Our Team

Israel-Is Headquarters

Eyal Biram

Founder and CEO​
Eyal was an IDF officer in an elite combat unit and founded ISRAEL-is in 2017. He is the CEO of ISRAEL-is and was listed as one of the “Forbes 30 under 30” in Israel in 2019. Almost five years ago when he was a soldier in the most recent Gaza War, he saw firsthand the way the media incorrectly portrayed the situation and the unfair repercussions it had on Israel-adding fuel to a war in which his friends lost their lives. After the war he traveled abroad and then a sequence of unplanned events unfolded that lead him to establish ISRAEL-is.

Rotem Sharon

Training and Content Development Director
Rotem is a B.A graduate in Political Science, Communication and Journalism from the Hebrew University. Before she worked at ISRAEL-is she was a ship commander in the navy, worked at the spokesperson’s office of the President Rivlin and took an active part at the ‘Taglit-Birthright’ alumni community. Rotem joined ISRAEL-is as she was drawn to the idea of taking such an acute problem and giving it a simple solution by utilizing an existing platform. Today at ISRAEL-is, she gives young veterans in Israel the interpersonal communication tools to tell their personal Israeli stories to backpackers from all over the world.

Omri Ninio

Director of Field Activity Abroad
Omri spent one year volunteering in amutat ‘Ayalim’ and 3 and a half years of service in a special IDF unit. He joined ISRAEL-is because of his belief in active zionism and through the simple understanding through his own trip of the great potential that backpackers have to affect Israel. His role is running, managing and developing the ‘Field Embassy’ project abroad

Inbar Shmuelevitz

Director of Development and Collaboration​
Originally from South Africa, Inbar immigrated by herself to Israel when she was 14. She served for 7 years in the Israeli Air Force as an Air traffic Control (ATC) officer the commander of the ATC officers course. Inbar retired as a Captain and participated in one of ISRAEL-is programs before embarking on her “big trip”. After travelling South America for 7 months, Inbar understood the importance of ISRAEL-is’s work, and the impact that personal connections can have on changing perceptions. Today at ISRAEL-is she is in charge of collaboration, fundraising, partnerships and develops programs abroad.

Amit Uzan

Director of Marketing
Amit served for three years as a combat soldier in the Kfir Brigade and afterwards completed advertising and digital publishing school at “Habezefer”. Before starting at ISRAEL-is he was working in the sales and advertising field. Amit joined ISRAEL-is because of his belief that true change comes from people and now it is our turn to make a change. At ISRAEL-is, Amit works with marketing and advertising.

Itamar Ichye

Collaboration & Development director
Itamar, age 27, served for five years in an elite unit and was in the Nachshon Brigade in the Israel Defense Forces. Afterwards, he traveled, worked, and lived in South America, Africa, and South East Asia. He arrived to ISRAEL-is with the desire to take part in meaningful work that impacts Israel.

Adi Wengrovski

Deputy Director of Field Activity Abroad
Adi was born in Kibbutz Zikim, in the south of Israel. Before her military service she volunteered for a year with children at a school called “HaKfar Hayarok”. In the IDF she served as a sports instructor for two years, training soldiers and commanding over officers. Adi has travelled in Australia, Asia and South America, and joined the ISRAEL-is team because of the potential impact and values of the organisation.

Noa Ginzburg

Office Manager
Noa is a 24 years old B.A psychology student at IDC College in Herzlia. In the army, she served as a welfare officer and course commander. Prior to the military, she did a voluntary year of service, in a boarding school where she helped and taught children with difficult backgrounds. At ISRAEL-is, Noa is in charge of all logistical, back-office and management aspects of the office.

Osher Cohen

Community Manager
Osher, age 28, served in the Israeli intelligence unit before she traveled to South America and other locations in Southeast Asia. She received her bachelor's degree in information technologies from the Holon Institute of Technology (HIT) and led many social projects for underprivileged communities. She worked as an instructional designer and producer of content. She arrived to ISRAEL-is with the belief that young people are capable of creating change and the desire to lead a community whose values embody love of country and meaning

Training Crew

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Oran Frenkel

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Shir Itzhaki

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Lior Samak

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Alon Jorji

Oren Aglamaz

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Yifat Van Leeuwen

Board Members

Maj. Gen. (Res.) Hagi Topolanski
Chairman

Former Commander of the IDF Manpower Directorate. Served in the Israeli Air Force as a commander of numerous squadrons, as Commander of the Hatzerim Air Base, Head of the Air Force Planning Division, Commander of the IAF Aerial Squadron and the Commander of the IAF Headquarters.

Yodfat Harel Buchris

Yodfat Harel Buchris is the Managing Director at Blumberg Capital in San Francisco and a Director at Discount Bank. In the past she has worked as a senior manager at Orbotech and a director at El Al and Protalix. Yodfat has been advising the non-profit sector in Israel for over a decade.

Yaniv Cohen

The Executive Director of the Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy at the IDC Herzliya. Before that- worked as Head of Development at the America-Israel Friendship League, a New-York based NGO that advances friendship between Israel and the United States. Former senior associate for corporate law at Naschitz, Brandes, Amir law firm. IDF Reserves Major, and a father of two.

Itay Ben Horin

Owner of “Ben Horin Alexandradovitz”, a leading media strategy and crisis management firm in Israel. He is also the proud author of three books.

Nadav Topolski

Nadav is the Chairman of RGE and Reshet media. He received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Economics from Haifa University and his MBA from Harvard University.

Keren Maximov Brandes

Attorney Keren Maximov Brandes is a partner and manager of the law firm Naschitz, Brandes, Amir. Prior to her current position, for over a decade she held a number of management positions in directing and editing in the world of television.

Ariel Rotter

Ariel Rotter is a managing partner at the real estate investment trust – JTLV. He received his bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Tel Aviv University and his MBA from Harvard University.

Sagi Balasha

Sagi Balasha is the CEO of Ogen, the largest social loan fund in Israel, which provides affordable credit to thousands of small business and households in Israel and is in the process of establishing Israel’s first non-profit social bank. Sagi served as the CEO of the Israeli-American Council (IAC) and Concert (formerly Kella Shlomo), which works to combat BDS and delegitimization efforts against the State of Israel.

עידן נזרי
Idan Nizri

Idan Nizri is an Entrepreneur and Owner of several Digital companies.
Has formerly Founded and acted as the CEO of EDM Ltd.
Has fully sold his venture to XL Media, in 2016 and ever since has been actively engaged in a variety of social ventures.
Holds a Management and Industrial Engineering BSc. degree from “Shenkar”.
Idan is a Major in the IDF, in Reserve.

The Founders

ברק
Barak Dery
Eyal Biram
Jonathan Saburai