Fellows

Mandel Program for Regional Leadership in Dimona and Arad

OCTOBER 2022 – AUGUST 2024

Razi Abu Asheeba

Principal, Neve Midbar School for Special Education

Razi Abu Asheeba is an educator and the principal of the Neve Midbar School for Special Education in the Bedouin village of Abu Qrenat. Razi leads innovative processes in work with students who have developmental/intellectual disabilities, and works to bring about cultural and organizational change among the students and partners in the school. He is also developing the pedagogic model for working with students with developmental intellectual disabilities that is included in the knowledge base of the Peace Fund . A graduate of the Mifras Educational Entrepreneurship Incubator, Razi is promoting an initiative to prepare students with developmental/ intellectual disabilities for employment and optimal integration into society. He is a member of the board of the Neve Midbar Community Center, and works to increase Bedouin society’s awareness of the school experiences of students in regular and special education. Razi holds a bachelor’s degree in Arabic language and literature from Kaye Academic College of Education and two master’s degrees: one in educational administration and leadership from Tel Aviv University, and the other in special education from the Center for Academic Studies in Or Yehuda. He lives in the village of Abu Qrenat in the Neve Midbar Regional Council.

Merav Amit

Director, Department of Tourism, Central Arava Regional Council

Merav Amit is the director of the department of tourism in the Central Arava Regional Council. In this capacity, she works for the advancement of tourism in the Arava, and is involved in preservation, development, and marketing. A licensed tour guide, Merav holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Oranim Academic College and a master’s degree in tourism management from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She lives in Moshav Ein Yahav in the Central Arava Regional Council.

Avi Buchbut

Director of the Community Division in Dimona

Avi Buchbut, director of the community division in Dimona, is also an educator and activist for settlement in the Negev. Previously, he served as the southern district of the Ministry of Education’s representative for preparation for the IDF and as the chairman of the student union at Kaye Academic College of Education. As part of his educational work, Avi was the southern district director of the Equalizer Group, a non-profit organization that works for social, gender, and geographic equality by running after-school programs that combine team sports and educational activities. Avi is the leader of the young generation of the Alliance of People of Moroccan Descent in Israel, is a member of the Israel A.S.A. Academic Sport Association, and is a member of the executive board of the National Union of Israeli Students. Avi holds a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in education, as well as a teaching certificate, all from Kaye Academic College of Education. He is a graduate of the Dagan Bridging Leadership Program and of Alliance–Kol Israel Haverim’s Partners in Justice program. He was born and lives in Dimona.

Sivan Cohen Avitan

Hydrotherapist, Watsu Therapist, and Swimming Instructor

Sivan Cohen Avitan, who owns a hydrotherapy pool, is a hydrotherapist, Watsu massage therapist, and swimming instructor. She is active in the struggle against the establishment of a phosphate mine in Arad. A former member of the Arad city council, she also served as an executive board member of the Arad Tourism Association. Sivan holds a bachelor’s degree in early childhood special education from the Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts. She lives in Arad.

Maya Dan

Director, Violence Prevention Program, Arad Municipality

Maya Dan is the director of the Arad Municipality’s violence prevention program. Previously, she held positions in community work, welfare, management, and informal education. Maya was a member of the executive board of the Har Amasa cooperative moshav, where she lives, and worked to advance culture and tourism there. A certified nonviolent communication facilitator, Maya holds a bachelor’s degree with honors from the psychology track of the Behavioral Sciences Program at Ruppin Academic Center, and is completing her master’s degree with honors in management and public policy at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Adiel Elgi

Director, Youth Division, Dimona Municipality

Adiel Elgi is the director of the Youth Division of the Dimona Municipality, which provides services to young people aged 18 to 35 in fields such as higher education, employment, community, culture and leisure, and family life, and also tends to the needs of discharged soldiers. His work is informed by a vision that seeks to bring more young people to choose Dimona as a worthy place to live. Before serving as the director of the municipality’s youth division, Adiel was the director of Dimona’s youth center, which grew over time to become a division of the municipality. Adiel is involved in the world of music; a singer-songwriter, he plays the guitar and performs. Adiel holds a bachelor’s degree in cinema and communications from Sapir College and a master’s degree in business administration from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He lives in Dimona.

Erez Guez

Retired Career Officer, IDF

Erez Guez served in the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate for 24 years and was involved in research, training, and field intelligence. He was discharged with the rank of lieutenant colonel after having served as an intelligence officer in the 98th Paratroopers Division, also known as Utzbat HaEsh, a reserve-service infantry division in the Israel Defense Forces. Erez holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication from Tel Aviv University and a master’s degree in public administration and public policy from Bar-Ilan University. He lives in the community of Carmit in the eastern Negev, where he serves as a member of the residents’ association.

Yaniv Hasan

Educator and Principal, Noam Haim School, Dimona

Yaniv Hasan is the principal of the Noam Haim School in Dimona, where he is leading a process of growth and change in the school and in Dimona’s religiously observant community. For much of his life, he worked as a homeroom teacher and as a subject teacher in the Moriah School and as a rabbi and teacher at the AMIT Yeshiva in Beer Sheva. Yaniv volunteered for many years to work with teenagers in informal education. He holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Orot Israel College of Education and a master’s degree in Jewish philosophy from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He lives in Beer Sheva.

Dr. Younis Hawashla

Principal, Neve Midbar PISGA Center in Qasr al-Sir

Dr. Younis Hawashla is the principal of the Neve Midbar PISGA regional pedagogic center in the village of Qasr al-Sir in the Neve Midbar Regional Council in the Negev and is a researcher in the field of education. Previously, he served as the principal of the Dar al-Kalam Comprehensive School in Rahat for 11 years and as a regional instructor in mathematics in Rahat for three years. As part of his work, he founded new educational institutions, giving them foundations for excellence, and led multi-cultural processes that will bring about ongoing improvement and organizational excellence, which will enable the assimilation of new tools and bring about cultural and organizational change. Younis holds a bachelor’s degree in education and mathematics instruction from Kaye Academic College, a master’s degree in educational administration, and an additional degree in curriculum design and teaching from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He also holds a doctorate in educational systems management from Yarmouk University in Jordan and has published papers on education. Younis lives in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Hawashla.

Meirav Israel Levin

Teacher, Writer, and Social Activist

Meirav Israel Levin is a mathematics teacher at the Neve Amram primary school in Dimona. A writer and social activist, she is the author of the crime novels Tahanat Beinayim (Intermediate Station) and Tahana Sofit (Final Station). Meirav is active in the leadership of parents of children and youth with special needs in Dimona and provides guidance to parents. She is involved in promoting projects and processes aimed at the integration of people with special needs in society as equals, working with local official institutions such as the mayor’s office, the Dimona Community Centers, and the municipal education, welfare, and culture department. Meirav is also active in promoting the creation of leisure and welfare activities, such as a soccer club for children and teenagers with special needs, a ceramics club, and Ninja warrior activities. Previously, Meirav was a teacher in the municipality’s adult education division, where she helped adults earn their high-school equivalency diplomas and provided ongoing support to people who believed that it is never too late to complete matriculation examinations in order to obtain an academic degree and develop vocational skills. Meirav holds a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences from the Open University and a master’s degree in science instruction, with a specialization in mathematics, from the Hemdat Hadarom Academic College of Education. She lives in Dimona.

Yochai Kayat

Community Center Director, Entrepreneur, and Social Activist

Yochai Kayat is the director of a community center in Dimona. He has been a social activist for a decade, and has worked in marketing and advertising for a network of community centers in Dimona. Yochai is one of the founders of the Dimona Marathon Race, which is also known as the DMR Challenge and has more than 10,000 participants from all over Israel – and has served as its director for four years. Yochai was the director of the Hillel Israel Center at Sapir College, as well as of the Ayalim Student Village in Dimona. He is also a homeroom teacher and a “big brother” at the ORT Sapir High School in Yeruham. Yochai’s focus on social affairs, together with his desire to bring high-quality, critical journalism and change to places where it was needed, led him to found and serve as the editor of a weekly local magazine in Dimona. Yochai holds a bachelor’s degree in communications, creativity, and production from the journalism track at Sapir College and holds a master’s degree in business administration from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. During his degree studies, he was a member of the Israel Scholarship Education Foundation and a social activist in a variety of volunteer settings, including a year as an intern in the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee. Yochai lives in Dimona and is a co-founder of the Young Dimona local political party.

Nechama Ohana

Deputy Director, Welfare and Social Services Division, Dimona Municipality

Nechama Ohana is the deputy director of the Dimona municipality’s welfare and social services division. In this capacity, she is involved in the conception, development, and implementation of unique, groundbreaking programs that aim to provide guidance and assistance to families who live in poverty and exclusion. She is both aware of the needs on the ground and open to new ideas and connections with the academic world and with system-wide interfaces. Nechama holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in social work from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She grew up in Dimona and now lives in Omer.

Ortal Sarig

Director, Assessments Department, Beer Sheva Municipality Collections Division

Advocate Ortal Sarig is the director of the assessment department of the collections division of the Beer Sheva municipality. She has worked as a tax lawyer in the Beer Sheva Municipality for about a decade, and has served as the director of the assessments department for the last two years. Ortal holds a bachelor’s degree in law from Ono Academic College and a master’s degree in democratic studies from the Open University, and lives in Dimona.

Ofer Sela

Director, Amos Oz Public Library, Arad

Ofer Sela, an activist in culture and art in Arad, has been the director of the Amos Oz public library in Arad for 14 years. He is a playwright, a facilitator of writing workshops, and a mediator. He also works with community theater groups and with young people in the Negev. He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Hebrew literature and philosophy from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and is a certified librarian who studied at Beit Berl College. He lives in Arad.

Yoni Shtern

Tourism Entrepreneur and Environmental Activist

Yoni Shtern is a tourism entrepreneur and environmental activist in the Negev. A licensed tour guide, he is a tourism consultant in fields related to the desert environment and to technological entrepreneurship and the digitization of tourism. Yoni was the director of the tour guide course at the Israel School of Tourism at the University of Haifa, and has worked as an instructor and trainer in other tour guide programs in Israel. He also served as a consultant and writer for the southern tourism plan produced by the Ministry of Tourism and the local councils of the southern Negev. Yoni holds a bachelor’s degree in geography, environmental studies, and archaeology, and holds a master’s degree in natural resources and management policy, both from the University of Haifa. A founding partner of the Sol Village guest house at the Dead Sea, Yoni works to advance the settlement and economy of the Kikar Sdom district and lives in Neot HaKikar.

Oshrit Ziv

Director, Community Security Authority, Dimona Municipality

Oshrit Ziv is the director of the community security authority of the Dimona municipality. In this capacity, she integrates all of the systems necessary to ensure the residents’ sense of security and to decrease violence and crime in a systematic, collaborative, professional, innovative, ethical, and community-focused manner. Previously, Oshrit was the southern district manager of the Educating for Excellence (E4E) non-profit association. Oshrit holds a bachelor’s degree in education from the honors track at Ben Gurion-University of the Negev and a teaching certificate from the Tmurot track at Kaye Academic College of Education, as well as a master’s degree in educational administration from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She lives in Dimona.

About The Program

Mandel Program for Cultural Leadership in the Negev: Cohort 5

OCTOBER 2022 – AUGUST 2023

Sleman Abo Madegam

Director of the Pais Cultural Center, Rahat

Sleman Abu Madegam, the director of the Pais Cultural Center in Rahat, teaches computers and mathematics and is active in Arab culture and society in the Negev. Sleman initiated in the introduction of the city of Rahat to the concept of sustainability developed in Project Wadi Attir. A pedagogical leader, he also fights to keep high-school students from dropping out of the city’s schools. Sleman holds a bachelor’s degree in technology and computers, a teaching certificate in post-primary education, and a master’s degree in educational systems administration from the Kibbutzim College of Education, Technology and the Arts in Tel Aviv. He is also a graduate of Sapir Academic College's training program for cultural leaders in the Western Negev. Sleman lives in Rahat.

Abed Alkean

Director of the Culture Department, Hura Community Center

Abed Alkean is the director of the culture department of the Hura Community Center, where he is also a project manager and acting director of the Center. Abed promotes and coordinates the Center’s cultural activities and art lessons and manages Hura’s basket of cultural services. A cultural and community leader, Abed works to increase community awareness of culture, theater, music, and art. He devoted six years to rebuilding and coordinating the local chapter of the HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed (NOAL) youth movement. Abed promotes adult education courses and vocational training in the community center, with particular attention to training pre-school assistants and daycare providers. He also leads volunteer projects in the community and gap-year programs in conjunction with AJEEC-NISPED (Arab-Jewish Center for Equality, Empowerment, and Cooperation and the Negev Institute for Strategies of Peace and Economic Development) and Leket Israel, in order to support families in need. Abed is the chairman of the children and youth committee of 360°–The National Program for Children and Youth at Risk. Abed holds a bachelor’s degree in humanities and social sciences from the Open University and a master’s degree in organizational management and consulting from Ono Academic College. He also holds a diploma in group facilitation from the MAOZ Echo (Tehuda) program for management teams. A resident of Hura, he grew up in the unrecognized Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran.

Raz Gluzman

Artist, Teacher, Therapist, and Social Activist

Raz Gluzman’s current work spans art and culture, therapy and teaching, alongside social action. Raz’s dance and performance art works have been performed at festivals and exhibitions in Israel and in Germany. A provider of spiritual support to people in times of crisis, Raz also teaches movement and meditation. Raz is the creator of Merhav Ga’ava (Pride Space), a range of LGBTQ cultural and artistic events in Mitzpe Ramon that includes political-activism. Raz holds a bachelor’s degree in dance and in education from Kibbutzim Academic College and a master’s degree in art history and visual culture from the curation track of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Raz did an internship in curating at the Tel Aviv Museum, and lives in Mitzpe Ramon.

Avihay Hazout

Musician, Social Entrepreneur, and Educator

Avihay Hazout, a musician, writer, composer, guitarist, and oud player, is a social entrepreneur and educator. He founded the Mahsan 52 youth center for performing arts in Yeruham, coordinated community-wide cultural programs, conceived and produced cultural events for teenagers and young adults, and managed the community’s youth department. Currently, Avihay meets groups via performances of his musical one-man show, “Yeruham in Story and Song,” which combines his own story with that of Yeruham, as part of the repertoire of The Maghreb Ensemble, which links East and West and old and new. Avihay holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and management from the Open University and a master’s degree in management and educational policy from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. A group facilitator, he lives in Yeruham.

David (Dudi) Itzhaki

Musician, Educator, and Entrepreneur

David Itzhaki is the director of the music department in the Western Negev Cluster. He is also a lecturer at Sapir Academic College, a guitarist and bassist, and an arranger and composer. Selected initiatives in which David has been involved over the years include the Maktub Ensemble and the Shergi Ensemble, multi-cultural ensembles that combine Jewish and Bedouin music; the Western Negev Chamber Orchestra; a group of young musicians called Jazzert, and a young rock group called Sandband. David founded and ran the music program at Nitzana, was the director of the Eshkol Conservatory, founded and ran the Segev Shalom Conservatory, served as the musical director of the Mekorot Darom program and festivals, and more. David holds a bachelor’s degree in composition, a second bachelor’s degree in music education, and a master’s degree in composition from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance. He is a co-founder of Moshav Beer Milka, where he lives.

Nevo Jakubovitch

Entrepreneur in Educational Ecology; Filmmaker, Film Producer and Teacher

Nevo Jakubovitch is an entrepreneur and activist in the field of educational ecology, who develops cultural programs related to the link between art and the environment, with an emphasis on ecological activism and greater awareness of the public-urban space. Nevo is also a filmmaker, film producer and communications teacher. He created a program entitled “Between City and Desert,” which is dedicated to improving the aesthetics of Independence Street in Beer Sheva’s Old City, where his art studio combines desert vegetation and art from recycled materials. Nevo tends to community gardens of succulents and cacti on a volunteer basis. He also works as a therapeutic gardening consultant in varied institutions, and is planning a green roof where he will be able to coordinate these activities. Nevo writes Zen poetry in haiku form. He holds a degree in cinema and visual studies from Sapir Academic College and a teaching certificate in communications from Beit Berl College. Nevo lives in Beer Sheva.

Tzlil Kahana

Filmmaker, Screenwriter, and Producer

Tzlil Kahana is a filmmaker, screenwriter, and producer who currently leads writing workshops and personal expression groups. Her short films have won various awards and have participated in film festivals in Israel and abroad. Tzlil is a screenwriter for the Shakshuka series on KAN, she is the creator of the web series Mitzpe Ahuvati, and is a partner on the HaSahar Project, which makes production services and equipment available to local independent filmmaking. Tzlil is a passionate filmmaker who believes in the power of stories to shape and reflect the world in which we live. She also holds a passion for directly interacting with the next generation of film makers and storytellers, and exercises this passion in part by lecturing in digital content creation and screenwriting at the Camera Obscura School of Arts. Tzlil holds a bachelor’s degree from the cinema and television arts department of Sapir Academic College and lives in Mitzpe Ramon.

Lior Oron

Director and Artistic Director of the Negev Film Fund; Film Producer and Filmmaker

Lior Oron is the director and co-founder of the Negev Film Fund, a public foundation supported by the Ministry of Culture whose goal is to promote filmmakers and filmmaking in Israel’s southern region and to place the south at the center of cultural production and discourse in Israel. Lior is a co-founder of a community of filmmakers and cultural creators in the Western Negev, whose emphasis is on making connections between the communities in the Southern District. He is also a partner in Media Ba-Negev, a cultural, social, economic, and regional growth engine. Lior is a former executive producer at the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College, where he accompanied dozens of students in their training in creative arts and production. Lior was also involved in social initiatives in the field of culture in the south. He lives on Kibbutz Magen in the Eshkol Regional Council.

Ayala Perel

Puppet Theater Artist and Theater Arts Teacher

Ayala Perel is a puppet theater artist, a theater arts teacher, and the creator of the Ayalushka Theater, an artistic puppet theater that travels around Israel. Ayala’s works are based on her childhood memories, and she works mainly with paper and shadows, objects that were an inseparable part of her play in childhood. Ayala has performed in international festivals, including the Jerusalem Puppet Festival at the Train Theater and the International Puppet Theater and Film Festival in Holon. Ayala received a grant from the Holon Puppet Theater in 2019 as part of a program to encourage the creation of original Israeli art. In 2020, she won first place in the SocialTwist program and received a grant to direct “Havila Overet” (Pass the Parcel), a production based on the story of her aliya to Israel at the age of 14 as part of the Na’aleh Program. A theater arts teacher at the Tmarim School, Ayala serves as an artistic consultant for theater productions in schools throughout the Negev. She also founded and runs a club for self-employed women in the Yattir District. Ayala holds a bachelor’s degree in drama and theater from Emuna College, is a graduate of the School of Puppet Theater in Holon and a graduate of the “Incubator” – a continuing education program in visual theater and children’s puppet theater run by the Train Theater. She lives in Susya in the southern Hebron hills.

Adva Peres

Teacher and Playwright

Adva Peres is a theater arts teacher and educator who serves as a grade coordinator at the Meitarim Branco Weiss High School in Meitar. She is the director and artistic director of the Alma Theater for Women’s Art in a Jewish Spirit, which is a home for female and Jewish art. Adva holds a bachelor’s degree in theater arts from Tel Aviv University and is a graduate of The Goodman Theater and Acting School of the Negev. Her work in theater takes various forms: she is a director (“Marks,” “Wild about Her,” “Chocopelet”), a facilitator of workshops for individuals and groups, a festival producer (the Fringe Theater Festival and the Smilansky Street Festival in Beer Sheva), and an actor. She is also lectures in the course “The Theater Experience” at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sapir Academic College, and at Sami Shamoon College. Adva lives in Beer Sheva.

Rani Shaul

Architect, Director of Planning and Development of a Tourism Product in a Government Enterprise

Rani Shaul works in architectural planning, content promotion, and real-estate initiatives related to buildings and places of tourist interest in the Negev, the Dead Sea, and Eilat. Rani sees architecture as a way of life that provides users with actions, habits, and thoughts. Over the past 20 years, she has implemented this view in her work in the private market, government ministries, and municipal authorities. In residential planning, she has focused on the private sanctuary; in planning public buildings, she has stressed the community framework that every person needs; in planning accessible spaces for people with disabilities, she has emphasized the dignity and independence of every person; and now in tourism planning, her work takes into account the human spirit as well as the atmosphere, the landscape, and the connection with nature, heritage, and culture. As a result of her work in developing tourism focal points in the Negev, Rani conducts ongoing dialogue between preservation and development, development and sustainability, the preservation of sites versus development and tourism, and architectural restoration versus expansion and cultivation. Rani has taught design and architecture at Haredi colleges, out of the belief that this would lead to personal and community development. She holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from Ariel University and a master’s degree in conservation and development from Bar-Ilan University. She lives in Elkana.

Keren Singer

Interior Designer, Entrepreneur, Owner of a Design Studio

Keren Singer is an interior designer and cultural entrepreneur, who founded and runs the Suit-Case Studio in Yeruham, a design studio for local art and art from recycled materials. The studio conducts upcycling workshops and has a gallery caf? that showcases Israeli art and design. It makes design accessible, with particular emphasis on the use of recycled materials, and it connects design with the environment and with people. Keren has designed various learning spaces in Yeruham, and has taught and engaged in design and place-making together with young people from city schools. She has taught in the activism track of Kulna, the external education program of Sapir Academic College. Keren participated in the designers’ program of the Pais Culture Lab at the Yeruham Design Terminal. After the program, she produced exhibitions and public events that connect culture, contemporary design tradition, and place. Keren’s studio work has been shown at exhibitions such as Fresh Paint, Illustration Week, and the Innovation Fair. She holds a bachelor’s degree in interior design from the Holon Institute of Technology and is a graduate of the Merage Foundation’s entrepreneurship training course. She lives and works in Yeruham.

Smadar Zamir

Film Director, Feminist Activist, and Entrepreneur

Smadar Zamir is a film director who works to promote the advancement of women in Israel’s film industry. Her film In the Director’s Chair Sits a Woman won awards in local and international festivals and was a finalist for the Ophir Prize for the best Israeli documentary film of 2020. Smadar teaches courses on women and cinema in the School of Audio and Visual Arts at Sapir Academic College and other institutions. She is also the lead developer of content on film and gender for the Ministry of Education’s research and development department and its coordinator of cinema. Smadar is a co-founder and leader of the Israeli Women in Film and Television Forum. She founded filmmaking programs devoted to films produced by women, including Focus Nashim (Women’s Focus) in the Cinema South Festival. Smadar publishes opinion pieces in various outlets and works to increase awareness of the importance of women’s voices in cinema. She holds a bachelor’s degree in cinema from Sapir Academic College and a master’s degree in gender studies from Bar-Ilan University, both with honors. Smadar is completing her doctorate at the University of Haifa, and lives in Arad.

About The Program

Mandel Program for Regional Leadership in Al-Kasum, Neve Midbar and Segev Shalom

OCTOBER 2021 – AUGUST 2023

Jaber Abu Al Kian

District Supervisor, Ministry of Education

Jaber Abu Alkian is the district supervisor of the Social and Youth Administration of the Ministry of Education’s Southern District. In this capacity, he is responsible for non-formal education, social education, and social engagement in Bedouin Arab society. He also forges partnerships with government ministries and civil society organizations to promote values-driven programs and content, and to advance Bedouin Arab society by creating equal opportunity, increasing social mobility, and developing civil society. He also coordinates the Etgarim program for developing leadership in schools in the Arab sector in the Southern District, and leads scouting programs in schools and programs for promoting coexistence in the Negev, in which are conducted in partnership with AJEED-NISPED. Jaber has worked in education for some 25 years, 10 of in which were spent as a middle-school teacher and management member in the Tel Sheva local council, where he introduced “field, nation, and society” (“Shelach”) studies and land of Israel studies to the curriculum. He was involved in setting up 14 branches of youth movements and 35 branches of the AJEEC youth organization in the region, and is a member of the AJEEC-NISPED steering committee and of the board of directors of the Tamar Center, which promotes STEM studies in Bedouin Arab society. In addition, he was one of the initiators of the idea of founding the Desert Stars leadership center for Bedouin youth. Jaber is also involved in social improvement campaigns and in initiatives to resolve conflict and promote tolerance in Bedouin Arab society and in Israeli society in general. In the past, he volunteered in prisons and in programs for prisoner rehabilitation and empowerment, at the regional emergency response center, on the Hura community COVID committee, and at Edy’s House – a community support center for children with cancer. Jaber holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in geography and environmental development, as well as a teaching diploma, all from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and holds a doctorate in educational administration from Yarmouk University in Jordan. He has lectured at Kaye Academic College of Education for the last four years. He grew up in the unrecognized Bedouin settlement of Umm Al-Hiran, and now lives in the Hura local council.

Jehan Abu Hadoba

Elementary School Principal and Social Activist, Neve Midbar Regional Council

Jehan Abu Hadoba is principal of the Al-Salaam Elementary School in Abu Talul, a community in the Neve Midbar regional council. She is also a social activist in the field of women’s advancement in Bedouin society. Jehan is a graduate of the group facilitation course at Gishot College, the Maoz leadership program, and the principal training program of Avney Rosha – the Israel Institute for School Leadership. Jehan holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Kaye Academic College of Education, and a master’s degree in educational consulting from the Israel Academic College in Ramat Gan. She lives in Abu Talul.

Yousef Abu Kaf

High School Principal, Al-Kasum Regional Council

Yousef Abu Kaf is the principal of the Atid Comprehensive High School in Umm Batin, which is located in the Al-Kasum regional council. He is currently working to strengthen community engagement by establishing a youth center that will operate on school grounds in the afternoons, with voluntary help from teachers. Previously, Yousef served as deputy principal, grade level coordinator, homeroom teacher, and Hebrew language teacher, who prepared students for the highest level of matriculation. Yousef holds a bachelor’s degree and a teaching diploma from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a master’s degree in Hebrew language from the University of Haifa, and is a graduate of the principal training program of Avney Rosha – the Israel Institute for School Leadership. He is currently completing a doctorate in educational administration at Yarmouk University in Jordan. He lives in Umm Batin, in the Al-Kasum regional council.

Rabe Abu Rabea

Instructor and Coordinator, Special Education Regional Support Center, Abu Basma

Rabe Abu Rabea is an instructor of teachers and a coordinator at the Ministry of Education’s Special Education Regional Support Center (MATYA) in Abu Basma, which serves three local authorities: the Al-Kasum regional council, the Neve Midbar regional council, and the Kseifa local council. The center provides information, guidance, and assistance to educational staffs involved in special education, whether in dedicated special education frameworks and in mainstream schools. Rabe serves as the acting special education supervisor of assessment and eligibility committees for special education students. He is responsible for educational services provided to homebound students and to students who require invasive medical treatment and need medical support at school as a result. Rabe holds a bachelor’s degree in special education from Kaye Academic College of Education, and a master’s degree in special education from Or Yehuda College. He lives in Kukhleh, a community in the Al-Kasum regional council.

Rudaina Abu Rashed

Mental Health and Rehabilitation Social Worker, Hura

Rudaina Abu Rashed is a social worker in the field of rehabilitation of mental health patients in the community. She works at an assisted living facility for mental health patients in Bedouin Arab society, run by Hetz Rehabilitation in the Community. In this capacity, Rudaina helps people with mental illness to integrate into the community and society in a healthy way that matches their condition and their needs, whether in employment, academic studies, social and leisure activities, or more. In the past, she volunteered with at-risk youth in Hura, and completed her national civilian service as a volunteer in schools and kindergartens in Bedouin communities. Rudaina holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s degree with a specialization in art therapy from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and was awarded the university’s Frannie Ackerman Prize for social work students. She lives in Tel Sheva.

Kothar Abuhmad

Educational Counselor, Mentor, Teacher, and Social Activist, Al-Kasum

Kothar Abuhmad is an educational counselor and a mentor to new teachers as part of the Teach First Israel program. She also teaches Arabic as a second language at Sakhnin College for Teacher Education, is a social activist, and volunteers in the field of education. Under the auspices of the Fund for Innovative Education, she set up a bilingual escape room in Hebrew and English. Previously, she worked as a Hebrew teacher in Arab society and as an Arabic teacher in Jewish society. Kothar holds a bachelor’s degree in Hebrew literature and communications from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, a master’s degree in educational counseling from the Israel Academic College in Ramat Gan, and a teaching diploma from the Teach First Israel program. She lives in Darijat, a community in the Al-Kasum regional council.

Sabreen Alassad

Social Worker, Segev Shalom Local Council

Sabreen Alassad is a social worker in the welfare department of the Segev Shalom local council. Previously, she held various positions in welfare departments, including employment coordinator for Yated, the national program for young adults in at-risk situations; social worker in the welfare department of the Al-Kasum regional council; and employment coordinator in the welfare department of the Tel Sheva local council. In this last position, she established and managed women’s employment groups in Tel Sheva. Sabreen holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Sapir College, and a bachelor’s degree in health system management from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She is also a graduate of the Ministry of Social Affairs’ Yated program, and holds a diploma in group facilitation from Gishot College. She lives in Lakiya.

Aseel Alassad, z''l

Social Worker and Social Activist, Segev Shalom Local Council

Aseel Alassad was a social worker in the social services department of the Segev Shalom local council, where she was responsible for realization of rights at the individual, group, and community levels in the communities within the local council. She also developed and ran workshops on realization of rights and access to services, and helped residents exercise their rights in practice. Aseel was also a social activist in the field of women’s empowerment, and advocated especially for women with personal status issues in Israel. In her previous position in the social services department of the Al-Kasum regional council, Aseel founded a first-of-its-kind group for statusless women in Israel, which was dedicated to fighting for changes in government policy and combatting bureaucracy. Aseel held a bachelor’s degree in social work from Sapir College and a diploma in group facilitation from Gishot College. During her academic studies, she participated in the Young Women Politicians initiative at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, which trains and empowers young women who are interested in being politically active. Aseel tragically lost her life in a car crash on May 1, 2022, on the eve of Eid al-Fitr.

Marwan Algdefy

Social Education Coordinator and Biology Teacher, Segev Shalom

Marwan Algdefy is a biology teacher at the Segev Shalom Comprehensive High School, where he prepares students for the highest level of matriculation exams. He also serves as the school’s social education coordinator, and is responsible for non-formal education activities. Marwan also volunteers as a paramedic with Magen David Adom. Previously, he worked at the Segev Shalom community center in various positions: higher education manager for youth at risk; educational excellence coordinator; and coordinator for the Ogen program to combat school dropout through non-formal education. Marwan holds a bachelor’s degree and a teaching diploma in high school science education from Kaye Academic College of Education, a master’s degree in science and technology teaching, and a master’s degree in educational management, educational policy, and society from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He lives in Segev Shalom.

Hassan Algnami

Elementary School Principal, Neve Midbar Regional Council

Hassan Algnami is principal of the Al-Majid Elementary School in Abu Karinat, a community in the Neve Midbar regional council. He is a member of the board of directors of the Eastern Negev Regional Cluster (a partnership of all the local authorities in the area) and of the Neve Midbar community center. Previously, Hassan taught mathematics for 12 years at the Al-Moustakbal Elementary School in Abu Talul, where he was also the mathematics coordinator and field trip coordinator. He also managed teams of educational coordinators at AJEEC-NISPED, a non-profit organization that develops social and economic programs in Bedouin Arab society in the Negev and promotes Arab-Jewish partnership throughout Israel. Hassan holds a bachelor’s degree in education and mathematics teaching from Kaye Academic College of Education and a master’s degree in management and public policy from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He is also a graduate of Avney Rosha – the Israel Institute for School Leadership. He lives in Abu Karinat, located community in the Neve Midbar regional council.

Aosama Alhozayl

High School Physical Education and Homeroom Teacher, Rahat

Aosama Alhozayl is a homeroom teacher and physical education teacher at the Salman High School in Rahat. In addition, he is a regional instructor and mentor to physical education teachers in the Ministry of Education’s Southern District. In the past, he was a lecturer and pedagogic instructor at Kaye Academic College of Education, and today lectures on physical education at PISGA regional pedagogic centers throughout the Negev. Aosoma is also a social and community activist who has created and led a range of activities in the field of physical education, including sports events and competitions between Bedouin Arab and Jewish youth sports teams. Aosoma holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Kaye College, and a master’s degree in physical education from Givat Washington Academic College of Education. He lives in Rahat.

Hassan Azbargah

High School History Teacher and Doctoral Student, Kseifa

Hassan Azbargah is a history teacher and coordinator of learning disabilities services at the ORT Al-Farouk Multidisciplinary High School in the Kseifa local council. He is also responsible for the evaluation of learning performance in the school. Hassan holds a bachelor’s degree in Middle Eastern history and a master’s degree in Jewish history, both from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He is currently completing his doctorate at Ben-Gurion University’s Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies, where his dissertation examines critiques of the modernism of the poet Mahmoud Darwish. Hassan lives in Kseifa.

Sliman Elsana

Veterinarian and Director of Veterinary Department, Neve Midbar Regional Council

Sliman Elsana is a veterinarian and director of the veterinary department of the Neve Midbar regional council. He is also responsible for promoting health and a healthy lifestyle in the regional council and is a member of the Israel Veterinary Association. Sliman is an agricultural consultant to Project Wadi Attir, a groundbreaking initiative of the Bedouin community and of The Sustainability Laboratory, which has created an agricultural farm based on sustainable planning and community-oriented, environmental, technological, and economic considerations. He also volunteers in initiatives against violence that take place in educational institutions and in the community. Previously, he directed the Neve Midbar regional council’s city beautification department. Sliman holds a doctorate in veterinary medicine from the University of Torino, Italy. He lives in Lakiya.

Shoma Hawashla

Coordinator of Higher Education Program, Neve Midbar Regional Council

Shoma Hawashla is the coordinator of the Ruwad program in the Neve Midbar regional council, an initiative of the Council for Higher Education dedicated to making higher education accessible to young Arabs in the Negev. Previously, she coordinated AJEEC’s BridgeTech project, which helps outstanding high-school graduates from Bedouin society enter the hi-tech and engineering professions. She also coordinated referrals at clinics belonging to the Clalit health fund in Bedouin communities in the Negev. Shoma also worked in non-formal education, as the coordinator of an excellence program at the Segev Shalom community center and in the Good Neighborhood program operated by Ben-Gurion University’s department of conflict management and resolution in Kasr al-Sir, Yeruham, and Dimona. In addition, she coordinated the Perach mentoring program in three schools in Kasr al-Sir, Lakiya, and Segev Shalom. Shoma holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and policy from Sapir College and a diploma in group facilitation from Gishot College. She lives in Kasr al-Sir, located community in the Neve Midbar regional council.

Kifah Shlalfa

Lawyer, Social Activist, Volunteering Coordinator, Women’s Advisor, Segev Shalom

Kifah Shlalfa is the volunteering coordinator and the women’s advancement advisor for the Segev Shalom local council. She is responsible for recruiting volunteers, planning volunteering projects, training volunteers, and preparing teams of volunteers for emergency situations. Her women’s advancement work includes the development of various projects and programs, as well as the creation of the Segev Shalom Women’s Council. Previously, she worked as a coordinator and mentor to at-risk youth for the Mezach Network’s rights-based community practice centers in Segev Shalom. Kifah holds a bachelor’s degree in law and a bachelor’s degree in multidisciplinary studies from Sapir College. She lives in Segev Shalom.

Salem Tohi

Elementary School Principal, Neve Midbar Regional Council

Salem Tohi is principal of the Bir Asluj Elementary School in Bir Hadaj, a community in the Neve Midbar regional council. Previously, he worked as a physical education teacher and field trip coordinator. He also led a project for coexistence with nearby Jewish communities, and a project to increase parental involvement in his school. Salem holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in physical education and sports for excluded and at-risk communities from Kaye Academic College of Education, and is a graduate of Avney Rosha – the Israel Institute for School Leadership. He lives in Bir Hadaj.

About The Program