Guests 4

Udi Merioz - Artist, Writer & Owner of The Blue And White Art Gallery, Jerusalem

Udi Merioz, an artist and a writer is now celebrating the opening of a public exhibition of his artwork at The Blue and White Art Gallery in Jerusalem. Udi was the curator of the Israeli Prime Minister’s Art Collection and is the owner of The Blue and White Art Gallery in Jerusalem. He is a graduate of the Edinburgh College of Art and a specialist in the field of developing new methods of art as a communicative language. Udi has taught and lectured art in several academic institutes in Israel. In 1967 he created the artwork for the 200-Year Celebration of the Independence of the United States which is now hanging permanently in the White House. In 1979 Udi was commissioned by the Israeli Airforce to create an artwork to commemorate the Peace Treaty between Israel and Egypt. Later the same year Udi was commissioned by one of Israel’s most famous pilots, the late Asher Shamir, to create a special oil painting and lithograph. Between 1983 and 1985 Udi created a program for communicating through art which was to assist the absorption of the Ethiopian Jews in the Southern Region of Israel. For more information about Udi Merioz visit: http://www.blueandwhiteart.com/wp/udi-merioz/ For more information about The Blue & White Art Gallery, Jerusalem visit: http://www.blueandwhiteart.com/wp/

Miriam Ballin - Director of Psychotrauma & Crisis Response Unit, United Hatzalah

Miriam Ballin was born in Houston, Texas and currently lives in Jerusalem. After watching her husband in action in the medical field (a doctor in Hadassah Hospital and volunteer for United Hatzalah), she also felt drawn to emergency medicine; but how to combine it all? She was completing her Diploma of Family Therapy & United Hatzalah training when the idea hit her – literally! Miriam was run down at a crosswalk by a speeding motorbike and knocked unconscious. She was concussed but thankfully no major injuries but when she went back to thank one of the ladies who gave her first aid she was shocked to find that the woman was still traumatized. And so, the United Hatzalah Psychotrauma and Crisis Response Unit concept was born. Since the Unit was founded Miriam has led her team comprised of hundreds of specially trained mental health workers on calls that have been flagged as “highly traumatic”. For more information or to support the work of United Hatzalah’s Psychotrauma & Crisis Response Unit visit: https://psychotrauma.israelrescue.org/

Yosef Abramowitz - Environmental Activist and Pioneer in Global Solar Power

Yosef Abramowitz is the CEO of Gigawatt Global, a multinational renewable energy company focused on the development & management of large scale solar fields. Yossi Abramowitz was born in 1964. He lived in Israel as a child from 1969–1972, before returning to Boston. While living in Massachusetts, he attended the Solomon Schechter School of Greater Boston. He received a Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Public Policy from Boston University in 1986 and a Master of Arts in Journalism from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 1991. He is married to Susan Silverman and they have five children, two of whom were adopted from Ethiopia. Yossi is a former candidate for President of Israel, has been nominated three times for a Nobel Peace Prize and was listed as one of the most influential Jews in the World by the Jerusalem Post. He has spoken at the White House and has been featured on CNN, CNBC, Bloomberg, Voice of America and I24News. He has also been featured in The New York Times, The New York Daily News, The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel. For more information about Yosef Abramowitz visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yosef_Abramowitz For more information about Energiya Global visit: https://energiyaglobal.com/

Jackie Goldman - Trauma Counselor

Jackie Goldman received her Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Yeshiva University – Stern College for Women, and her Master’s in
Counseling and Human Relations from Villanova University, Radnor, Pennsylvania. A former Director of Counseling Services for the Ramah Educational Programs in Israel, Ms. Goldman is Director of Counseling and Support Services at the Koby Mandell Foundation, Efrat for bereaved families/victims of terror. She is a Group Facilitator for the Israel Center for the Treatment of Psychotrauma Community and School Resilience Unit, working both in Israel and internationally. Ms. Goldman conducts counselor training sessions for, among others, the Jewish Agency and Yeshiva University in Israel. For more information about Jackie Goldman visit: http://yistl.org/articles/events/2017/Goldman.pdf To Contact Jackie Goldman email: jackiegoldman1@gmail.com

Daniel Luria - Executive Director of Ateret Cohanim (The Jerusalem Reclamation Project)

Daniel Luria is the Executive Director and Internationl Spokesman For Ateret Cohanim (The Jerusalem Reclamation Project) an organisation dedicated to redeeming Jewish property in Jerusalem and revitalizing strategic neighborhoods in the Old City. His responsibilities include public relations, spokesman, fundraising and tour coordination. He is considered a global expert on Jerusalem, with a focus on urban land reclamation initiatives. He is a sought after spokesperson for Jewish rights to all of Jerusalem. He is originally from Melbourne, Australia, came to live in Israel in 1995 and currently lives in Maaleh Adumim. Daniel previously worked for the Jerusalem Municipality and has been featured on BBC News, Fox News, Al Jazeera, SBS Australia and in The New York Times, The Guardian Newspaper, Jerusalem Post, Times of Israel, Israel National News and Associated Press. For more information about Ateret Cohanim (The Jerusalem Reclamation Project) visit: https://www.ateretcohanim.org/ For more information about Daniel Luria visit: https://www.ateretcohanim.org/the-ateret-cohanim-team/

Rabbi Dov Lipman - Former Member of Knesset (Israeli Parliament)

Rabbi Dov Lipman was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he attended the Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington. Whilst at High School he served as an intern for Congressman John Dingell. Rabbi Lipman continued his studies at Ner Israel Rabbinical College in Baltimore, Maryland where he received rabbinic ordination while studying at Johns Hopkins University where he received a Masters in Education. In 2004 he moved with his family from Silver Spring, Maryland to Beit Shemesh in Israel. He originally worked in Education and Community Activism before 2013 when he was the first American born Israeli to be elected to the Israeli Parliament (Knesset) for 29 Years. Rabbi Lipman served in the Israeli Knesset for two years with the Yesh Atid political party. He hosted a weekly radio show on Voice of Israel called ‘One Nation with Dov Lipman’ and serves as a political correspondent for Israel’s i24 TV News and is featured in the Jerusalem Post and the Times of Israel. He is the author of the books: ‘To Unify A Nation: My Vision For The Future of Israel” and ‘An ‘American’ MK: Behind the Scenes in the 19th Knesset’. For more information about Rabbi Dov Lipman visit: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dov_Lipman

Sruli Portnoy From The Portnoy Brothers British-Israeli Folk-Rock Duo

Sruli Portnoy was born in Manchester, England, later moving to Israel as an adult. His father was an orchestra conductor-turned-rabbi. Sruli and his brother Mendy debuted as the Portnoy Brothers in 2012 with the single ‘Kol Ha’olam’. They gave a series of concerts in Sderot and other Southern Israeli communities during Operation Pillar of Defense 2012 and dedicated proceeds from a show at Mike’s Place the following Chanukkah to children harmed by the attacks. In 2014, they appeared at the biannual Moshav Country Fair at Mevo Modi’im, alongside Hamakor, Yehuda Leuchter, and Ben Zion Solomon and Sons. They also played at a Chabad menorah lighting at Mamilla Mall in Jerusalem. The Portnoy’s began recording their debut album ‘Learn to Love’ in 2013 with bassist and engineer Alon Hillel. The album was co-funded by fans via an Indiegogo campaign. For more information about Sruli Portnoy/The Portnoy Brothers or to order the CD ‘Learn To Love’ visit: https://www.theportnoybrothers.com/

Dr. Sharon Shaul - Medical Aid Director of Natan-International Humanitarian Aid, Israel

Dr. Sharon Shaul is a Graduate of The University of Tel Aviv Faculty of Medicine and is in charge of Natan-International Humanitarian Aid’s medical work. Dr. Shaul is a family doctor and mother of four and is also a Board Member of Natan-International. In 2010 Dr. Shaul was head of the Aid Mission to Haiti, following the devastating earthquake. In 2013 she led the the Medical Relief Operations in the Philippines following Typhoon Yolanda, In 2015 she was part of the Aid Delegation to Nepal following the Gorkha earthquake which killed nearly 9,000 people and injured nearly 22,000. In 2016 she established a Primary Care Clinic for refugees in the Presevo, Serbia Transit Camp . Natan-International Humanitarian Aid has aspired through the years to give respect for the individual, pursuit of liberty, the right to a secure life, food and shelter, liberalism and freedom of expression. Abie Natan, an iconic Israeli humanitarian has provided the inspiration to the organization that bears his name and attempts to reach these goals by the integration of resources through the provision of humanitarian assistance to any individual in need whether in Israel or throughout the world. Natan’s resume includes some of the major disaster zones since 1968 when Abie Natan established the fund for the children of Biafra following the humanitarian disaster in that area. For more information about Natan-International Humanitarian Aid visit: http://www.natan-iha.org

Rabbi Tuly Weisz – Founder of Breaking Israel News & Israel 365

Rabbi Tuly Weisz attended the renowned Yeshiva University, the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and the Benjamin Cardozo School of Law in New York. He served as the Rabbi of Beth Jacob Congregation in Columbus, Ohio where his Grandfather David Stavsky had in the past been the Rabbi prior to moving in 2011 with his wife Abby and their children to Beit Shemesh in Israel. He is the founder and director of the dynamic Israel 365 website/email service which promotes the physical beauty and Biblical significance of Israel. Featuring stunning photographs of more than 50 award winning Israeli photographers alongside an inspiring Bible verse, Israel365 connects people to Israel each and every day. Rabbi Weisz is also the founder and the publisher of the popular Breaking Israel News service providing the latest headlines from a Biblical perspective. He has been featured on CBN News and has written articles for Newsmax – USA, The Jerusalem Post and The Times of Israel. For more information about Rabbi Tuly Weisz visit: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/author/tuly/#/ For more information about Breaking Israel News visit: https://www.breakingisraelnews.com/#/

Rabbi Yehudah Glick - President of The Shalom Jerusalem Foundation

Rabbi Yehudah Glick is originally from New York, USA and was a Member of Knesset (Member of Israeli Parliament) for the Likud Party from 2016 until 2019, being only the sixth American born MK ever. Between 1986 and 1989 Rabbi Glick served in the Israeli Army Armored Corps and later in the Intelligence Corps. He has worked as an Executive Director of The Temple Institute in Jerusalem and is a former Spokesman for Government Minister Yuli Edelstein at The Ministry of Absorption and Immigration. He is a strong activist for ‘comprehensive freedom for Jews on the Temple Mount’ and is a past Chairman of The Temple Mount Heritage Foundation. In 2014 he survived an assassination attempt from an Islamic Jihad terrorist gunman outside the Menachem Begin Heritage Center in Jerusalem when he was shot four times. Rabbi Glick was awarded the 2015 Moskowitz Prize for Zionism for being ‘Active for human rights and religious freedom on Jerusalem’s Temple Mount’. Rabbi Glick is currently the President of The Shalom Jerusalem Foundation. He has been a guest on the BBC Hardtalk Programme and has spoken on Israel’s i24 News and has featured in The Jerusalem Post, Guardian Newspaper UK, Daily Telegraph UK, Times of Israel and Ynet News. For more information or to support the work of The Shalom Jerusalem Foundation visit: http://www.shalomjerusalem.org/

Joseph Gitler, Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel (Rescuing Healthy Food For Israel's Needy)

Joseph Gitler is a graduate of Yeshiva University and Fordham University Law School. After emigrating to Israel in 2000, he worked for three years as Director of International Sales & Development for a family software business. In 2003 Joseph Gitler founded Leket Israel. He started rescuing meals from catering halls and corporate cafeterias out of his Subaru car. The meals were stored in refrigerators lining his driveway before being delivered to local non-profit organizations serving the needy. Today Leket is the largest food bank in Israel and has been a leader and an expert in food rescue nationwide. Leket works with 195 non-profits throughout the country to provide nutritious food to over 175,000 Israeli’s weekly. Joseph is married to Leelah, has five children and enjoys biking, traveling and spending time with his kids. For more information about Joseph Gitler visit: https://www.leket.org/en/team/מר-יוסף-גיטלר/ For more information or to support the work of Leket Israel visit: https://www.leket.org/en/

AnaRina Heymann Kreisman - Director of Align with Zion

AnaRina Heymann Kreisman is currently the Director of Align With Zion. AnaRina was raised in South Africa, worked in the TV Broadcasting Industry as well as Head of Marketing for Aliyah (Jewish People emigrating to Israel) in her home country for two years before fulfilling a personal mission to make Aliyah to Israel. After Aliyah, she worked on special projects for the Jewish Agency Aliyah Department. AnaRina then joined the City of David Archaeological Park and started the Jerusalem Watch project that created awareness for the most important place in the world – Ancient biblical Jerusalem. In November 2018 she launched a new Biblical Advocacy program called Align With Zion. The project aims to assist pro-Israel supporters in understanding the eternal covenant and dynamic between G-d and His people (Am Israel), how it plays out in modern history, and to ultimately empower them in their support of Israel by aligning them with the true essence of Zion. For more information about Align With Zion visit: https://www.alignwithzion.com/

Amanda Weiss - Executive Director of The Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem

Amanda Weiss is originally from New York and worked for non-profit and educational organisations in the United States before moving to Israel in 1991. Through Amanda’s Leadership as Executive Director of The Bible Lands Museum, the Museum has become a vibrant cultural centre for innovative exhibitions and educational programs that serve the diverse populations of Israel as well as visitors from around the world. Amanda established one of the most successful coexistence programs still thriving today ‘The Image of Abraham’ which brings Arab and Jewish students together to learn about their common heritage through the exhibitions and creative activities. Amanda has led US President Bush and his wife Laura on a tour of the museum. The museum has also displayed the worlds oldest Jewish prayer book. The 1200 year old Siddur written in Hebrew was unveiled for the first time at the Bible Lands Museum. For more information about Amanda Weiss visit: http://www.esra-magazine.com/blog/post/living-the-bible For more information about The Bible Lands Museum visit: http://www.blmj.org/en/

Donna Jollay - CEO of Jerusalem Tours International, Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Donna Jollay is originally from Tennessee in the United States and is the CEO of Jerusalem Tours International, Reynoldsburg, Ohio. She is a hi-tech entrepreneur, philanthropist, and most dear to her heart, a deeply committed Christian Zionist. She has a Degree in Mathematics & Political Science from the University of Tennessee and worked at Hewlett Packard, Vixel Corporation, LMG and Qlogic. Her experience of going to Israel combined with continued searching of the Scripture over the years made her realize that it’s all about Israel. She has been featured in The Jerusalem Post, Breaking Israel News, The Times of Israel and The Jerusalem Connection Report. For more information about Donna Jollay visit: https://il.linkedin.com/in/donna-jollay-208b853 For more information about Jerusalem Tours International or to book a trip visit: https://www.jerusalemtours.com/

Tommy Waller - Founder & President of HaYovel - Helping Israel's Farmers

Tommy Waller is the Founder and President of HaYovel. He is originally from Tennessee in the Southern United States and went to Austin Peay State University where he was awarded a Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Marketing. He has worked in senior management with FedEx Courier Delivery Services and was also involved in organic farming. He has been featured in the Jerusalem Post, Israel National News, Haaretz, Breaking Israel News, One News Now, USA Today and CBN News. HaYovel is a non-profit organisation created to help support small independent farmers in in the Biblical heartland of Israel – Judea and Samaria. They have harvested over 2,344 tons of produce with over 175,000 volunteer hours. For more information about Tommy Waller visit: https://www.hayovel.com/about/founders/ For more information about HaYovel visit: visit: https://www.hayovel.com

shadow

Israel First Is A Non-Profit Organisation