Our Story

Our
Mission

Israel-Is aims to connect young Israelis and their peers worldwide. By doing so, we are building strong bonds with diverse groups of people, including backpackers, social media influencers, and young Arab leaders from the Middle East and North Africa. These encounters allow us to remove barriers, share and hear authentic stories, and initiate a new and positive conversation about Israel and Israeli society globally. Our vision is predicated on the understanding that in our world, people connect with one another before connecting with ideas. Therefore, it is the authentic, personal story that has the power to dispel biases and forge deeper understandings of contemporary life in Israel and the region.

Back
ground

Israel-Is was established in 2017, after our founders, Eyal, Barak, and Jonathan, traveled the world and experienced negativity towards Israel for the first time. When asked about Israel, they felt they were facing a significant challenge and came to understand what others really think of their country. This insight led them to take action and found Israel-Is. Israel-Is was established with the goal of improving Israel’s global image through the Israeli people themselves. Israel-Is is not a distant concept. It’s us – young Israelis with unique stories that have the power to forge genuine connections between people and countries.

ISRAEL-is Team

nimrod palmach

Nimrod Palmach is an educator and social entrepreneur. Nimrod has established and managed many leadership programs. Some of his previous roles include CEO of the Ein Prat Leadership Academy, founder of the Nahal Oz and Sufa Leadership Preparatory Academy, founder and director of the Gevim program for young leadership, founder of the “Derech Prat” youth organization. Nimrod holds a master's degree in Diplomacy and Security from Tel Aviv University. He is also a combat officer in the IDF reserves. Nimrod is 38 years old, lives in Har Adar, and is the father of Guni and Aluma.

Navah Edelstein

VP of Strategic Partnerships and Growth

Navah holds 15 years of experience in foreign affairs and government relations. along with an MA in Organizational Development from Bar Ilan University and a BA in Sociology and Liberal Arts from the Hebrew University. Among other positions, she headed the Department for Foreign Relations at the National Union of Israeli Students, served as a representative of Israel in the European Student Union, and was a member of the World Union of Jewish Students. Before joining ISRAEL-is, Navah was VP of Voices of Israel. She is a board member of the International Legal Forum and member of Forum Devorah, and a former StandWithUs fellow.

Eden Pareenty

chief of staff

Eden, Captain in the reserves duty, served as a company commander for human resource officers in her last army position. Today she serves as a combat battalion logistics officer in the reserves. After her military service, she travelled and in order to make it more meaningful, decided to volunteer as an ISRAEL-is representative in Peru.

Dina Lache Iacov

Director of Development

Dina has extensive experience managing partnerships at major Israeli NGOs such as HaShomer HaChadash and Appleseeds Academy. Originally from the US, Dina has worked at Skadden Arps and the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights. She holds a BA in Psychology from Columbia University, and MA and PhD degrees in Sociology and Anthropology from Bar Ilan University. She has also worked in both research and teaching capacities at Bar Ilan University and Reichman University, specializing in research methods, organizational behavior, globalization, and migration.

Yishai Ben Zion

Director of International Activity

Yishai holds a BA in Middle Eastern and Islamic studies from the Shalem Academic Center. He serves as a Major in the reserves in the IDF Paratroopers special forces unit and is married to Shira and together they have a son, Jonathon Louie.

Omer Zimmerman

Director of Programs & Content at the Middle East & North Africa

Omer, Lives in the northern city of Nesher. he is got his BA in Political Science and Communication from the University of Haifa. From 2017-2019 he was the Jewish Agency's emissary to campuses in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Omer led Birthright groups and various Hasbara-Geopolitical groups for students (Maccabi Task Force, Fact Finders). In the past, he worked in the Haifa-Boston partnership and took an active part in the StandWithUs students program, and is now part of the SWU alumni network.

Omer Paz

Operations Coordinator

Merav Barel

digital Manager

Merav, ISRAEL-is content creator and social media coordinator, is 22 years old from Jerusalem, and served in the IDF spokesperson unit as a military correspondant and director of the IDF’s social networks. Prior to her military service, Merav volunteered for a year in South Africa through the Jewish Agency.

Adiel Cohen

Tiktok Influencer Coordinator

Eden Gorgi

Influencer Coordinator

Adi Wengrovski

Director of Social Media Influencer Academy

Adi grew up in Kibbutz Zikim on the Gaza Strip border. Prior to her miliary service, she volunteered at the “Kfar Hayarok” Boarding School. She then served as a fitness instructor in the IDF and an officers trainer. Adi joined the ISRAEL-is team because of her strong connection to our mission. She began working on our local and international delegations and currently manages our influencer program.