The Joint Council of Mechinot Executive Board

Eliezer is married to Naama and a father of five. He serves as head of Mechinat Bnei David–Ma’aleh Ephraim. Eliezer grew up in Mitzpe Yericho and now lives in Ma’aleh Ephraim.

Shai Weisblum , 51, is married to Irit, a father of five, and a grandfather of three. He lives in Nechalim and serves in the IDF reserves in the 120th Squadron. His current focus is sociotechnological initiatives. Shai  served as director of Mechinat Oz Shlomo from 2015 to 2022, helping the mechina develop through educational initiatives, infrastructure improvement, and the establishment of a new branch in Or Yehuda. He now serves as a board member of the mechina. Since 2017, Shai  has served on the board of the Joint Council as the representative of mechinot that integrate teens from Israel’s social and geographic periphery—mechinot that believe in the good inside every student and every student’s potential to succeed and lead . Shai  believes in the unity of the mechina world as a model for all of Israeli society.

Omri Shifroni, 38, lives in Givat Chaviva with his partner, Michal, and two children, Arbel and Maayan. He serves as head of the Yitzchak Rabin Pre-Army Leadership Academy. Omri is an alumnus of the mechina and previously served as a counselor and as head of its Haifa branch. In addition to his work in the mechina world, Omri is a major in the reserves and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Haifa in Land of Israel studies and Jewish history.

Na’ama Sultanik, 53, a member of Kibbutz Yavne, is married to Ari and a mother of four. Na’ama served for 18 years as an attorney in the Jerusalem District of the Office of the State Attorney. Seven years ago , after a four-year break when she worked in her kibbutz as a secretariat member, Na’ama joined Mechinat Tzahali as director. She now serves as CEO. In addition to her work in the mechina world, Na’ama is a board member of Aluma, chairwoman of the board of Kvutzat Yavne High School, coordinator of the youth committee of her kibbutz, and a member of the audit committee of Be’Artzeinu.

Yochanan Ben Yaakov, 77, a native and member of Kibbutz Kfar Etzyon, serves as the public representative on the board of the Joint Council of Mechinot. He is an educator, a researcher, and an activist who works to pass down the heritage of Gush Etzyon. Yochanan was among the founders of the Kfar Etzyon Outdoor School and has served as secretary-general of Bnei Akiva, chairman of the Council of Youth Movements in Israel, advisor to the minister of education, and supervisor of immigration and absorption of students in the school system and of Heftzibah, a program for Zionist Jewish education in the Soviet Union, of which he was a founder and architect. In late 1996, in addition to his other responsibilities, he established and became manager of the unit responsible for mechinot in the Ministry of Education, working with the four Orthodox mechinot that had been established to date. Between then and his retirement in 2013, Yochanan led the mechina enterprise  as its growth and development accelerated.

Yoav Znati, 32, is married to Shir and father of Hillel David, Noam Lev Rostam, and Yishai Tzvi . Yoav has served for the past four years  as head of Mechinat Beeri. He grew up in Kiryat Shmona and attended Mechinat Beit Yisrael. After graduating from mechina, he enlisted in the 13th Battalion of the Golani Brigade along with friends  and served in the brigade as a squad leader and platoon leader. After being discharged, Yoav went on to higher education at Tel Aviv University in the Pacam honors program for the study of philosophy, politics and economics. He received his master’s degree from the public policy honors program of the Hebrew University, where the subject of his dissertation was Jewish revival in Israel. In recent years, Yoav has worked in various organizations and the public sector on matters concerning teenagers, communities, education, and public policy. In his prior position, he served as an advisor on governmental and legislative affairs to Chief Reserve Officer Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ari Singer.

Dr. Shmaryahu Ben Pazi, 53, is a father of five, all mechina alumni, and grandfather of one-year-old Ami. Shmaryahu established Mechinat Aderet 22 years ago . Today, the mechina consists of three branches, in the Ayanot, Silver, and Ben Shemen youth villages. In addition to his contributions in the mechina world, Shmaryahu served in the Duvdevan Unit of the IDF and specialized  in military history and the Middle East.