Fellows

Cohort 31

OCTOBER 2023–AUGUST 2025

Rafah Anabtawy

Rafah Anabtawy is a social worker, organizational consultant, feminist and social activist. In her most recent position, she served as the director of the Kayan Feminist Organization, which works for social justice and the advancement of women. In this capacity, Rafah was responsible for managing the organization, realizing its goals, objectives, and vision, training staff, developing content and projects, managing the budget, and coordinating development and fundraising. Rafah’s work is driven by a commitment to human rights and social justice. She began her career as a group facilitator,focusing on human rights, women’s status, and community and social engagement, and directed a regional day center for drug addicts. She then became involved in feminist activism, and both founded and coordinated the community work department at Kayan. Rafah holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a master’s degree in social work and organizational managementfrom the University of Haifa. She’salso completed international courses in conflict resolution, human rights, minority rights, and gender. Rafah is particularly interested in promoting values-based education, human rights, and gender equality, and developing intervention models that integrate academic knowledge and practical experience.

Adiel Bar Shalom

Adiel Bar Shalom is an educator. In his most recent position, he managed the Neve Amiel youth village in Sde Yaakov. In this capacity, he assisted at-risk youth who had dropped out of formal education frameworks to get back on track, helping them emerge from the process prepared for life’s challenges. Previously, he served as the head of the social engagement department of the Bnei Akiva youth movement, as the national coordinator of the Afikim education program, and as a member of the management team of Simcha Layeled, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of disabled and seriously ill children. Adiel believes that love, trust, inclusion, and dedicated work are the foundations of educational work. He holds an interdisciplinary bachelor’s degree in social science and humanities from Ariel University, and a master’s degree in public policy and administration from the University of Haifa. Adiel is an armored corps officer in the IDF reserves and is a graduate of the Torus Group’s Mastery for Game Changers leadership development program for senior executives. His goal is to promote education and welfare in Israel.

Yehonatan Bensimon

Yehonatan Bensimon is an educator with a rich and diverse background. In his most recent position, he served for six years as the founding principal of the Beit Ekstein middle school on Moshav Yad Rambam, where he provided services to young people with complex emotional and psychological difficulties. Previously, he worked as a teacher and pedagogical coordinator at the Branco Weiss high school for at-risk youth in Ramla, and trained and mentored teachers in the Teach First Israel (TFI) program. As principal of Beit Ekstein, Yehonatan, together with the school staff, established a special therapeutic-educational space that aimed to provide personalized learning and treatment processes tailored to the unique needs of every student. These processes are grounded in the belief that growth and healing for these adolescents are possible in an environment that provides staff with learning experiences, guidance, and emotional support. Yehonatan believes in the integration of adolescents with complex emotional and psychological difficulties into community life, out of confidence not only in their ability to integrate but also in the communities’ potential benefit from the integration of people with special needs. A graduate of the Revivim program for excellence in Jewish studies teaching at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Jewish studies and a master’s degree in Jewish history. Yehonatan is interested in innovative methods for the integration of adolescents with special needs in pre-military frameworks and subsequently into military or civilian national service.

Haim Bitton

Haim Bitton is an educator, social entrepreneur, and historian with a longstanding commitment to the communities of the Gaza border region. He has been active in towns and kibbutzim there for years, working in non-formal education with both normative and at-risk youth, running leadership groups for social activists, and teaching at the Sha’ar HaNegev high school. Haim has also been involved in academic research, studying the history of Jews in Muslim countries, and has received recognition and awards for his contribution to this field. He holds a bachelor’s degree in cultural studies from Sapir Academic College, and a master’s degree in Jewish history and a doctorate in Israel studies, both from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Haim is interested in education policy in Israel, with particular emphasis on the country’s geographic and socioeconomic periphery. He also aspires to promote equal opportunities, enhance the quality of teaching, and strengthen the connection between academia and the community.

Naama Cohen

In her most recent position, Naama Cohen managed the Ministry of Education’s five-year plans for teaching staff within the Arab education system in Israel. By fostering collaborations and developing relationships between professionals in the field and the Ministry’s headquarters, she identified the challenges facing teaching staff and developed strategic solutions for improving the quality of teaching in Arab education. Naama’s earlier professional experience included roles in pluralistic Jewish education, pre-army civilian service programs, and parliamentary consultation in the Knesset. At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, she joined Culture of Solidarity, a community that was established at the time in order to promote mutual support and social solidarity. Today this community serves as her ideological home and center for activism, and she manages its programming for senior citizens. Naama holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude in philosophy, economics, and political science, and the Amirim program for outstanding students in the humanities, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, as well as a master’s degree in business administration and urban planning. During her studies, she established an interfaith Beit Midrash at Hebrew University. Naama works to promote social responsibility and equal opportunity, and to reduce inequalities. She is interested in delving more deeply into activist pedagogy with the goal of maximizing the social impact of the education system.

Itay Dahan

Itay Dahan is an entrepreneur with diverse managerial background in both the public and private sectors. He has served as chief executive officer of the Omer municipal authority, founded and directed the startup company Formation Knowledge and Task Management, and held command and training positions in the Israel Air Force. Itay holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in law from Bar-Ilan University. Deeply familiar with the complexities and heavy workload faced by managers at all levels, he aims to improve relations between government ministries and organizations on the ground, in order to facilitate broad and systemic improvements in nationwide systems.

Roula Daqa

Roula Daqa is an educator and administrator. She worked as a teacher at the Abu Tor boys’ elementary school and was principal of the Excellence High School for Girls in Wadi al-Joz, Jerusalem. During her tenure as a principal, the school’s student population experienced significant growth. As principal, Roula believed in the power of skilled and talented educational staff and built a personalized professional training and development program for every teacher. Roula was later appointed to oversee the high school education system in East Jerusalem on behalf of the Jerusalem Education Administration (Manhi), and served as a teacher-training coordinator who was responsible for the professional development of the instructors in the district. Roula holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology, anthropology, and education, and a master’s degree in special education, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She believes in the power of the teaching profession, and particularly in the ability of teachers to build a picture of the future for their students that will fill them with hope and open up new horizons.

Shir Elkayam Luzzatto

Shir Elkayam Luzzatto is an entrepreneur, lecturer, and manager. Most recently, she was founding director of the MaofTech Western Negev Accelerator for StartUps, providing support to technological startups in the periphery, under the auspices of the Israeli Ministry of Economy and the BDO strategic consulting company. Additionally, she has served as a lecturer on entrepreneurship and innovation at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, delivering innovative courses in both Hebrew and English at the Faculty of Business and Management. Shir has considerable experience in senior management and has provided strategic business consulting to Israeli and international companies, public agencies, entrepreneurs, and startups. She is an active member of several advisory boards for companies and government offices. Shir holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and communications from Tel Aviv University and a master’s degree in business administration from the Masuot honors track at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Chilik Farber

Chilik Farber is an educator and therapist who is active in Israel’s social periphery and strives for equal opportunities for members of that population group. In his most recent position at the Jerusalem municipality’s Youth Promotion Division, Chilik helped revitalize Jerusalem’s northern neighborhoods and contributed to expanding the division’s infrastructure in the city center. In this capacity, he led development and team-building processes, and was involved in on-the-ground management and in efforts to advance the service recipients. Previously, Chilik was the principal of the Mishkenotecha Yisrael educational-therapeutic boarding school, where he helped students acquire essential tools related to areas such as higher education, personal development, social engagement, mutual contribution, and life skills. Chilik was also the deputy director of a unique post-hospitalization residential facility for Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) psychiatric patients, working to implement effective work processes and to develop collaborations between this population and Haredi influencers and decision-makers. Today he runs training and workshops for educators who are working with at-risk youth. Chilik holds a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and humanities from the Open University, and a master’s degree in public policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. A member of the Haredi community, he is committed to leading deeply influential processes within the community and in Israeli society.

Gidi Grunberg

Gidi Grunberg is an educator and social entrepreneur. In recent years, he served as a pedagogical coordinator at Ankori High School in Tel Aviv, where he was a member of the school’s management team. Previously, he introduced and coordinated the Shachar classes for at risk students at the Ironi Hey public high school in Modi’in, where he was involved in establishing the upper grades. Gidi’s roots are in non-formal education and working with at-risk youth. He managed the Proud Youth Center in Tel Aviv and founded the religious youth network of IGY – The Proud Youth Organization (Israel Gay Youth). In recent years, he has worked in the national religious community to promote education for tolerance towards the LGBTQ+ community. Gidi holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in education from Beit Berl College and a master’s degree in educational systems management from Kibbutzim College. He is also a graduate of the Avney Rosha school principal training program. Gidi’s goal is to work for the benefit of LGBTQ+ students and establish a holistic educational-therapeutic system aimed at promoting resilience and leadership within the LGBTQ+ community.

Adaya Kedmi Smama

Adaya Kedmi Smama is an educator. For the four years leading up to her fellowship at the Mandel School for Educational Leadership, she served as the director of the social leadership pre-military academy in Paran in the Arava. In this capacity, she worked to make pre-military academies more accessible to youth from Israel’s social and geographical periphery. In recent years, she has also been active in promoting meaningful encounters between diverse populations in Israel. Adaya holds a bachelor’s degree in Bible and Jewish studies, a master’s degree in Jewish education, and a teaching certificate, all from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She is a graduate of the Hebrew University’s Revivim program for outstanding Jewish educators, and the Amitei Tzedek Partners in Justice program for Jewish-Israeli leadership, run by Memizrach Shemesh – Kol Yisrael Haverim. Adaya aims to work toward the establishment of a high-quality public education system in Israel’s periphery. She believes in integrating practices from the field of non-formal education into the state education system and wants to develop tools for creating school environments that encourage independence, initiative, and creativity among educators, teachers, and students.

Sasha Klyachkina

Sasha Klyachkina works in non-formal education and group facilitation, and serves as an officiant at secular Jewish wedding ceremonies. In recent years, she has been involved in Jewish education in Israel and the diaspora, training educators and engaging in various activities related to Judaism. Some of the recent projects she has managed include the Jewish Agency’s Annual Leadership Educational Forum (ALEF), a professional community for directors of Russian-speaking Jewish summer camps in the Diaspora and in Israel, and a project providing psychological support to summer camps in the former Soviet Union, following the conflict in Ukraine. Prior to that, Sasha served as an emissary to the Russian-speaking Jewish community in Melbourne, Australia for three years. Sasha is a committed social activist who is involved in many educational and social endeavors, including the Guild Project, an educational business accelerator for new immigrant education professionals. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and film and television from Tel Aviv University, a certificate in group facilitation in a multicultural society from Beit Berl College, and a master’s degree in experiential Israel education from George Washington University. Sasha is interested in researching the interaction between formal and non-formal education, in providing teachers with non-formal education tools, and in integrating non-formal education models into public schools.

Ron Pollak

Ron Pollak is an educator. In his most recent position, he served as the principal of the Dor experimental technological high school in Herzliya and also mentored school principals at the beginning of their careers. In his role as principal, he introduced a unique “journey pedagogy,” in which students learn in real-life settings by means of journeys that enable continuous and prolonged learning and create holistic connections between academic, emotional, and social dimensions. Ron holds a bachelor’s degree in democratic education from Kibbutzim College and a master’s degree in education management and leadership from Tel Aviv University. He is also graduate of the Avney Rosha school principal training program. Ron believes that public education plays a central role in breaking the cycle of marginalization and in creating conditions that foster social mobility for vulnerable groups in society. He is interested in exploring ways in which the education system and other actors can promote training programs that will be relevant for training workers for the high-tech sector.

Tal Rokach

Tal Rokach served in the Prime Minister's Office for 24 years in a variety of administrative roles. A person of the outdoors, he is closely tied to the trails of Israel, and believes in education in nature and in desert environments. Tal holds a bachelor's degree with distinction in business administration from Ono College and a master's degree with distinction in education management and leadership from Tel Aviv University. He aspires to reduce gaps within Israeli society and to increase integration among diverse public systems. Tal believes in combining formal and non-formal education, with a particular emphasis on values and moral education, which he sees as providing a broad and important foundation for all individuals, especially within Israeli society.

Tzruia Schwaiger

Tzruia Schwaiger is a social worker by training. In her most recent position, she was the director of the community center in the Emek HaMa’ayanot regional council. In this capacity, she led initiatives in the fields of social education, culture, and excellence in music, dance, and sports, focusing on communality as an agent of change. Alongside this role, Tzruia led leadership development courses in the region’s various communities, which were designed to identify young people who can assume responsibility and lead processes within their communities. Previously, she was director of the northern district of the Israeli Volunteer Association’s national civilian service programs, which enable young people who are exempt from military service to engage in meaningful community service. Tzruia holds a bachelor’s degree in grief and trauma counselling from Sapir College, and a master’s degree in organizational consulting for educational and business institutions from Ono Academic College. She is interested in acquiring tools that can contribute to developing academic excellence in the periphery and to promoting equal opportunities in research and development in remote towns and villages.

Yonatan Shachar

Yonatan Shachar is a therapist and a manager. In his most recent position, under the auspices of the prison rehabilitation authority, he established and managed a holistic center for youth and young adults who had recently been released from prison, the first initiative of its kind in Israel. In this capacity, he worked extensively to change policy regarding the rehabilitation of minors post-incarceration, and developed innovative treatment, education, and rehabilitation models for this population. Over the past 18 years, he has worked with highly at-risk populations in various therapeutic, educational, and managerial roles. Yonatan holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ashkelon College, and a master’s degree in social work from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His professional path is guided by the belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to make a fresh start, and that it is the system’s responsibility to provide the best possible services. Yonatan is interested in continuing to work on behalf of at-risk youths while creating innovative models for this work, alongside the development of new, high-quality holistic frameworks that facilitate social mobility.

Chen Shamir

Chen Shamir is an educational entrepreneur and trailblazer in the field of young adults. As a member of Kibbutz Dror Israel, a kibbutz of education professionals, he established non-formal education frameworks for youth and young adults, founded the Rujum young adults community network, and developed a pedagogical approach tailored to post-adolescence. In his role as vice president of educational content and strategic development at Tozeret Haaretz, he oversaw a system comprising dozens of community support workers, managers, and others operating in a diverse range of communities across the country, including secular, national religious, Haredi Jewish, and Arab communities. Chen holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education and management from the Martin Buber Center for Dialogue at Beit Berl College. He aspires to be a leading partner in creating educational programs for younger and older adults in Israel, and to establish free national institutions that provide opportunities for every individual to undergo personal development while strengthening their sense of belonging and social connection.

Elior Turgeman

Elior Turgeman is an educator and community leader. In his most recent position, he was the principal of the Shorashim Arts School, an integrative state-religious elementary school in south Tel Aviv, which was on the brink of closure and is now one of the leading schools in Israel. This success is due to the innovative and unique pedagogical approach he developed, which includes a synthesis of core studies, religious studies, and study of the arts. Elior was awarded the National Education Prize in 2023. He has dedicated his adult life to promoting education together with the community and to helping children from disadvantaged backgrounds break through glass ceilings. Previously, he served as principal of a middle school in Tel Aviv, founded and directed a non-profit organization aiding children in Jaffa, and served as a community rabbi in Kiryat Ekron. Elior holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in education from Herzog College, both cum laude, specializing in Bible and Talmudic studies and educational systems management respectively. He is also a graduate of the Avney Rosha school principal training program. Elior aims to address issues of integration in the education system as a microcosm of Israeli society, with a focus on reducing inequality and providing emotional, social, and pedagogical support to marginalized populations.

Uriya Yakut Zini

Uriya Zini is an education professional dedicated to bridging the theory-practice gap while working to implement ideas and concepts in everyday reality. In her most recent position, she worked at the Adva Center, an extra-academic research institute working for social policy change, where she managed the training system and the development of community education tools, and coordinated the Center’s community work. Within this role, she developed and managed various programs for diverse communities, with the aim of promoting just and equitable policies and increasing participation in public decision-making processes and resource allocation. She also led and supported educational and social projects that served as a basis for policy papers. Uriya has extensive experience in group facilitation, dialogue meetings, and working with various communities, and served as a teaching assistant for four years at the Hebrew University’s Seymour Fox School of Education. She holds a bachelor’s degree cum laude from Tel-Hai Academic College, where she majored in education and philosophy studies, and a master’s degree in philosophy of education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Uriya is interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the field of education policy by researching issues related to diversity and representation (recognition justice) and the implementation of equal opportunities in education (distributive justice).

David Zarfati

David Zarfati is an educator, manager, and leader, who is a commander, teacher, and social activist in military, formal and non-formal educational settings. In his most recent job, he was a training school commander in the Israel Border Police. In this role and in various other positions, he developed values-based leadership approaches, engaged in planning and management, and helped to develop hundreds of worthy and highly moral commanders. David holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities from the University of Haifa and a master’s degree in education from Bar-Ilan University’s program for leadership and education systems management. He also holds a teaching certificate in Bible studies from Kibbutzim College and a diploma in mediation from the Goma Israeli Center for Mediation. David believes in integrating formal and non-formal education, based on the principle that “it takes a village to raise a child.” He wants to serve marginalized populations in Israel and believes that education that is tailored to meet diverse needs is the key for providing social mobility for every child in Israel.

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