Who We Are - מסע ישראלי

I BELONG ISRAEL

I BELONG ISRAEL (Masa Israeli) is a transformative, 6 day journey that impacts and changes lives. Meet our leadership and our leading team.

President & Chair Of The Board

Major Gen. (Res.) Eliezer Shkedy

Maj. Gen. (res.) Eliezer Shkedy was the 15th Commander of the Israel Air Force and former CEO of El Al Airlines. Today he focuses on philanthropic activities and is involved in helping to lead 15 social start-ups in a volunteer capacity. Eliezer received his BA in math and computer science from Ben Gurion University and an MA in systems management from the Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, California. Eliezer is married to Dr. Anat Shkedy. He is the father of three.

Executive Committee

Dr. Ephraim Greenfield

Dr. Ephraim Greenfield is a scientist, a high tech entrepreneur, and the founder of Ophir Optronics in Jerusalem, the world’s leading manufacturer of laser measuring instrumentation and night vision optics. He was the R&D manager of the company and CTO until 2018.

Ephraim grew up in the US. He received a B.A. in mathematics from Wayne State University and a BSc in physics from the University of Chicago. In 1968, after the Six Day War, Ephraim made Aliyah and completed a PhD in physics at the Hebrew University. In 1976, together with two colleagues, he founded Ophir Optronics. He is married with 4 children and 12 grandchildren, all living in Israel. In addition to working as a consultant in his field, he is engaged in philanthropy and is involved with a number of NGOs for the benefit of the country, first and foremost as a managing director of I BELONG ISRAEL (Masa Israel(.

Alan Sacks Adv.

Adv. Alan Sacks is a senior partner at Herzog, Fox, and Neeman, one of Israel’s top law firms. Alan was born in England and received his BA in law from Cambridge University. After completing his studies, Alan married Judith, and soon after they moved to Israel with their young family, settling in Jerusalem. Alan and Judith’s major source of pride is their six children who were all educated in Israel and all served in the Israel Defense Forces. Their youngest son, is currently serving in one of the IDF’s elite units, like his brother and sister before him. Several of Alan and Judith’s children are former I BELONG ISRAEL Israeli counselors.

Major Gen. (Res.) Avi Mizrachi

Maj. Gen. (ret.) Avi Mizrachi joined UVision as CEO. Prior to joining UVision, Mr. Mizrachi joined Elbit Systems in 2013 as an EVP for Business Development – South East Asia and Israel. Mr. Mizrachi was responsible for one third of the sales revenue of Elbit Systems ($ 3.4 billion) as well as leading the path for the successful acquisition of Israel Military Industries (IMI) Systems. He was a Senior Management member, reporting to Elbit Systems CEO.From 2009 to 2013, he served as the commander of the IDF’s Central Command. Prior to that he held a number of senior command positions including head of the Technology and Logistics Branch and commander of the IDF’s Ground Forces. Mr. Mizrachi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in computers science and business administration from Pace University in New York and is a graduate of the Harvard University Business School’s Advanced Management Program

Board Of Directors

Natalie Schneiderman

Natalie Schneiderman began her career in the professional Jewish world in the early 1990s as a coordinator of youth programs at the Moscow Center of Studies and Dissemination of Jewish Culture. After making Aliyah from Moscow, she worked for several summers as an Israeli camp counselor at the Jewish Agency’s summer camps in the former Soviet Union. Natalie joined the Jewish Agency in Jerusalem on a full-time basis in 1997, and she was instrumental in conceiving and running a variety of educational and staff training programs in the former Soviet Union.

Natalie holds a bachelor’s degree in English Linguistics, French Literature and Group Facilitation from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a master’s in Government and Public Policy from the Open University of Israel. She resides in Modiin, Israel, with her husband, two sons and two pets.

Rabbi Yaakov Meidan

Rabbi Yaakov Meidan is the head of the Har Etzion Hesder Yeshiva in Alon Shvut. He teaches of, Gemara, Torah, and Jewish studies in variety of educational institutions.  He has authored numerous and several books on the subjects of Torah, media, and religious law.  Rabbi Meidan is also thought leader in the area of religious-secular relations.  Together with Prof. Ruth Gavison, Meidan authored the Gavison-Meidan Covenant, which offers a foundation for a new pact among Israeli Jews in matters of religion and state.  For this work, Meidan and Gavison were awarded the Keren Avichai Prize and the Tolerance Prize.  Rabbi Meidan is a graduate of the Har Etzion Yeshiva, he holds a B. Ed form Jerusalem College and a MA from Turo college.

Miriam Peretz

Miriam Peretz is an Israeli educator who lost two sons during their army service. Miriam lectures around the world on Zionism and living with loss. In 2018 she was awarded the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement. Miriam was born and raised in Casablanca, Morocco. In 1963 her family immigrated to Israel. Miriam earned a BA in Literature and History from Ben-Gurion University. She married Eliezer Peretz and they moved to Ophira, where their two oldest children, Uriel and Eliraz, were born. In 1982, following the peace treaty with Egypt, the Peretz family moved to Givat Zev, where four more children were born. Miriam worked as the principal of the first school in the neighborhood. On November 25, 1998 their oldest son, Lieutenant Uriel Peretz, 22, was killed in an ambush in south Lebanon. His father, Eliezer, died a short time later at the age of 56. On March 26, 2010, her second son, Major Eliraz Peretz, was killed near the Gaza border. Miriam has devoted her life to imparting Jewish and Zionist messages to youth and IDF soldiers. She has written a book, Shirat Miriam, about the story of her life. In 2016 she received an honorary doctorate from Bar-Ilan University. In 2018, on Israel’s 70th Independence Day, she received the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement.

Moshe Shiffman Adv.

Moshe Shiffman is a partner at Shifman, Dorfen, Lifshitz & Company, a leading law firm based in Eilat.  Shiffman attended Nehalim Yeshiva and went on to serve in the IDF’s  Armored Corps. Following his army service he obtained his law degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Shiffman is one of the founders of Nataf, a mixed secular and religious community, where he resides today. He is married with four children, three of them officers in the IDF.

Avi Wertheim

Since the year 1996, Mr. Wertheim has served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alony Hetz Properties & Investments Ltd. He also holds directorships at Amot Investments Ltd, Carr Properties Corp., PSP Swiss Property AG, and Energix Renewable Energy Ltd.

Mr. Wertheim’s previous positions have included Chairman of the Board of Directors of Bank Mizrahi Tefahot as well as partner in Almagor & Co., a leading Israeli accounting firm. Mr. Wertheim is a CPA and holds a degree in Accounting and Business Administration from the Tel Aviv College of Management.  He volunteers in a wide range of youth education activities as well as in the Israeli Police Force.

Lawyer Harriett Finn

Harriet Finn is a senior partner at Herzog, Fox, and Neeman, one of Israel’s leading law firms. Harriett specializes in internet and gaming as well as banking and finance. She represents, on an ongoing basis, a leading online gaming entity in connection with their commercial and corporate activities. She also represents banks and borrowers in various international debt financing transactions.

Udi Shamai

Yehuda (Udi) Shamai is an Israeli businessman.

CEO of HYPER FOOD ROBOTICS

CEO and owner of “Pizza Hut” in Israel. Serves as a board member at Dragon Tail.

Member of the General Assembly of ‘I Belong Israel’

Ofer Hahn

Ofer Hahn is the VP of Business Development at Tribio, a philanthropic start-up company that connects people who want to volunteer with needs in the community. Ofer previously served in a number of key positions in the Ministry of Education, including: Chief of Staff to the Minister of Education Rabbi Shai Piron and Senior Advisor to the Minister of Education Naftali Bennett. Ofer is one of the first generation of guides of ‘I Belong Israel’. Ofer has a bachelor’s degree in law and a master’s degree in management and public policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and is a fellow in the “Maoz” fellow program – developing leadership reserves for the State of Israel.

Zvi (Zvika) Williger

Zvi (Zvika) Williger is a businessman whose main activity is in the food market.

Zvi studied in a high-school yeshiva as a child and continued his studies at the UCLA University USA, majoring management

In 1994, Zvi and his brother Yossi, founded “Willy Food”, Israel’s leading food importer.

Zvi is a dear member of the general assembly of ‘I Belong Israel’

Suzan Zilbereman

Susan Zilberman is the former owner of Z NYC Hotel in New York. Along with her philanthropic activities as a board member of I BELONG ISRAEL, Susan is Co-Director of Gregg’s Gift in memory of her son. Gregg’s Gift works to help young adults struggling with substance use disorder. Susan is a devoted Zionist, committed to raising awareness of Americans’ need to support Israel.

Robert Baroch Scheinberg

Robert Scheinberg is an Israeli-Canadian philanthropist who sits on the North American Board of I BELONG ISRAEL. In addition, Rob supports other organizations and has established a dedicated foundation that supports the lone soldiers of the IDF elite Duvdevan unit.  In 2014, Rob and his wife Danielle founded Dog Tales, a recue shelter and sanctuary for dogs from overcrowded Israeli shelters.  Located in King City Canada, the 50 acre sanctuary houses hundreds of dogs as well as horses and other animals.

Rob was born in Lithuania. His family made Aliya to Israel when he was less than one year old.  At age 16, the family moved to Canada.  Rob served in the IDF’s Duvdevan unit.

Moti Sonnenfeld

Moti (Eliyahu Mordechai) Sonnenfeld is a Jewish businessman and philanthropist, a member of the board of directors of the Schneider Center trustees association.

In 2014, tragedy struck the Sonnenfeld family, when Moti’s daughter was killed in a car accident.

Following the death of his daughter Danieli Sonnenfeld, who volunteered at the Schneider Children’s Hospital, he established the “Danieli Foundation” which promotes over 100 projects for the benefit of Israeli society. Among the projects:

“Team Danieli” – a professional and unique medical team that includes: doctors, nurses, psychologists and social workers from the oncology department at the Schneider Hospital that provides home care for children with cancer.
“Danieli Award for Medicine with a Heart” – an award that exalts the doctors and nurses who have been praised for their humane approach to the patient and his family.
“For Danieli” – national service for youth at risk – a program established by the Aminadav Association for National Service and provides youth at risk with guidance in the circles of life.

and many other projects in various fields

Prof. David Hahn

Prof. David Hahn is an Israeli lawyer, a professor at the Law Faculty of Bar-Ilan University, an expert in corporate law and insolvency law.

He served as the General Guardian and Chief Convenor at the Ministry of Justice.

A dear member of the ‘I Belong Israel’ assembly.

'I Belong Israel' Headquarters

Uri Cohen
Founding CEO
Nella Feldsher
Chief Development Officer
Ido Aharonivitz
Director Of 'Masa Israeli'
Itamar Kremer
Director of 'I Belong Israel'
Danny Bobman
Director of 'Masa Israeli' Summer Camps
Yulie Amir
Chief Of Staff
Orly Turgeman
Office Manager
Ran Yesod
Director Of Schools & Military Communication
Dror Hamawy
Director Of Education
Yaniv Davidai
Director of Operations
Itzik Abrech
Financial Officer
Ariana Levi
Instructor recruiter
Sivan Dinar
Director of Summer Camps and Director of Coordinators
Ori Itzhak
instructors Manager
Chirelle Frank Arzi
Professional Development Coordinator, Feedback and Guidance
Naama Feldman
Mentoring Coordinator For Instructors
Or Ochayon
Instructors Assignment Coordinator
Eran Cohen
Operations Coordinator
Miriam Moshe
Operations Coordinator
Maayan Basher
Community Coordinator
Stella Cohen
Bookkeeper
Veronica Chuna
Bookkeeper
Rina Eliyahu
Bookkeeper

In Memory Of

Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks (Late)

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was an international religious leader, philosopher, award-winning author and respected moral voice, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was awarded the 2016 Templeton Prize in recognition of his “exceptional contributions to affirming life’s spiritual dimension.” Described by H.R.H. The Prince of Wales as “a light unto this nation” and by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as “an intellectual giant”, Rabbi Sacks was a frequent and sought-after contributor to radio, television and the press both in Britain and around the world.

Since stepping down as the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth – a position he held for 22 years between 1991 and 2013 – Rabbi Sacks has held a number of professorships at several academic institutions including Yeshiva University and King’s College London. In addition to writing and lecturing, he serves as the Ingeborg and Ira Rennert Global Distinguished Professor at New York University. Rabbi Sacks has been awarded 17 honorary doctorates including a Doctor of Divinity conferred to mark his first ten years in office as Chief Rabbi, by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey.

The late Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks was a member of the international board of I Belong Israel and an educational consultant for the organization in recent years.

Rabbi Sacks passed away in the year 2021.

May his memory be blessed!

Yossi Bachar (Late)

The late Yossi Bachar was an Israeli accountant and manager, who served in the public sector as CEO of the Ministry of Finance and as Acting Director of the Israel Tax Authority, Chairman of the Board of the Discount Bank and Chairman of the Haifa Group in the private sector.

Yossi was a dear member of the ‘I Belong Israel’ association.

He past in 2021.

May his memory be blessed!

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