Graduates

Mandel Program for Regional Leadership in the Gaza Border Communities

OCTOBER 2020 – AUGUST 2022

Attorney Hagar Almagor Wachsman

Head of the Office of the Southern District Commander, Israel Police

Attorney Hagar Almagor Wachsman heads the office of the southern district commander of the Israel Police. Previously, she was a legal advisor to the Ashkelon police and was a criminal prosecutor. Hagar has been involved in educational work with youth throughout most of her life, in the Bnei Hamoshavim youth movement, in developing training materials, and in informal education. She was also a Jewish Agency educational emissary to the United States. Hagar holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Academic Center for Law and Science, and a master’s degree in law from Bar-Ilan University. After completing her law degree, she clerked at the Beer Sheva District Court. Hagar is a member of Kibbutz Or HaNer in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.

Yaniv Alush

Head of R&D and Operations in Israel, Hazera – Limagrain

Yaniv Alush is head of research and development and operations in Israel for at the agricultural company Hazera – Limagrain. In this capacity, runs Israel’s largest agricultural farms for the development of hybrid strains. He leads a community initiative in the Gaza border region that deploys adult and youth volunteers to help organize and run key events in the life of the community, and to increase community resilience in the region. In addition, he heads the social responsibility and involvement activities in his community. Yaniv holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the department of management at Bar-Ilan University. He lives in Shokeda, a moshav in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

Yossi Dahari

Director, Hof Ashkelon Regional Community Center

Yossi Dahari is the director of the Hof Ashkelon Regional Community Center, where he is responsible for activities in the areas of culture, youth and youth movements, sports, and more. Previously, he directed the children and youth services department for the communities of Hof Ashkelon, and helped with the absorption of families from Gush Katif after Israel’s disengagement from Gaza. Yossi holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial management and control from Sapir Academic College, and a master’s degree in leadership and management of educational systems from Bar-Ilan University. He has also completed a Ministry of the Interior course for local authority treasurers, and a company directors' course and a management development course run by the Israel Association of Community Centers. Yossi lives in Nitzan, a community settlement in the Hof Ashkelon Regional Council.

Brit Edri

Mental Health Officer, National Police Academy; Social Worker

Brit Edri is a mental health officer at Israel’s National Police Academy, where she is responsible for providing mental and emotional support and system-wide responses to police officers in routine and emergency situations, both as preventive measures and in response to crises. Previously, she was a mental health officer in the IDF, where she headed the mental health team at the main training base of the IDF Logistics Corps. A clinical social worker, Brit holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and a master’s degree in clinical social work from Tel Aviv University. She also studied group facilitation at Sapir Academic College. A married mother of three, Brit lives on Kibbutz Nahal Oz, in the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council.

Chamutal Even Chen Neubauer

Director, Netivot Municipal Child Development Unit; Occupational Therapist

An occupational therapist specializing in child development, Chamutal Even Chen Neubauer directs the Netivot municipal child development unit. She works on early childhood issues in different communities, and coordinates screening and early intervention programs. She also participates in multi-system planning of child services in urban and rural settings, and is involved in activities to advance women. Chamutal holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in occupational therapy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She lives on Kibbutz Sa’ad, in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

Hila Halevy

Youth Services Leader, Eshkol Regional Council, and Social Worker

Hila Halevy is the youth services leader for the department of social services of the Eshkol Regional Council. In this capacity, she manages community youth projects and provides individual and group therapy for young people in Eshkol. Hila is co-founder of the Shlomit Development Foundation, and worked with the Jewish National Fund to develop relations between Jewish communities in the United States and the Eshkol region’s pioneering communities to promote regional development. She is also a member of the Sherlin Foundation for Women’s Empowerment and a member of the board of directors of the Eshkol Center for Young Adults. Hila holds a master’s degree in social work, with a specialization in child and youth care, from Sapir Academic College. She lives in Shlomit, in the Eshkol Regional Council.

Gonen Harel

Community Program Coordinator, Sderot Municipality; Educator and Street Worker

Gonen Harel is the coordinator of "Groups Create Neighborhoods," a community project operating in neighborhoods of the city of Sderot as part of an inter-departmental partnership in the Sderot municipality. Previously, he was a counselor to groups of at-risk youth in Sderot as part of the Safe Summer Nights program, and directed the Dror Israel's "Neighborhood Homes" – a network of clubhouses for children and youth and community centers throughout Israel. Gonen launched the Groups Create Neighborhoods project in order to extend his street work into broader community work. The program trains counselors to work in the neighborhoods, setting up groups of activists of all ages who lead community initiatives. He also developed programs for emergency preparedness and community resilience in Sderot, and operated them throughout the rounds of fighting with Gaza as part of the municipal response system. Gonen holds a bachelor’s degree in non-formal education and a teaching diploma from Beit Berl College of Education. He is a member of the educators' kibbutz of the Dror Israel movement in Sderot.

Attorney Amihay Havivian

Environmental Protection Prosecutor

Attorney Amihay Havivian is an environmental protection prosecutor who represents the State of Israel in serious criminal cases. He is responsible for environmental protection cases in the Attorney General’s Certified Prosecutors Professional Guidance Department and lectures on integrated economic enforcement at the National Police College. Previously, he headed the financial enforcement team at the State Attorney’s Office, served as a prosecutor in task forces on government corruption and crime in Israel’s ports,. He volunteers in Matmid patrols of the Border Police for preventing agricultural crime, in social organizations such as the civil rights center of Sderot, and in community advocacy, promoting the social, economic, and health rights of the residents of the Negev. Amihay holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a master’s degree in conflict management and resolution from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He lives on Kibbutz Sa’ad, in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

Yaniv Hegyi

Advisor to Cooperative Kibbutzim and Chairman of Partnerships for the Jewish Agency

Yaniv Hegyi works for the Kibbutz movement as an advisor to cooperative kibbutzim and serves in a voluntary capacity as chair of the Jewish Agency's Partnership2Gether program connecting the Eshkol Regional Council and the Jewish communities of Mexico and northeastern New York. He has managed complex and multidisciplinary systems in the social arena, as secretary general of Kibbutz Be’eri; in business, as business developer at Be’eri Printers; and in technology, as a hi-tech project manager in Israel, the United States, and Costa RicaYaniv is a qualified industrial and management engineer, and holds a master’s degree (cum laude) in business administration, management of technology, innovation and entrepreneurship from Tel Aviv University. He also holds a diploma in mediation. Yaniv is a member of Kibbutz Be’eri in the Eshkol Regional Council.

Julia Mikhin Yehezkel

Academic Coordinator, School for Audio and Visual Arts, Sapir Academic College

Julia Mikhin Yehezkel is the academic coordinator of the school of audio and visual arts at Sapir Academic College. In this capacity, she is responsible for the program of study for hundreds of students each year. She also represents students, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds, in communication with the College regarding study conditions and opportunities for employment and advancement. Julia is also involved in special social and artistic projects at Sapir College and in the community. In the past, she was a member of the management team and the education committee of Kibbutz Nir Am. Julia holds a master’s degree in linguistics from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She lives on Kibbutz Nir Am in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.

Dr. Amir Peleg Uziyahu

Claims Conference Historian, Elected Official, and Social Activist

Dr. Amir Peleg Uziyahu is a history researcher, lecturer, and an Israel-based historian for the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany. For over a decade, he has been involved in addressing issues of compensation for Holocaust survivors in Israel and throughout the world. He is a ranger working as part of the Israel Parks and Nature Authority’s “Rotem” unit to prevent illegal hunting in the Negev, and represents Ein Habesor as an elected member of the Eshkol Regional Council. Amir is the chair of the environment committee of the Eshkol Regional Council, where he is also a member of the education committee, the tenders committee, and the audit committee. He was the founding editor of “Yisraelim,” a journal of historical research by students at Ben-Gurion University. Amir holds a doctorate in Jewish history from Ben-Gurion University, and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, politics, and government from the same institution. He lives in Ein Habesor, a moshav in the Eshkol Regional Council.

Juli Porat

Assistant to the Mayor, Sdot Negev Regional Council

As assistant to the mayor of the Sdot Negev Regional Council, Juli Porat advances the mayor's policies on a range of regional issues. She also launches and leads strategic programs and projects for the residents of the region, by leveraging and developing local business and tourism and by working with professional teams in government ministries. Previously, Juli directed the Regional Council's department for child and youth services and was in charge of services for youth at risk. She has also worked as a parliamentary assistant at the Knesset, in educational programs in the periphery, and in implementing egalitarian approaches that promote growth. Juli holds a bachelor’s degree in special education and a master’s degree in educational systems management, both from Bar-Ilan University, and is a graduate of a program of the ISEF Foundation that aims to reduce social gaps in Israeli society. During her studies, she served as a member of the board of directors of the Students’ Union at Bar-Ilan University. She lives on Kibbutz Alumim, in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

Shahaf Pripaz

Social Entrepreneur and Activist

Shahaf Pripaz is a social entrepreneur who owns and is involved in various enterprises in construction, real estate, culture, nightlife, the culinary arts, and business consulting. He is the founding director of Migun Lekulam (Protection for All), a company that consults on and constructs safe rooms, was the southern region director for the Mifalot – Education and Society Enterprises, and was southern region director for ISEF – Israel Scholarship Education Foundation. Shahaf has also volunteered in sports initiatives for children and adults who suffered as a result of the conflicts and disasters in Rwanda and Haiti. A social activist, he is involved in volunteering via sports with people with disabilities, and works with coaches through the "Value Sports" nonprofit. Shahaf organized protests in Beer Sheva against the high cost of living in 2011, launched the Emergency Situations Forum in the Gaza border communities, and participates in other forums, such as the Sderot Tourism Forum. Shahaf holds a bachelor’s degree in behavioral studies, management, and economics, and a master’s degree in business administration from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. He lives on Kibbutz Mefalsim in the Sha’ar Hanegev Regional Council.

Yosef Rahimov

Social Worker, Coordinator of Yated Program for At-Risk Young Adults in Sderot

Yosef Rahimov is a social worker with 15 years’ experience in working with at-risk youth and young adults. He now serves as the coordinator of the Yated program for at-risk young adults in Sderot, and works to develop and promote services for young people in the city. Yosef is a social activist in Sderot on issues relating to security, education, culture, and community. He volunteers for Magen David Adom, for the Hatzalah emergency medical organization, and for the Yedidim roadside assistance organization. He serves in the IDF reserves as a population behavior officer in the Home Front Command, and is a member of the Reut social and educational community in Sderot. Yosef holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Sapir Academic College. He lives in Sderot.

Naama Shaked Levy

Social Entrepreneur and Owner of Breaking through the Glass Ceiling

Naama Shaked Levy owns Breaking through the Glass Ceiling, a social enterprise for women’s advancement, and is the developer of "Pioneering Women Cards." Naama is also a lecturer and group facilitator. She works to advance gender equality in creative ways, mentors business communities and individuals in the field of entrepreneurship and employment, and serves as southern region coordinator at the Israeli Center for Human Dignity. In the past, she was the coordinator of the women’s forum at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, to promote gender equality at the university. In recent years, she has volunteered as a career counselor for the Pa’amonim nonprofit for domestic financial responsibility and for the women’s forum of the Eshkol Regional Council. Naama holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in sociology and anthropology, from the University of Haifa and Ben-Gurion University. She lives on Kibbutz Gvulot in the Eshkol Regional Council.

Dr. Ayala Shklar

Historian, Educator, and Social Activist

Dr. Ayala Shklar is a historian who works on projects to preserve and document the history of the city of Sderot, on behalf of the Council for Conservation of Heritage Sites in Israel and the Sderot Development Foundation. She is a researcher, writer, and lecturer on subjects related to the history of religious Zionism and the early decades of the State of Israel. Ayala teaches and trains students in teaching history and Land of Israel studies at the Orot Israel College of Education and at Herzog College. Ayala volunteers to help with the cultural-community acclimation of groups of young residents in the moshavim of the Sdot Negev Regional Council. Ayala holds a doctorate from the department of geography at Bar-Ilan University. She lives in Shuva, a moshav in the Sdot Negev Regional Council.

Hanna Yizhaki Saptayv

Community Social Worker and Law Student

Hanna Yizhaki Saptayv is a social activist who has helped many residents of Sderot access their rights, particularly members of her community – the Ethiopian Israeli community. Together with other students, she has enabled tens of Ethiopian Israeli residents of Sderot to exercise their rights, and has organized an activists’ course for young members of the community. She also organized the Placemaking project in the city’s Nir Am neighborhood, and has lobbied for policy changes that will give people with mental health disabilities access to services that best meet their needs. Hanna is a fourth-year law student at Sapir Academic College, and lives in Netivot.

About The Program