Executive Director

Nimrod is a Research Fellow at the Harry S Truman Institute for the Advancement of Peace. He is currently writing his PhD dissertation at the Department for Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on the topic: “The role of external incentives in conflict resolution: the cases of Israel and Turkey”. Nimrod is a member of the Leadership Committee of the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), and is among the founders of the International Forum for Peace and Democracy. Previously, Nimrod worked at the Levtzion Center for Islamic Studies, the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies and the Israel Oriental Society. In 2004, he participated in the U.S. Department of State's International Visitors Leadership Program on "Conflict Resolution and Preventive Diplomacy". He also took part in an Israeli-Palestinian policy-planning process of building scenarios for the future of Jerusalem. His publications deal with the role of incentives in peace processes, civil society in Israeli-Palestinian conflict resolution, Turkey-EU relations, and US policy towards the Middle East. Nimrod was raised in Rehovot, and lives today, with his wife Keren, in Hod Hasharon.

nimrod@yifc.org

Programs Manager

Michal was a participant in YIFC's March 2004 Amsterdam conference regarding the role of the European Union in the Middle East conflict. Michal graduated in Politics and Government from the Ben Gurion University, and serves as the Programs Manager at the Centre for the Study of European Politics and Society at the university. She worked as a senior guide in the Nitzana Youth Village, where she led professionally and socially a group of 20 guides, who worked with over 12,000 teenagers a year. Michal was amongst the founders of a Jewish-Bedouin encounter project, between Nitzana and Tel Sheva, in cooperation with Shatil and the Yitzhak Rabin Center for Israel Studies. Michal was chosen in 1999 to light a beacon at the official Independence Day ceremony, on Hertzl Mountain, as a representative of the volunteering sector. She was raised in Karmiel, and currently lives in Tel Aviv.

michal@yifc.org

Finance Manager

Oded is an MA student at School for Public Policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and holds a BA in Economics and Political Science from the Hebrew University. Oded works as an assistant to the Director-General of the Minister of the Interior. Previously, he worked as an economist at a consulting firm, focusing mostly on market failures and on
micro-economics. He also served as a research assistant for Dr. Momi Dahan from the School of Public Policy at the Hebrew University, and worked as a Controller at the Municipality of Jerusalem. He lives in
Jerusalem.

oded@yifc.org

Public Relations Manager

Shirley holds a Bachelor's degree in Politics and Government from the Ben-Gurion University in Beer Sheva. During her studies, Shirley worked as a journalist at a regional television news program of "HOT" cable TV and at the "Radio South" station. Shirley is working at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, and is part of the production team of the "Herzliya Conference". In the summer of 2006, she took part in a seminar on "European Integration" in Limerick Ireland, and at a NATO simulation in Slovenia. Shirley lives in Ramat Hasharon.

shirley@yifc.org

EuroMed Projects Manager

Adi graduated in Political Science and Sociology from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Adi has been active for many years in the international organization CISV (Children's International Summer Villages) promoting peace education and cross-cultural partnership. She has been a participant, junior counselor, leader and national junior representative in international summer camps and conferences and in national activities, and took part in board meetings. In the year 2005 she was the fund raiser of Beit Hillel at the Hebrew Univeristy. In the last years Adi has participated in various international seminars and conferences, enhancing cross cultural cooperation. Adi is also a facilitator of conflict Israeli-Palestinian groups, in Israel and aboroad.

adi@yifc.org

Project Manager

Dror is a Medical Doctor working at the Schneider Hospital in Petah Tikva. Furthermore, Dror is a Ph.D. candidate at the Department of Physiology, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prior to that, he served as the assistant to the Director General of the Ministry of Public Security. He was born and raised in Herzliya, and currently lives in Gat Rimon.

dror@yifc.org

Project Manager

Assaf is the former secretary of the Israel Oriental Society and the founder and editor in chief of "East Wind", the e-journal of the Middle East and Islamic Studies Association of Israel (MEISAI). Assaf is a PhD. candidate at the special program for Contemporary Islam and Middle Eastern Studies in the Faculty of Social Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In June 2003 Assaf joined the Economic Cooperation Foundation (ECF) where he serves as the resident analyst of Jordanian affairs and as a team member of the Israeli-Jordanian strategic and economic working group. Assaf is also the project evaluator of the Israeli-Jordanian Cross Border Cooperation (CBC) initiative. He lives in Jerusalem, married to Naama and a father to Noga and Ori.

assaf@yifc.org

Project Manager

Nadav graduated from the Law and Business School of the Inter-Disciplinary Center Herzliya, and currently works at a law firm in Tel Aviv. Previously, he volunteered in the "Halev in Law" program, providing aid to under-privileged people with legal proceedings; was a member of the editorial staff of the Law Review Journal, published in The Marker web-site, and accompanied Jewish students from abroad, participating in the Birthright program. He lives in Tel Aviv.

nadav@yifc.org

Project Manager

Noa is the coordinator of Peace Now in Jerusalem. She has a BA degree in International Relations from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and worked as a parliamentary assistant in the Israeli Parliament )the Knesset). She graduated from the Red Cross Nordic United World College in 2001 and has worked for Seeds of Peace, of which she is a member, as a project leader. In January 2005 Noa completed the "KAMA" (Civil Leadership Group) course conducted by "The People's Voice" (HaMifkad HaLeumi). She lives in Mevaseret Tzion.

noa@yifc.org

Project Manager

M.Arch student of Architecture at the department of Architecture Landscape and Design at the University of Toronto. Maier completed his BA in History and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He also studied there for MA in Biblical and Ancient Literature. Maier is the recipient of scholarships from DAAD, the Austrian Government, the Provincial Government of Ontario, University of Toronto and several other independent scholarship funds. He has completed courses at the University of Vienna and the University of Halle in Lutherstadt-Wittenburg. He has worked for the Zvi Hecker Architects office in Amsterdam and recently presented an exhibition entitled “Gegen die Wand – Islamic immigration and social housing in Amsterdam” at the Larry Wayne-Richards gallery. Previously, he coordinated the young forum of the Kol Haneshama Community – a center for Progressive Judaism in Jerusalem, and volunteered at Physicians for Human Rights and at "Kav La'Oved" - workers help line. Maier participated in the conference about the EU role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in 2002. He currently lives in Toronto, Canada.

President of the American Friends of YIFC (AF-YIFC)

David holds a Bachelor's Degree in Law, Letters & Society from the University of Chicago and a Masters Degree in International History from the London School of Economics. In 2005-2006 David was a visiting graduate student at Tel Aviv University, and currently is a PhD candidate in Law at Columbia University. He is a Board Member at the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP), and lives in New York.

david@yifc.org

Representative in the US

Koby works at Mckinsey & Company and is a recent graduate from Yale University, majoring in Ethics, Politics, and Economics with a specific interest in Economics and International Affairs. In addition he took part in the selective Yale Studies in Grand Strategy program. Koby speaks in public often on the political situation in the Middle East and the involvement of youth in political activism. Among other places, Koby spoke at the UN, in Carnegie Hall, on CNN, and in schools and temples around the United States and abroad. In past summers Koby worked as a political analyst for Friedman, Billings, and Ramsey (FBR), and also as a Middle East analyst in the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). At Yale he founded a political dialogue group and he volunteered with the local community in New Haven on economic development programs.

koby@yifc.org

Project Manager

Ido Zelkovitz is PhD. candidate in the University of Haifa's Middle Eastern History Department on a full scholarship for Excellency. Currently Ido works as lecturer in the Multidisciplinary Studies Department at the University of Haifa. He is also a member at the board of editors of "East Wind", the e-journal of the Middle East and Islamic Studies Association of Israel (MEISAI), and a research fellow at the Ezri research center for Iran and the Persian Gulf Studies at the University of Haifa.

His main fields of expertise include Palestinian social history, politics and culture. The Palestinian-Israeli conflict, radical Islam, and shaping and changing of identities and discourses in the Middle East during time of war and resolution.

Ido's PhD. Dissertation title is "From nation building to state building- student's socio-political role in the Palestinian National Movement". His M.A thesis (Summa cum Laude) also written in the University of Haifa under the supervision of Dr. Mahmoud Yazbak examined the "Islamic discourse, national identity and armed struggle: the Fatah movement 1959-2005". Lately he published some articles on this issue.

Ido burn, raised, and living in Haifa.

Project Manager

Carmen is a BA student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, studying International Relations and Political Science. Currently she works as a research assistant for Dr. Shaul Shenhav from the Political Science department, Hebrew University and as a coordinator of Israeli delegation to the Democracy Festival in Berlin on behalf of the German Agency for Civil Education. In addition, Carmen also coordinates the Taglit-Birthright project for the Hebrew University and is an active member of the European NGO, "Crossing Boarders". Some of her past social activities include participation in various delegations such as "The Child Summit", held at the UN, students exchange delegation to Germany, and Conflict management workshop in Denmark and Sweden. Carmen was also among the organizers of "Students Lead South", a volunteering project which took place in the city of Sderot and she was a coordinator in "Students Lead North", another volunteering project which took place in the North of Israel after the Second Lebanese War. Carmen's involvement with YIFC started in 2007 through an internship course she took at the Hebrew University.

Carmen@yifc.org

Project Manager

Roee is currently studying towards his LL.B Law and M.A in General Philosophy at Haifa University, where he got a full scholarship for Excelency. Roee is the co-founder and editor of "Obiter", the Law faculty at Haifa university student's journal, and a board member at "Mishpat U'mimshal", the official Law journal of Haifa University. He is also an assistant researcher of Dr. Orna Rabinovich-Einy, focusing on finding constructions for dispute resolution by mediation as a replacement of regular law procedures. Roee was born and raised in kibbutz Sde-Eliyahu, before joining the army, Roee worked as a senior guide in the Nitzana Youth Village, where he conducted week long seminars for high schools from Israel and abroad, ecological programs for science oriented schools and teaching Hebrew at a local school for new immigrant from the former Soviet Union. During the years 2003-2005, he lived at Washington D.C, promoting a Jewish artist and art galleries in Washington and Chicago, following several months of working in animal refuge camp in Bolivia. Upon returning to Israel Roee joined YIFC and currently conducting the June 2008 VOSCA Brussels conference regarding the role of the EU in the Middle East conflict. He is working at 'Itzhak Reinfeld' Law Firm and currently lives in Haifa.

Roee@yifc.org

Project Manager

Noa is a MA student for Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and holds a BA in Political Science and Communication Studies from the Ben-Gurion University. Noa works as an assistant to the President of Ben-Gurion University and also as the Campus Coordinator of the Stand With Us International Fellowship program. Noa also works as an Academic Tutor- in communication law course at Ben-Gurion University and was working at the Radio-South Station in Beer-Sheva. At 2007, Noa took part in a Students study tour to Brussels on "Understanding the EU&NATO institutions and the European Jewish Communities on behalf of the Centre for the study of European Politics and Society at BGU.

Noaalmog@yifc.org

Project Manager

Shmulik Bachar is a research fellow at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy, The Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. Bachar’s fields of expertise include Middle Eastern and Arab and Muslim affairs, while focusing on Egypt’s social, political and cultural history; radical Islam and religious establishments; and projects dealing with the Syrian regime, the Iranian regime and nuclear program, Hizballah and Hamas.
Bachar holds a BA in Middle Eastern Studies and International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Summa cum Laude). He holds an MA in the interdisciplinary program of Contemporary Middle Eastern Studies in the Hebrew University (Summa cum Laude), and currently works on his Ph.D. dissertation (direct course), dealing with Egyptian social history as it is represented in the popular cinema. Bachar is a recipient of the Karmon Award on behalf of the Davis Institute for International Relations (2004); The Yad Ora Foundation Award for a Distinct Research (2004, 2006); The Wolf Foundation Award for Ph.D. Students on his doctorate proposal (2006); and an award on behalf of the Joseph Trink Fellowship Endowment Fund in Humanities and Social Sciences (for his doctorate proposal).

Shmulik@yifc.org