El Al Ambassadors Bios

10/21/2019 El Al Ambassadors Bios
Consulate General of Israel in New York
English ‫עברית‬
The Consulate Consular Services
Departments
New-York SpeakersEvents
Bureau News
El Speakers
Al Ambassadors Bureau
Bios
Speakers Bureau El Al Ambassadors'

About Israel Bios
Speakers Bureau
07.12.2012
Topics Shmulik Erez is a pilot for ElAl. He

was inspired to become a pilot by an experience he had whilst serving on a
Official Consulate base in the Suez Canal. The son of Holocaust survivors his parents were not
Speakers
best pleased with his decision to join the air force. He served in the air force
for 20 years, flying in both the Yom Kippur War and the First Lebanon War. He
Outside Speakers
eventually ended up as the deputy base commander of Israel’s largest Air
Force base. Doron had to deal with an interesting dilemma. He and his wife
Speakers Request
had recently moved to Yavne, they had a garden, in the garden they employed
Form
a Palestinian from Rafah to tend it. After the First Intifada the IDF closed the
border and Antar (the gardener) could no longer work for him. The family
stayed in contact and sent money to Antar. One day Antar called Doron and
Tools & information told him that his son had been kidnapped by Hamas and forced to become a
soldier, could Doron send him money to secure his release. It was a difficult
decision for the family, as did they want to potentially fund terrorism, but on the
Contact us
other side, did they want to help Antar. In the end they trusted him and sent
him the money.
Israel Around the World
Fares Saeb is 32 years old, belongs to the Druze community in Israel, and
served in the IDF in the combat engineering unit. Fares was born in Ashkelon,
a coastal city in Southern Israel, and spent the first few years of his life among
Russian, Yemenite, Iraqi, Moroccan and Georgian neighbors. He grew up in
Isifya, a Druze village on top of the Carmel Mountain in Northern Israel and
went to an Orthodox Christian high school. Fares has lived everywhere in
Israel: on a kibbutz for a few months and in Jerusalem for seven years, but he
loves the city of Tel Aviv the most. Like most Israelis, he also backpacked
through South America for six months and currently works as a flight attendant
for EL AL.
Fares writes poetry and prefers this over writing papers for university. This
didn't stop him from getting a BA degree from the Hebrew University of
Jerusalem, majoring in Journalism and Communications, and continuing
Masters studies in Communications. Although Fares’ mother tongue is Arabic,
the main language he speaks is Hebrew. He also speaks some Spanish and
https://embassies.gov.il/new-york/SpeakersBureau/Pages/El-Al-Ambassadors-Bios.aspx 1/14
t e a a guage e spea s s eb e e a so spea s so e Spa s a d
loves the Latin American culture and history.
Fares is engaged to Mona, a nurse in the Tel Aviv Medical Center. Although
they are both members of the Druze community, they actually met on
Facebook. Fares' story is one of diversity and is a true example of the
multicultural mosaic that the Israeli society is made of. This is what makes
Fares a natural ambassador for Israel.
Vicky Shlomo is a 24 year old. She arrived in Israel by herself when she was
18 years old. She joined the army and lived in a Kibbutz. Uri, her father, was a
Coptic Christian. He decided to convert to Judaism and to make Alia to Israel
as well. The Jewish Tradition was always part of her family, and the most
important message was to “love others as you love yourself”- "‫ואהבת לרעך‬
‫"כמוך‬. To honor and respect others - their religion, their thoughts, their being.
To see the human without any prejudice. Living in Israel, this lesson was
useful! Kobi, her boyfriend got injured two years ago while he was on reserve
duty. He is still in rehabilitation, but he is full of energy.
Sigmund Salmanovici is a 37 year old from what was once Communist

Romania. He grew up in a non-Jewish environment and from time to time
experienced anti-Semitism. After taking part in an Israel trip he decided to
make Aliyah at the age of 19. He learnt Hebrew on kibbutz, went to the army
and studied at university. He was later joined by his sister. He is married and
has a four year old son. He loves greeting new comers to Israel and making
them feel at home on ELAL.
Dora Ariel is a 24 year old originally from Grozny the capital of Chechnya.
She immigrated to Israel at the age of four with her mother. She studied at art
school and did a major in dance. She loves Israel and in particular the people
that live here. When she was in the army she served in an infantry unit located
on the boarder of Jordan and Egypt. She is currently studying a BA in
Literature and Creative Writing and has a dream of becoming a writer. She
believes that she needs to observe life openly and to keep herself open for
changes, through this she believes that writing gives an opportunity to speak
even to the silent. During her spare time she volunteers at Tlalim, a place for
children that provides free learning support to children who were absent from
school because of illness or accident. She is currently tutoring a 13 year old
girl who’s name is Andrea, who broke her leg severely.
Rotem Weiner is a 30 year old flight attendant. He was born and raised in the
vibrant city of tell Aviv. He loves his job which has contributed too many
unique journeys, exiting experiences, and interesting people. Rotem has a
BSc in Marine Biology, and is currently working on a second degree in
Zootherapy (animal assisted therapy). His dream is to open his own clinic to
assist people’s emotional needs with the assistance of animals. After the army
Rotem went traveling in Australia where he found his passion for Marine
Biology. During his studies he found that he really wanted to be helping people
and so he joined ELAL. He also volunteers helping children with disabilities.
He also volunteers at a petting shelter and enjoys spending time with the
monkeys. He has a simple message that he lives by and that is; “help others,
monkeys. He has a simple message that he lives by and that is; help others,
and you will help yourself. Love others and you will love yourself.”
Daniel Young made Aliyah in 2006. He had only visited Israel once before, in
the summer of 2004. During that visit he traveled all the way from the north of
the country to the south. After this he volunteered on a kibbutz, this did not go
very well for him. Throughout his trip he became increasingly fascinated in the
diversity within Israel and of its geographical nature as well. After making
Aliyah in 2006 Daniel volunteered with the IDF for six months, this was
motivated by his angst at seeing his “gorgeous country being torn to pieces’.
After the war he enlisted fully in the army, he tried to get a desk job, but
instead became a paratrooper. Despite the fact that being a front line combat
officer was not in his nature he was proud to be protecting his land. On his
weekends off he had families offering him their house for the weekend and
people would stop him in the street to hug and kiss him. Nowadays Daniel
lives in Tel-Aviv, when he is not on a flight he is either learning how to salsa
dance or kayaking on the sea. He loves being an attendant as he is fascinated
by how different Israelis are from each other. “From the sky landing to Tel Aviv
I see the similarity between our land and her people in the sense that they
share their diversity with the landscape of the country. The connection to all
religions, nationalities, and cultures living in this small land is a special one.”
Noa Freidman grew up in Moshav Bnei Zion, a pastoral agricultural farm with
chicken coop and orchards not far from Tel Aviv. She currently lives, with her
husband and lovely baby boy In Jaffa; the hip, multicultural city just south of
Tel Aviv. Having grown up outside Tel Aviv, her life now in Jaffa puts Noa in an
excellent position to tell the story of these two neighboring cities that are
considered to be one of the liveliest urban areas in the world, famous for their
uniqueness, multiculturalism and harmonic way in which they coincide: new
and old, modern and traditional, Jews and Arabs.
While in the Israeli Army, Noa served in the paratroopers’ brigade as a Social
Service Officer. During that time, she lost her best friend who was killed in a
terrorist attack. Nowadays, Noa serves in the Reserves as a liaison between
the army and the families of kidnapped and missing soldiers to provide the
family with support and comfort.
Noa holds a law degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and
volunteers with needy minors to help them deal with various legal issues they
needed assistance with. She also worked as a tour guide to Poland, guiding
Israeli teenagers on their journey in search of their ancestral roots.
Yoad Bar-Noy is a 27 year old. He works for Elal and has a BA in

Communications, Eastern Asia and Theatre Studies from Tel Aviv University.
Yoad is an actor in one of Israel’s leading theatres where he is part of the
cultural and political debate taking place in the Israeli Art scene today.
Through his personal experiences, Yoad has dealt with the many dilemmas
that are discussed in the fields of theater and modern dance and the
questions about the reality in Israel so prevalent today.
Efrat Rael-Brook is a 36 year old. She is a mother of three, and is Graduate

of Tel Aviv University with a Masters in Communications. Today Efrat works as
a flight attendant on El Al, the Israeli national airline. Born and raised in
a flight attendant on El Al, the Israeli national airline. Born and raised in
Ra’anana, a town 15 minutes from Tel Aviv, Efrat feels that Raanana is a
microcosm of Israel: a multi-cultural and multi-national community. For Efrat,
Israel is a melting pot of religions and cultures. Efrat's roots come from Iran,
where her parents were born. From a young age she has been engaged in
various social and cultural activities and enjoys learning about different
backgrounds that make up Israel's diverse society. After finishing her army
service, Efrat joined the Jewish agency and worked both in Israel and in the
United States. This significant experience taught Efrat about the profound
relationship Israel has with the Diaspora Jewry and how important these ties
are. Following this, Efrat joined El-Al where she has been working for the last
14 years. During this time Efrat has experienced many special opportunities
that helped her to strengthen her connections with the Diaspora. Amongst her
many flights, she flew with Israeli Prime Ministers, as well as Aliyah groups
coming from various places around the world. Most importantly, she met her
husband on one of these flights and as a result he made Aliyah to Israel where
they were later married and where they live with their beautiful family.
Amit Kremer is a 37 year old. He is a graduate of Tel-Aviv University from

Ashdod, a seaside city in Southern Israel. Following the Holocaust, Amit's
grandparents, who played a significant role in his upbringing, emigrated from
Europe to Israel and decided to build and create a life in the Jewish
Homeland. Their story represents the story of the State of Israel - a nation that
rose from the ashes of genocide to build a modern and vibrant country. Amit
takes pride in being a resident of Ashdod and had to live under missile
attacked executed by Hamas during December-January 2009-2010, an
experience that has motivated Amit to speak on behalf of Israel and the daily
reality it faces. In his spare time Amit takes interest in sports, especially
basket ball, as well as history, current affairs and music.
Tamar Gev is married, mother of 3 children. Tamar has experienced

tremendous loss in her family and as result; remembrance has become a
crucial theme in her life and in raising her children. As a soldier, one of
Tamar’s most important duties was taking part in producing Israel’s Memorial
Day Ceremony, honoring Israel’s fallen soldiers. Being that Tamar’s uncle was
killed during the Yom Kippur War, being a part of putting together the
ceremony for Israel’s Memorial Day, held tremendous significance for her.
Because of the sense of tragic loss in her family, specifically of men including
her own father at a young age, Tamar has always had a tremendous desire to
have a son. And 6 years ago, her dream became a reality. Today Tamar is
proud to witness her son celebrate Israel’s Independence Day.
Tamar shares a level of concern for her children’s futures; specifically their
safety living in a society with such major security concerns. But she does not
allow it to dictate their future. Even with her concerns, there is no other place
Tamar would want to raise her children other than Israel. Even as a mother
who can’t enjoy a moment with her son without thinking of the reality of him
growing up and becoming a soldier, Tamar is dedicated to educating her
children to defend and serve their nation.
Liora Saghi - Following a long career as a personal assistant to one of the
leading Israeli cellular companies, Leora became a flight attendant for Elal –
Israel’s National Airline. A mother to a sixteen-year-old daughter. Leora is
where she is today because of her unique family history.
It begins with a young 16-year-old girl, a daughter to a religious family from a
small Christian village in Ukraine. It was 1936, and relations were comfortable
between all the neighbors in the village. This young girl fell in love with the son
of the head of the village, but when her father heard about it she was
forbidden to see him. The young girl refused to listen and ran away from
home. The young couple wed and she gave birth to a handsome son. When
the news reached her father, he grieved over his loss, refused to see her and
forbade her mother, brother and sister to see her ever. She never saw her
family again. Time went by and the Second World War broke out. One day she
heard that Nazi soldiers had entered the village and taken all the Jewish
people away. A few days later, two soldiers came to her house. They called
her by her Jewish maiden name, and summoned her to come with them.
Miraculously, she managed to escape into the forest, joined the partisans and
excelled in her mission. Towards the end of the war, she was told that the
person who had given her in to the Nazis was none other than her own
husband. At the end of the war, she snuck into her house, took a shot gun and
killed her husband oh the spot. She took her child and came to Israel.
That young girl was the sister of Leora’s grandmother. As a child, when Leora
sat with her great-aunt, she would tell her, “"My child, if you don't have a land
to fight for, you don't have the right to exist as a nation". This is her story, and
this is why Leora is here today. She believes that there is no other country for
the Jewish people but the one that we live in and we fight for.
Hadas Harel is 35 and lives in Moshav Hemed, a community not far from
Israel’s National Airport, Ben Gurion. This is rather convenient as Hadar works
as a flight attendant for Elal, Israel’s National Airline. Hadar has a first degree
in Social Work and a second degree in Environmental Geography. She is an
avid traveler and has been all over the world, visiting many counties and
learned about many cultures. Hadas’ father was born in England and
emigrated to Israel aged 7 with his family; her mother is a 7th generation
Israeli from Jerusalem. Both of her parents served in the IDF – Israel’s
Defense Forces.
During her army service, Hadas was a teacher, teaching Hebrew to new
immigrants from Ethiopia and Russia. As part of her responsibilities, Hadas
flew to Uzbekistan where she guided and instructed camps for the local
Jewish youth. Upon completion of her army service, Hadas continued to visit
Eastern Europe, creating relationships with young people and helping connect
Jewish People living outside of Israel with the land and its culture. In fact, it
was the impact of these summer camps that led to one of the young men,
moved by Hadas’ stories and influenced by her knowledge, to join the IDF and
later move to Israel with his family. Hadas describes this as one of the
proudest moments of her life. It was this unique experience that strengthened
her love for Israel.
Keren Zaretski was born in Tel Aviv. Long before Keren could grasp the
concept of identity, she lived as a citizen of the world. Keren is a master of
language: Hebrew is her mother tongue, although 4 other languages were
often spoken around the house. French, as her mother had emigrated from
Paris, Yiddish spoken by her grandfather, her grandmother would chit chat in
Ladino, her father would often speak Russian, and Arabic she picked up from
the television. Languages and foreign cultures became Keren’s passion, and
in university she chose to major in Arabic literature and Middle East studies,
later teaching Arabic to high school students as part of her army service.
Keren’s fascination with culture was recharged when backpacking around
New Zealand and Australia for 18 months, and when she later joined ElAl,
Israel’s national airline. As a freelance interior designer, Keren focuses on
people’s dreams when planning a new house or renovating an old living room
Eyal Baruth is a 33 year old Israeli working for El Al. Eyal was born in Ramat
Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv, to a family of holocaust survivors. His parents own
one of the city's oldest glass stores and after his father passed away 3 years
ago his mom took over with running the business by herself.
After 3 years service in the IDF Air Force as a fire fighter, Eyal started working
in the Maccabiah Hotel near Tel Aviv. He was promoted time and again and
stayed there for almost 10 years. During that time he was able to participate in
organizing teams for two Maccabiah games and dozens of Taglit-Birthright
Israel trips.
Eventually Eyal decided to pursue his biggest dream - he left his job at the
Maccabiah Hotel in order to become a pilot. Eyal started working for El Al as a
flight attendant, and learned how to fly while in New York. He received his pilot
license and instrument rating and is currently studying to receive his
commercial license. Eyal is hoping to get a job as a pilot for El Al and in the
meantime enjoys his other main hobby, scuba diving.
Orna Leshem
Lesh was born in 1961 in Petach Tikvah, a suburb of Tel Aviv and
currently lives with her family in Reut, on the slopes of the Judean Mountains
in between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. She is married to Mati, a Brigadier
General in reserves in the IDF and they have three children, Lital, a 24 year
old officer in the IDF, Oz, 21 year old combat soldier in one of the IDF's elite
units and Noam, the youngest, who is 18 years old and a gifted musician.
Orna grow up in a very Israeli house, Sabras as they're called, to a second
generation Israeli family. She was educated on the values of Israeli patriotism,
Zionism and the love of life. Her grandfather was killed in action as a member
of the Haganah, the Jewish paramilitary organization, when Orna's father was
only five years old. Her grandmother, Sara, lost her entire family in the
holocaust.
After graduating from high school Orna served for 6 years in the IDF where
she took care of the needs of wounded soldiers and their families, as well as
the families of soldiers killed in action. She remembers clearly the times
around the 1982 war in Lebanon where she took care and kept in touch with
many families who lost their dear ones. This period of time contributed
enormously to the path she later took in her life. 8 years later she returned to
the IDF to pursue a career as a social worker officer and even today she
volunteers in reserve service as an officer, taking care of the families of the

missing in action and the families of the IDF captives. Both her and her
husband's army careers were very demanding and significant yet reflected
strongly on the values of their children and the meaning of being Israelis.
Even today, Orna and her family frequently spend weekends traveling and
getting to know the width and length of Israel as a passionate Zionist all-Israeli
family.
Liat Karp is a 37-year old Tel Aviv based in-flight service manager for El Al.
Liat is married and has been with Israel’s national airline for 16 years. Liat is
also a lawyer and holds an MBA from the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzeliya
. Apart from her work and family, Liat’s volunteer work holds tremendous
meaning in her life. After losing her own mother to cancer, Liat became
involved with the organization “Larger than life” which brings together children
of all ethnic and religious backgrounds with one regrettable common factor;
they are all suffering from cancer. The organization aims to improve their
quality of life through a variety of activities including a very special summer
camp. Another source of personal inspiration for Liat has been her father and
his story of survival coming to Israel after the Holocaust. A passion for life and
for helping others defines who Liat Karp is and aspires to be.
Gilad Greengold is a grandson of Holocaust survivors who established

Kibbutz Lohamei Ha'Getaot in the north of Israel, and the son of Zvika
Greengold, a Yom Kippur war (1973) hero who stood at the head of a two-
tanks force that helped stop the Syrian army from occupying the southern part
of the Golan heights and won a medal of honor, Gilad Greengold is the third
generation of a Jewish - Zionist family that fought and struggled for Israel to be
the state that it is: prospering, successful, strong, free and sovereign.
At 29 years old, Gilad has a B.A in political science and East Asia studies and
an M.A in Diplomacy from Tel Aviv University. Living in Tel Aviv with his partner
of 8 years, Gilad leads an open and free gay lifestyle, works as a flight
attendant for Elal, Israel’s National airline, and aspires to become a
professional diplomat in the Israeli diplomatic service and continue his family's
story, which is, in fact, the story of Israel.
Hagay Ashkenazi was Born and raised in Israel's capital, Hagay grew up in
the center of the city just a walk away from the Old city of Jerusalem. His
childhood was infused with the bubbly, diverse tempo of the city of Jerusalem
combining a mix of Jews, Christians and Arabs, Orthodox and secular Jews,
tourists and native citizens and much more. In addition, growing up as a gay
man in Jerusalem contributed to Hagay's unique outlook on the city and on
Israel's diverse society in general. Furthermore, Hagay was one of the
pioneers who took part in Jerusalem's gay parade in 2002, a festival of
freedom and life in one of the only countries that celebrates gay and lesbian
rights in the Middle East. The parade began with only a few hundred people
and today is participated by thousands. Today Hagay lives with his partner
Oren in Jerusalem and has been a flight attendant for El-Al for the last three
years. Hagay is a qualified masseur and specializes in Shiatsu. He has
traveled the world and is most proud of his country and after every flight to a
traveled the world and is most proud of his country and after every flight to a
new and exciting destination is always most happy to return to his hometown
of Jerusalem.
Adi Katiei is 26 years old and works as a flight attendant at El Al, Israel’s
national airline. Adi’s parents came to Israel from Yemen, a world away from
Adi’s current life in Tel Aviv, where she has been living for 4 years, together
with 2 roommates. Adi is currently studying for her MA in Communications at
Tel Aviv University, and loves drawing, playing the guitar and spending time
with family and friends.  Adi spends much of her free time volunteering for
an Israeli organization called “Latet” - which means “to give”. Every week Adi
takes a group of Israeli teenagers around the country to assist children with
physical and mental disabilities, the elderly and the underprivileged. Adi
describes this as one of the most important parts of her life as she believes
that in Israel, children are brought up instilled with the values of giving and
helping each other. Adi loves sharing her experiences with others, and
presenting the beautiful side of Israel to those who have yet to experience it.
Arbel Rotenberg is the seventh generation of a pioneer family who came to

Israel from Romania in 1881 and founded the town, Rosh Pinna, in the
northern part of Israel. Married with two children, Arbel studied for his B.SC in
Industrial Engineering and his MBA in Beer-Sheba University in the south of
Israel. Arbel is also certified as an Investment Portfolio Manager from the
Israel Securities Authority. Arbel served for 5 years in the Israel Defense
Force and was released as a captain from the signal corps. He still contributes
by serving in reserve duty as a company commander. Arbel has been working
for El Al, Israel’s National Airline since 1996 as a flight attendant. Prior to this
position he worked in EL Al’s IT and Engineering division. Arbel likes
traveling and sailing and was recently certified as a skipper. A short time ago,
when sailing to the southern city of Ashkelon, he was caught up in the “Red
Alert” siren, notifying Israel’s southern residents of an impending missile attack
from the neighboring Palestinian city of Gaza. Like all Israelis, Arbel
sympathizes with the people living in the south of Israel and under constant
attack, but it was only when experiencing it first-hand that Arbel truly
understood the daily reality of his fellow Israelis living under the constant
threat of terrorism.
Edan Jakubowitz is a 30 year old Flight Attendant from Metula, a town on the
northern peninsula of Israel. Edan feels that growing up on the border of
Lebanon as a child, coming out as a gay man and moving to Israel in order to
enjoy the city’s Gay life are the reasons which have made him the man he is
today.
Chai Elyass is a 28 year old Flight Attendant who hails from the Southern
Town of Ashdod in Israel. At a very young age he moved with his family to
New York and spent his formative years there. At the age of 12 he moved
back with the family to Israel and only then managed to grasp what it really
means to be Israeli. He recalls as a young boy in New York not understanding
why his family from Israel don’t flee during the Gulf War and only after coming
back to live here, could he truly appreciate that no matter what there is no
place he would rather be than Israel, not matter the cost.
Nathalie Fessel was born in Zürich, Switzerland, to a Swiss father and Israeli
mother and experienced two kinds of childhoods: the first was the one growing
up in Zurich and learning to know and love Israel and Judaism through her
parents education. The second one was in Israel, after she and her family
made alia at the age of ten. Nathalie's experiences of both worlds have
shaped her to be a natural ambassador for Israel. Dedicating most of her
childhood and adolescent years to a youth movement, Natalie felt that the
obvious next step for her was to postpone her army service for a year in order
to live in the city of Beer Sheva, the capital of Israel’s Southern desert, and
contribute her time to building and strengthening the community. Following
that Natalie joined the army and served in a combat unit on the Israel-Egyptian
border.
Today Natalie is a flight attendant in Israel’s leading airway company, El AL,
and is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Tel Aviv University. In
the future Natalie sees herself taking part in advancing a peace process
between Israel and the Palestinians so children of both sides will be promised
a better childhood and future. In her spare time Natalie is an amateur
photographer and enjoys travelling the world and representing her home,
Israel.
Yehuda Hainovitz is Seventh generation in Jerusalem from his father’s side

and first generation in Israel from his Zimbabwean born mother’s side, Yehuda
was born to an orthodox Jewish family and was raised in Jerusalem. After
completing his studies in a Yeshiva (a Jewish educational institute), Yehuda
joined the combat engineer corps of the Israeli Defense Force. Whilst serving
his country, Yehuda was stationed in Gaza before the Disengagement Plan
thus understands the great leap Israel took in order to advance peace with the
Palestinians. Upon completing his army service, Yehuda spent a year in the
United States as an emissary for the Jewish Agency and was involved in
educating about Judaism and Israel. Today Yehuda studies Arabic and holds
a bachelor degree in animal science and is pursuing a masters degree in
nutrition from the Hebrew University. He lives in Tel-Aviv and takes great pride
in being a part of the gay community in one of the only cities in the Middle
East that celebrates gay and lesbian rights. As a flight attendant in El Al,
Yehuda tries to divide his time between Israel and New York in order to visit
his American boyfriend as much as possible. His upbringing, army service and
travels around the world have shaped Yehuda to be a natural ambassador for
Israel.
Assaf Levy is a 35 year old pilot with El-Al, Israel’s national airline. Assaf
served as a fighter pilot in the Israeli air-force during his service in the IDF
(Israeli Defense Forces). Assaf is married and has two young children, and
lives in Even Yehuda, a small town north of Tel Aviv. He was fortunate enough
to meet his wife during his military service after being assigned to a squadron
where she was serving as a soldier He is a B A Computer science and
where she was serving as a soldier. He is a B.A. Computer science and
Business Entrepreneurship graduate. One of Assaf’s greatest passions in life,
aside from his family, is being a life-long volunteer. From being involved in a
youth movement at a young age to volunteering during his military service and
until today, volunteering in a psychological aid organization, giving back to his
country is a crucial part of who Assaf is.
David (Dudi) Ben-Shahar was born in Israel in 1958. Dudi, as he is

affectionately called by family and friends, is married and a father of 4. Dudi
holds a first degree in Electrical engineering in addition to an MBA. Dudi
served as a career air-force pilot for 22 years. As a young air force pilot, Dudi
was a close friend of captive pilot, Ron Arad. Dudi, who is currently Captain of
a Boeing 767, has been a pilot with El Al, Israel’s national airlines for the past
13 years. Dudi is very passionate about educating young people today about
Ron Arad’s story and its relation to that of Gilad Shalit.
Hadar Cohen is a 33 year old Tel-Aviv based flight attendant for El-Al. Hadar
takes great pride in working for Israel’s national airline and is proud each time
he boards a flight and sees the Star of David. Hadar lived in the U.S. for 5
years but returned a number of years ago to Israel because he knew there is
only one place that he could ever truly call home. Hadar is a single, gay man
and enjoys the pluralism and diversity of Israeli society and feels very
embraced at home. Hadar has also studied holistic medicine, specializing in
Swedish massage therapy.
Inbar Ashour: Originally from Hadera, a city located in the center of Israel,
Inbar has travelled the world and has even lived in New York. Growing up,
Inbar experienced a regular Israeli childhood and never really thought twice
about Israeli’s image around the world. During her teen years Inbar took part
in an educational program between Israeli and German teens that enabled her
to meet people from Germany and learn about a different culture. It was during
a delegation to Germany that she was first exposed to the misconceptions
people hold about Israel and it was then that she knew she had to show the
world what her true Israel is all about. Inbar feels especially proud to be an
Israeli during Israel’s national Memorial Day and Independence Day. In the
passed she has been fortunate to take part in various ceremonies as a singer
and feels most connected during this time to her home, Israel and to Israelis.
She joined El AL three years ago and enjoys seeing new places and meeting
new people but for Inbar the best part of each flight is two minutes before
landing, when she looks out the window and knows she is returning home to
Israel.
Dani Klein is a 38 year old Tel Aviv Flight Attendant based in Israel. Dani
comes from a long line of passionate Zionists which date back to 1903 from a
small city in what is now known as Moldova. His great grandfather was one of
the organizers of a defense force which rose up in order to protect the local
community from pogroms. After starting his service in the IDF as a combat
soldier, he was injured and was transferred to a special investigations unit in
Military Police. In 2005 he left Israel in order to live in New York, although he
knew that his late grandfather wouldn’t have approved. A year later and even
though he had a high paying job and a great life style in New York, he felt he
had to come back to Israel, because home is where the heart is. On his first
day back in Israel he went straight to his great grandfather's grave and
pledged that he would serve as a legacy for all his great grandfather had
wished to achieve.
Orly Adato is 33 years old and a flight attendant working for EL AL since
2008. Orly has a degree in law and worked as a lawyer for 6 years. She
decided to give up her career in law in order to raise her 2 beautiful children,
and started working in a much convenient job, in el al, which was a blessed
decision that she made. Orly's likes to travel, read and learn about different
cultures in the world.
Lena Ravitz is 25 years old and in her third year of her first degree in
Psychology and Management at the Open University in Jerusalem. In 2008,
Lena began working as a flight attendant for ELAL, Israel’s National
Airline.
Lena arrived in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1991 following her parents’ decision to
emigrate from Russia. Lena does not remember very much from her early
childhood in Russia, but is in no doubt that her parents raised her with a
strong Russian culture. Yet, growing up as a new immigrant in Israel, Lena
always felt very much at home, despite the initial language and culture
barriers. As she grew older, Lena realized that this feeling of belonging rose
from the fact that Israel is a new country for so many; immigrants have come
from all over the world to a new home. A place, Lena describes, they can truly
call home, feel safe, and establish together, a new culture - the Israeli culture.
The most important people in Lena’s life may be different to her on a
superficial level – their upbringing, their culture, the color of their skin, their
native language – but Lena feels this is the beauty of her country. One of her
best friends is French, another is Yemenite and her future husband is
Moroccan! For Lena it is important to clarify that this sense of belonging lies
on strong foundations. This is a reconnection to the roots, to the family, to the
Tradition. As the first generation of her family in Israel, Lena remains grateful
for her parents’ decision come to Israel. Today she knows that when, together
with her fiancé, she will start her own family it is going to be an Israeli family: A
beautiful mix of two different cultures and values. This combination between
the cultures and her roots is what being Israeli means to her.
David Anolik is a 24 years old, working as a flight attendant for EL AL. David
was born and raised in Yavne, a city South to Tel Aviv and studies
Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center.
David’s mother is American born and visited Israel during her college years
and fell in love with the country. His dad is Israeli who worked as a Shaliach
for Maccabi youth movement and the ZOA in Westwood, NJ. While David’s
mom wanted to make Aliya, his dad was interested in staying in the US.
Eventually they got married and moved to Israel.
David feels that although he holds an American citizenship and gets to travel
to different countries as part of his work for El Al, to him there is no place like
home Israel Growing up he was exposed to both cultures but he still loves
home - Israel. Growing up, he was exposed to both cultures, but he still loves
celebrating the high holidays in Israel, enjoys the feeling of togetherness and
warmth of the Israeli society and its pluralistic and open minded discourse.
Tamar Romanov has a true Israeli story. During her army service she helped
build a new town in the Galilee in Northern Israel and during this time lived on
a Kibbutz. Following her army service, Tamar joined El Al and enjoyed
travelling the world and meeting new people. During these years Tamar
studied law at Tel Aviv University and worked as a lawyer for 13 years leaving
El Al in order to pursue her career in law. Tamar finds the uniqueness of the
Israeli law system that combines various legal sources such as Ottoman law,
Common law, and Jewish law as an expression of Israel being a melting pot;
the idea of separation of powers; the idea of everyone being equal before law.
In 2000 Tamar rejoined El Al and loves being a flight attendant, especially
making new friends and showing Israel in a fresh way to anyone she meets in
her journeys.
Shiran Nakash is 26 years old and works as a flight attendant for El Al,
Israel’s national airline. Shiran is currently studying for her BA in psychology
and wants to become a psychologist. Shiran's father came to Israel from Iraq
and her mom came from Morocco. They met in the Israeli melting pot- the
Israeli military. Shiran has been a dancer from a young age and dancing is her
biggest passion. At the age of 16 she started teaching 4-13 year old girls
dancing. When recruited to the Israeli army, she served as a sport officer
(lieutenant) in the Israeli Air Force and continued her love for working out.
During her time in the army, Shiran took part in the Disengagement Plan,
Israel's withdrawn out of Gaza Strip, an experience that shaped the person
she is today. Shiran is also a spinning and aerobics instructor. Shiran is the
youngest of four siblings and has a religious orthodox sister. Although their life
styles are completely different, they enjoy each others company and have
stayed closed.
Shiran loves life, and her family, she likes working out, parties, reading books
and singing in the shower.
Moran Naamani Lev: Moran is a 28 year old mother of one. She was born
and raised in Israel to a Moroccan Mother and a Persian Father. Moran served
in the Israeli Defence Force as a commander for cadets in their Pilot’s course.
Serving in the IDF was a formative experience for Moran and she felt that this
was her time to give to others the sense of security she had experienced
during her life. After working as a flight attendant for five years she moved to
the US to pursue her dream of getting a Pilots license. After a couple of years
in the US she decided that although she was enjoying her life there she had to
come back home. When her son was born she decided to name him “Ivri”,
which means Hebrew man, as a testament to the love she feels for Israel.
Nava Lev is 62 years old and works as a flight service manager in El Al. She
lives in a Moshav which is an agricultural community. Nava and has seven
children which is very rare as she considers herself life a secular Jew. Nava
writes children books, enjoys travelling and meeting new people and she also
creates glass artworks, mosaic, Judaic art and stain glass. Nava also loves
music and plays the piano and accordion and often holds Hebrew sing-a-long
events. Five of her seven children are currently serving in the Israeli military,
four are Pilots in the Israeli Air Force. This inspired Nava to go to Washington
D.C. and receive a civic flight license and now she is a qualified pilot herself.
Charming and charismatic, Nava would like to share with you her experience
as an mother to a family who has tied its destiny to the Israeli Air Force.
Nava will explain how two of her children met surprisingly in the middle of
Lebanon and how she manages to sleep at night and keep her positive
atmosphere when her children are called to fight on behalf of the country.
Karen Amram, was born 25 years ago in the United States as the eldest
daughter in a family of six. She lives in the central Israel, an undergraduate
student studying international relations and African Studies. Her father was
born in Lebanon and immigrated to Israel at age 11 and her mother was born
in Israel to religious family from a small village in southern Israel.
Immediately after Keren's birth, Her parents decided move back to Israel and
raise her in the place they felt most secure in. to them Israel was the only
country where they felt a sense of belonging and personal security. After the
first Palestinian uprising in 1987, he father's business began to collapse, since
it was based on trade with the Arab territories. He go a job offer and the family
was relocated again to Zaire - Congo Africa. Keren will share her experiences
growing up as an Israeli in Congo and how she and her family were rescued
by the Israeli Government from a violent revolution in the country.
Keren's upbringing shaped her and she ended up being an an instructor for
youth before military recruitment; most of the youngsters she worked with
came from difficult family backgrounds and new immigrant families. In the past
three years, Karen has been working as a flight attendant in El Al, the national
Israeli air line. Karen hopes that her unique story will interest many and serve
as a bridge to people who are not familiar with Israel and will learn to know
and love Israel.
Noa Renert is married and a mother of three daughters. Noa has always been
interested in people and their interaction both normal and abnormal. In
particular, Noa is driven and intrigued to see beyond the conventional
meaning of words. Five years ago, following a 24 year career as a clinical
social worker and psychotherapist, primarily with the mentally ill, Noa decided
to make a sudden career change and became a flight attendant.
Noa was born in Israel, an only girl in a family of three brothers, and a child of
Holocaust survivors from Poland. Shortly after her military service in the
artillery, Noa began to study social work and got married. By the time her
youngest daughter was born, she was writing the last pages of her PhD,
researching the influence of primary psychiatric care for depression and
anxiety in reducing visits to primary medical care.
Noa’s youngest daughter, Dana, is now 18 years old and serving in the military
herself, working in air force intelligence. Like a good Jewish mother, Noa is
proud to say that her eldest daughter is a doctor and her second daughter is a
lawyer. Noa believes that being a second generation to holocaust survivors
y g g
has been a huge influence in her life.
Although El-Al's new slogan these days is "your home away from home", Noa
believes her home is where her family is. While she loves her work and feels
blessed and lucky to travel around the world and experience life in such a
unique way, Noa describes her home as Israel: the people, the views, the
conflict and most importantly, her family.
Oren Maimon is a 30 year old flight attendant for El Al, lives in the vibrant city
of Tel Aviv. Oren served in the Israeli Defense Force for ten years as an officer
and was discharged ranking Major. Being openly gay and serving in the army
has been a profound experience in Oren's life and he feels that it is his
personal mission to share his story with people around the world who hold
misconceptions about Israel. Oren takes pride in being a citizen of the only
country in the Middle East that promotes gay rights as well as freedom of
speech and wants to show the world that Israel is a liberal society contrary to
the image created in the international media and by anti-Israel groups.
Printable version E-mail to a friend
Contact us Site map

El Al Ambassadors Bios

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

El Al Ambassadors Bios

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

El Al Ambassadors Bios

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

10/21/2019 El Al Ambassadors Bios

Consulate General of Israel in New York

Speakers Bureau El Al Ambassadors'

Topics Shmulik Erez is a pilot for ElAl. He

Sigmund Salmanovici is a 37 year old from what was once Communist

Yoad Bar-Noy is a 27 year old. He works for Elal and has a BA in

Efrat Rael-Brook is a 36 year old. She is a mother of three, and is Graduate

Amit Kremer is a 37 year old. He is a graduate of Tel-Aviv University from

Tamar Gev is married, mother of 3 children. Tamar has experienced

volunteers in reserve service as an officer, taking care of the families of the

Gilad Greengold is a grandson of Holocaust survivors who established

Arbel Rotenberg is the seventh generation of a pioneer family who came to

Yehuda Hainovitz is Seventh generation in Jerusalem from his father’s side

David (Dudi) Ben-Shahar was born in Israel in 1958. Dudi, as he is

Printable version E-mail to a friend

Contact us Site map

You might also like