Staff Members

Avishai Berman is a founder and former head of Mechinat Arava and former CEO of Arava Spirit. Berman served as a combat soldier and officer in the General Staff Reconnaissance Unit. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Jewish philosophy and business administration from the Hebrew University, and a master’s degree in public policy and management from Ben-Gurion University. After his army service, Berman became curious about the mechina world and spent two years as a counselor at the Ein Prat Academy for Leadership. He then moved with his family to the Arava, where he managed and led the establishment of Mechinat Arava.

A ssaf is an alumnus of the Otzem Pre-Military Torah Academy. Married with six children, he is a lieutenant colonel and battalion commander in the IDF reserves and an alumnus of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron. He also served as an educator at Beit Midrash Netivot Deror. Assaf has a bachelor’s degree in education, Tanakh, and Oral Law and a master’s degree in political science.

Rotem Tamir is the Deputy CEO for Projects at the Joint Council of Mechinot. She is an attorney and alumna of the Meitzar Academy for Leadership and Social Responsibility and served as a commander and officer in the IDF Education and Youth Corps. After being discharged from military service, she spent two years as a counselor at Mechinat Arava–Chatzeva. Rotem has a bachelor’s degree in law and in psychology, both summa cum laude. She previously worked in the Ministry of Justice and as an intern in the HCJ Department of the Office of the State Attorney. Rotem lives in Tel Aviv with her husband, Eli.

Lavi Rosenthal is the Deputy CEO for Development and Partnerships at the Joint Council of Mechinot. He is a manager of civic organizations and has many years of experience leading projects in the high-tech industry and as an entrepreneur and partner in civic undertakings and numerous beit midrash programs. Lavi has a bachelor’s degree in biology, a certificate in information systems development, and a master’s degree in philosophy. Lavi served as a company commander in the IDF Armored Corps and volunteers as a reservist. He is married with four children and lives in Jerusalem.

As Deputy CEO for Safety, Hiking , and Outdoors Activities, Noam Shir is responsible for safety and security at the Joint Council of Mechinot. He has a master’s degree in occupational safety and hygiene and was a tank commander in the 7th Brigade and as a reservist. Noam previously served as director of safety and security in Aharai and has many years of experience in outdoors and hiking safety. He is a tour guide and loves to hike, guide, and talk over a cup of herbal tea with people he meets along the way. Noam is married with four children and lives in Natur in the Golan Heights.

David, 54, was born in Kiryat Tivon. He is certified as a CPA by the Israel CPA Council and holds a degree in accounting from Ruppin College, as well as a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in economics and statistics from the University of Haifa. Over the past 27 years, David has served as deputy CEO for financial affairs for HaMidrasha at Oranim, Drachim, and the Joint Council of Mechinot. He usually tries to be nice.

Yulia serves at the Joint Council of Mechinot as assistant to the CEO and office coordinator. She holds a bachelor’s degree magna cum laude in human resources and sociology from the University of Haifa and manages the activities of the Joint Council staff. Yulia is married with two daughters and lives in Migdal HaEmek.

Zeev is a social worker, student counselor, and knowledge manager. He worked for four years in the diagnosis of intellectual disability while managing the diagnostic center, and has worked for the past 10 years with individuals with disabilities. Zeev developed and managed Link 20’s national program of leadership groups for young people with and without disabilities. He is married with three children and lives in Mitzpe Gita.

Nadav holds a bachelor’s degree in law and served as a combat soldier and commander in the commando unit of the Givati Brigade. He was CEO of Mechinat Yedidya and among the founders of Orot Eliraz, a network of student villages named in honor of the late Maj. Eliraz Peretz. Before joining the Joint Council, Nadav worked at Shikun & Binui as a project manager.

Matar is currently studying law and government at Reichman University and is an alumna of Mechinat Ami Chai. She served as an officer responsible for testers in the screening unit of the Israeli Air Force, and is now an operations officer in the IDF Home Front Command reserve. After her discharge from the army, Matar spent two years as a counselor at Mechinat Ami Chai. She lives in Herzliya.

A native of Kibbutz Kfar HaNasi in the Upper Galilee, Gefen is an alumna of Mechinat Rabin and the follow-up Year Two program offered by HeChalutz. She served in the IDF Education Corps as a special populations commander. After her discharge, she worked as a counselor at the Mechina of the Upper Galilee. Today, Gefen is a social work student at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem concurrently with her work at the Joint Council.

Yorai is a digital marketing and advertising consultant and manager. He specializes in performance marketing and the use of analytics systems to analyze website performance and visitor behavior. He has managed the media staff of the Joint Council for the past six years and is responsible for management of the media team and integration across the Joint Council’s many media channels. Yorai was born in 1985 in Kibbutz Shamir in the Upper Galilee and currently lives in Mexico.

Maayan holds a baccalaureate degree in political science from the University of Haifa and is studying accounting at the College of Management Academic Studies. She possesses a wealth of experience and insight into office administration and work that she gained as a personal assistant to senior officers at refineries and in industrial settings.

Noa is pursuing a degree in philosophy and political science at Tel Aviv University. She served as a speechwriter in the Office of the Chief of the General Staff of the IDF and is an alumna of Mechinat Kol Ami, a half-year mechina.

After his service in the IDF, Hallel returned to his alma mater of Mechinat Nachshon, where he served as a counselor and later managed the Sderot Team. After several years of work at Beit Dror, a shelter for LGBT youth at risk, Hallel joined the staff of the Joint Council of Mechinot. Today, he is studying music education in parallel with his work.