating core values to guide JUF’s professionals in their work and identifying priorities, goals and objectives that will require special attention in the years ahead

Name: Lisa Moon – President and CEO, Global FoodBanking Network

at The Chicago Council on Global Affairs, where she spearheaded a project that has become one of the leading global contributors to discussions around hunger and food security. There she conducted studies and policy dialogues on the role of agriculture in emerging economies, the nexus between agriculture and health, the pressures water scarcity and climate change will place on the global food system, and the importance of trade and food price volatility to social stability. She holds a Master of Arts degree in Security Policy Studies from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies, Political Science, and Spanish from Bradley University.

Name: Abby J. Leibman: President & CEO of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger

in the United States and Israel. Prior to joining MAZON in 2011, Ms. Leibman co-founded the California Women’s Law Center, which she directed for 12 years. Prior to founding the California Women’s Law Center. Ms. Leibman has a distinguished record of community leadership including service on multiple boards of directors and on government commissions. Ms. Leibman has her J.D. from Hastings College of Law and a B.A. in Political Science from UCSD.

Name: Claire Babineaux-Fontenot- Chief Executive Officer, Feeding America

charity according to Forbes. Feeding America is a nationwide network of 200 food banks and 60,000 food pantries and meals programs. Together, the Feeding America network provides more than 4 billion meals to more than 46 million people across the United States and supports programs that improve food security for the families we serve.
Prior to joining Feeding America, Claire spent 13 years as a part of Walmart’s leadership team with her most recent role being executive vice president and global treasurer. In this role, she had global responsibility for tax, treasury operations, capital markets, investor relations, global risk management, casualty and self-insurance leading teams across 28 countries and over 1,000 associates worldwide.
A Louisiana native, Claire has been entrusted with the leadership of teams for nearly three decades. Before Walmart, she was partner-in-charge of the Baton Rouge office and tax practice leader for Adams and Reese LLP, one of U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Law Firms.” Earlier in her career, she was dispute resolution practice group leader for the southwest region at PwC (formerly PricewaterhouseCoopers) and an assistant secretary for the Office of Legal Affairs for the State of Louisiana.
With a deep personal commitment to strengthening communities, Claire has long been an avid volunteer and board member. She has volunteered in the fight against hunger and other causes since her youth. Later, she served on a number of nonprofit boards including the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children, the board of directors and audit committee for the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, and the board of trustees and finance and audit committee for the National Urban League and the National Association of Black Accountants. She also was on the corporate advisory board for the Association of Latino Professionals for America. Additionally, she served on the global board of directors and executive committee of the Walmart Foundation. Her board experience also includes the board and the audit committee for Walmart Chile S.A, chair of the board of directors for ATLAS Technical Consultants and audit committee member and nominating and governance committee chair at Charah Solutions. Claire was named one of TIME’s 100 most influential pioneers, leaders, titans, artists and icons of 2020.
Claire holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Louisiana in Lafayette; a Juris Doctor from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, La.; and a Master of Laws in Taxation from Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law in Dallas, Texas.

Name : Itzik Shmuli- Director- General Israel Branch, UJA- Federation of New York

as a Labor Party MK in the Israeli Knesset. He started his political career as the chairman of the National Union of Israeli Students and was a recognized leader of the 2011 Israeli social protest movement.
Widely recognized as one of Israel’s most effective public policy champions, Shmuli was always an ardent voice for the voiceless in Israeli society. He successfully advanced many critical public interests and legislation, including dozens of laws related to health, education, and welfare, which have changed the lives of many vulnerable Israelis. As a Minister during the Coronavirus crisis, he was responsible for creating and implementing the government’s human and social service policy, which aimed to provide a safety net for millions of Israelis in need and create unique and suitable solutions for groups that were particularly at-risk. Under his leadership, the ministry achieved many unprecedented achievements.
Shmuli has received numerous awards over the years for his work, including being elected as the Knesset’s “Outstanding Acts for Social Inclusion Member of Parliament MK” five times. He is also the winner of the “Ometz” Award, Outstanding Parliamentarian Award from the Israel Democracy Institute, Medal of Light from the Holocaust Survivors’ Organization, Medal of Honor from the Foundation for the Welfare of Holocaust Victims, Rotary Award and more. He has an M.A. in public policy and government with honors from The Hebrew University. Shmuli and his partner, Eran, live in Moshav Kesalon in the Judean Hills, and they have two boys: Nevo and Iv’ri.

Name : David G. Greenfield – Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director, Met Council

legislator, popular law professor and noted media personality with broad experience in government and not-for-profit organizations. As CEO and Executive Director, David has expanded Met Council’s mission and services to help over 305,000 New Yorkers in need through a multitude of direct services and policy advocacy. In his eight years in the City Council, David authored nearly 30 pieces of legislation that were signed into law by Mayors Michael Bloomberg and Bill de Blasio. David passed historic legislation mandating affordable housing, reforming the landmarks preservation process, and providing free security guards for over 100,000 private school children.

Name : Yael Eckstein – President and CEO, The Fellowship

Prior to assuming her present role, Yael served as Global Executive Vice President, Senior Vice President, and Director of Program Development and Ministry Outreach. With over a decade of non-profit experience in multiple roles, Yael has the rare distinction of being a woman leading one of the world’s largest religious charitable organizations.
Yael is a published writer and a respected social services professional. She has contributed to The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, Townhall.com, and other publications, and is the author of three books: Holy Land Reflections: A Collection of Inspirational Insights from Israel, Spiritual Cooking with Yael, and Generation to Generation: Passing on a Legacy of Faith to Our Children.
Her thoughts on the Jewish faith and Jewish-Christian relations can be heard on The Fellowship’s radio ministry programs, including Holy Land Moments and Israel Today, which are broadcast on nearly 1,000 radio stations around the world. In 2021, she launched her weekly podcast, Nourish Your Biblical Roots, in which she shares spiritual insights and lessons from the Torah. And each month, Yael invites Christian and Jewish thought leaders to her podcast to discuss Jewish-Christian relations and Israel’s significance on the world stage on Conversations with Yael.
Yael has partnered with other global organizations, appeared on national television, and visited with U.S. and world leaders on issues of shared concern. She has been a featured guest on CBN’s The 700 Club with Gordon Robertson, and in 2015 served on a Religious Liberty Panel in Washington, D.C. The same year, Yael’s influence as one of the young leaders in Israel was featured as the cover story of Nashim [Women] magazine. In 2019, The Algemeiner named Yael to the Jewish 100, citing the positive influence she has made to Jewish life, and referring to her as “the world’s leading Jewish interfaith activist.” In 2020 and 2021, she was named to the Jerusalem Post’s list of 50 Most Influential Jews.
Born just outside of Chicago in Evanston, Illinois, Yael was well-educated at both American and Israeli institutions, including biblical studies at Torat Chesed Seminary in Israel, Jewish and sociology studies at Queens College in New York, and additional study at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She is based in Israel with her husband and their four children.

Name : Gilles Darmon – President and Founder of Latet

with the vision of establishing an organization that would create a meaningful change in Israeli society and contribute to the emergence of the Israeli civil society. Just one year after moving to Israel he founded Latet – Israeli Humanitarian Aid, an NGO actively working to reduce poverty. Since the creation of the organization, Latet has distributed almost one billion shekels worth of aid, becoming one of the largest and most well- known non-profit organizations in Israel.
Latet is one of the strongest voices in the Israeli debate regarding issues of poverty and civil society’s impact. Latet benefits from hundreds of thousands of supporters, making it the symbol of the new Israeli philanthropy. Thanks to projects such as the Alternative Poverty Report and the Social Lab, Darmon has completely change the way NGOs are operating in Israel. Today, he leads the organization’s policy and strategy, taking an active role in shaping the future programs and activities of the organization.
Gilles participated in the Seal-Maoz program that promotes social entrepreneurship and leadership in Israel, in which he focused on the development of the City without Hunger initiative.
Since 2011 Gilles has been the CEO of Lavi Capital, a private banking and investments enterprise specializing in the field of infrastructure.
Gilles served in the IDF reserves chemical warfare defense until 2011.
He has a Degree in Business from the Sorbonne University in Paris with a year’s specialization in Human Resources and Organization Management.
Gilles lives in Ramat-Gan, he is married and has 3 children- Liam, Or and Ela.

Name : Fathi Abo- Younes: Director of the Social Services Department, Sakhnin Municipality

He also serves as Chairman of the Organization of Welfare Department Directors in the Arab Municipalities.
Abo-Younes holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a master’s degree in social work and management from the University of Haifa.
In his position in the Sakhnin Social Services he has initiated multiple reforms and programs for the benefit of the local community, surrounding municipalities and Arab society at large. For over a decade he has been an active partner in determining welfare policy in the State of Israel, serving on committees coordinating between local municipalities and the Ministry of Welfare.
Fathi was born in Sakhnin and lives there today. He is married and a father of four.

Name : Yanki Margalit – Yanki Margalit, Social Entrepreneur and Investor, ex-Chairman of Space-IL

fund and a partner and investor at IAngels. He is the former Chairman of SpaceIL, a non-profit space technology organization competing for the Google Lunar X Prize.
In 1985, Margalit founded Aladdin Knowledge Systems Ltd. In 1996 Aladdin has acquired FAST software Security in Germany and in 1998 Aladdin acquired ESafe Technologies. In 2004 the company’s shares were also listed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. In 2006 Aladdin acquired California based Preview Systems and in 2008 Aladdin acquired SafeWord. In March 2009, with close to $150M in sales, Vector Capital acquired Aladdin and officially merged it with SafeNet.
Mr. Margalit is on the boards of Idealist.org, Latet, College4all.org, Meet.mit.edu, Adama.org.il, and SpaceIL.com.

Name : Alexandra Roth-Kahn – Managing Director, Caring Department, UJA Federation of New York

In this capacity, Alex advances the organization’s commitment to ensure that those struggling with life’s challenges are supported by the Jewish community. Through strategic planning, grant making, and convening, the work of the Caring Department supports members of the Jewish community and beyond who struggle with issues related to poverty, unemployment, aging, disabilities, mental health, and end-of-life. Alex develops new models of care to respond to these challenges and stimulates innovation in the field. The work of the Caring Department is actualized in New York, Israel, and around the world. In her former role at UJA-Federation of NY, Alex managed the Connect to Care initiative, UJA-Federation’s comprehensive response to the recession offering employment and career transition services, financial counseling, legal services, and emotional support. Alex graduated from Brandies University with a BA in Sociology and Judaic Studies. Upon graduation, she participated in a year-long fellowship at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education, in Manhattan. Alex then went on to receive an MSW, with a specific concentration in social work administration, from Columbia University. Alex was a fellow in the Muehlstein Institute for Jewish Professional Leadership at Columbia University, and currently sits on the board of Westchester Day School. Alex lives in Westchester with her husband and three children.

Name : Rabbi Rebecca Sirbu- Executive Vice President, Jewish Funders Network

which is an international community of private foundations and philanthropists whose mission is to promote meaningful giving and to improve philanthropy in the Jewish world.
The founding director of four start-up Jewish organizations, Rebecca served most recently as Director of the Engagement Division at Hadassah: The Women’s Zionist Organization. Selected as one of the “Most Inspirational Rabbis in America” by The Forward, she is former Director of Clal’s Rabbis Without Borders, a pluralist network of rabbis dedicated to serving the needs of all people through the creative use of Jewish wisdom. She is also the founder and CEO of RabbiCareers.com, making it easier for rabbis and communities of all types to find one another. Rabbi Sirbu has consulted for synagogues, organizations, and individuals on leadership development, building creative capacity, actualizing ideas, and how to work across religious and cultural borders. In addition, she is a co-founder of the Gender Equity in Hiring Project which brings the best practices in gender-balanced hiring to lay and professional leaders
A Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Vassar College, Rebecca holds a master’s degree and ordination from The Jewish Theological Seminary of America and a certificate in Spiritual Entrepreneurship from Columbia Business School.

Name : Eric S. Goldstein: CEO, UJA Federation of New York

positions before being appointed UJA-Federation’s CEO in 2014. Before joining UJA, Eric was a leading partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. Eric served as vice chair of UJA’s board, was a member of UJA’s Executive Committee, and chair of UJA’s Lawyers Division, Commission on Jewish Identity and Renewal, and Global Strategy Task Force. Eric was a founding board member of Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and has served as president and chair of the board of Manhattan Day School, president of the Beth Din of America, and board member of the Ramaz School. He was also a board member of the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), DOROT, and The Jewish Agency for Israel – all UJA-Federation partner agencies. In 2013, Eric received the Torch of Learning Award from American Friends of the Hebrew University. He was a participant in the Wexner Heritage Program. A native of Brooklyn, Eric lives in Manhattan with his wife, Tamar, and they have four children.

Name : Isaac Herzog- President of the State of Israel

Isaac Herzog is the Eleventh President of the State of Israel, succeeding President Reuven (Ruvi) Rivlin.
The son of Israel’s sixth President, Chaim Herzog, and grandson of Israel’s first Chief Rabbi, Yizhak Isaac Halevi Herzog, Isaac Herzog was born in Tel Aviv in 1960, trained as a lawyer, and became a senior partner at Herzog, Fox & Ne’eman. He is married to Michal, also an attorney by profession, and the couple have three sons.
In 2003, Herzog was elected to Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, after serving as Government Secretary to Prime Minister Ehud Barak. In his 15-year Knesset career, Herzog held several ministerial posts, including Housing and Construction, Tourism, and Diaspora Affairs.
In 2013, Herzog was elected Chairman of the Israeli Labor Party, becoming the Knesset Opposition Leader. Two years later he led the alliance between the Labor Party and Hatnua to form Israel’s largest center-left political party, the Zionist Union.
In June 2018, Herzog was elected Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel.
In 2021, Isaac Herzog was elected by an overwhelming majority in the Knesset as the Eleventh President of the State of Israel.