Meet the Speakers
Yaakov Hagoel
Yaakov Hagoel is the Chairman of the Executive of the World Zionist Organization. He was formerly acting chairman of The Jewish Agency for Israel.
Between 2015 - 2020 Hagoel served as the Vice Chairman of the WZO. He was also the Head of the WZO's Department of Activities in Israel and Countering Antisemitism. Hagoel was listed as one of the world's most influential Jews by the Jerusalem Post in 2020, 2022, and 2024.
Yair Zivan
Yair Zivan is a committed centrist. He has served as foreign policy advisor to Yair Lapid, leader of Israel’s largest centrist political party since 2014 throughout his tenures as finance minister, leader of the opposition, foreign minister and prime minister of Israel. Before working for Mr. Lapid he was international media spokesperson for President Shimon Peres. His work has been published in media outlets across the world.
Daniel Gindis
Daniel Gindis is the Founder & CEO of Kerem House (one of Tel Aviv's largest community events organization) and is Running for Tel Aviv City Council with The Mamanim Party - גב (headed by Haim Goren).
Hillel Neuer
Hillel Neuer is a Canadian-born international lawyer and the executive director of UN Watch, a human rights NGO based in Geneva, Switzerland. He is known for his advocacy for human rights, particularly in relation to Israel, and has been recognized as one of the most influential Jewish people in the world.
Prof. Moran Yarchi
Prof Moran Yarchi is the Head of the Digital Influence & Perceptions specialization at the Sammy Ofer School of Communications, the Head of the Public Diplomacy program, a Senior fellow at the Abba Eban Institute for International Diplomacy, and a Senior Researcher at the Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University, Israel.
Rabbi Dr. Daniel Rose
Dr. Daniel Rose is a British-born educator with 30 years of experience in informal and formal Jewish education. He has worked with youth movement programs in the UK and Israel, taught in Jewish Day Schools in the UK and the US, had administrative and teaching roles on global remote learning programs, and consulted for Jewish Day schools in the UK, US, Australia, and South Africa. He is currently Director of Education at the Rabbi Sacks Legacy Trust, where he is responsible for developing educational content and programming to further the legacy of the late Rabbi Jonathan Sacks zt”l. Daniel lives in Modi’in, Israel, with his wife and five children.
Aleeza Ben Shalom
Aleeza Ben Shalom is an internationally known matchmaker, dating coach, and relationship expert. She is the founder of Marriage Minded Mentor and the star of Netflix’s Jewish Matchmaking, where she helps singles build meaningful, lasting relationships. With warmth, insight, and straight-talk honesty, Aleeza combines modern dating strategies with timeless values to guide people toward love.
Liora Arnon
Liora Arnon is Head of Innovation, Research and Knowledge Development at the Israeli Volunteering Council, a well-established infrastructure NGO that aims to maximize collaboration at the local and national levels and across sectors for nationwide volunteer engagement strategies and volunteer infrastructures in Israel.
Ayelet Shmuel
Ayelet trains professional and paraprofessional teams from Jewish communities around the world and Israel in the field of psychological first aid, trauma and ongoing stress
Through JReady, she trains individuals and teams on recovering from a crisis event when trauma occurs in the community. As one of JReady’s leading trainers in emotional first aid, resiliency, acute stress management, and interventions, she brings a vast international experience and a deep understanding of Jewish and non-Jewish communities throughout the world.
Michal Yeshurun
Michal Yeshurun is the Digital Advocacy & NextGen Communications Manager at the World Jewish Congress where she works to amplify the mission of the World Jewish Congress and NextGen through digital content and campaigns.
Máté Holler
Máté Holler is the External Relations Manager with the Technology & Human Rights Institute at the World Jewish Congress.
Prof. Rivka Tuval Mashiach
Prof. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach is Vice President for International Affairs and the Third Mission at Bar-Ilan University, a clinical psychologist, and a leading international expert on resilience, trauma, and post-traumatic growth. Her research focuses on how individuals and communities cope with terror, war, and crisis, with particular attention to identity, narrative, and healing processes. Following the October 7th war, she co-founded and now heads Bar-Ilan University’s Resilience Center. Prof. Tuval-Mashiach regularly advises international organizations, including NATAL and the UN, on community-based trauma and resilience interventions.
Prof. Noa Vilchinsky
Prof. Noa Vilchinsky is Head of the Division for Designated Programs at Bar-Ilan University and an internationally recognized expert on coping with chronic illness, trauma, caregiving, and rehabilitation across diverse cultural contexts. Her research explores how individuals, families, and communities navigate crisis and long-term stress, with a strong emphasis on resilience and recovery. Prof. Vilchinsky’s work is supported by leading international and national research bodies, including the European Research Council and the Israel Science Foundation, and she is widely recognized for excellence in teaching, research, and innovation in patient care.
Lt. Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich
Lt. Col. (res.) Avital Leibovich is Director of the American Jewish Committee in Jerusalem, with more than 30 years of senior experience in media, public diplomacy, crisis management, and international relations, including serving as a leading spokesperson for the IDF during major military operations and establishing its first social media and interactive media capabilities. Since retiring from the IDF, she has continued reserve service, taught public diplomacy at Reichman University, led AJC’s Jerusalem office, and was awarded Albania’s Knighthood of Skanderbeg in recognition of her contribution to bilateral relations.
Sivan Sinnreich
Sivan Sinnreich is a communications professional and journalist who has worked with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), a major international nonprofit organization focused on combating antisemitism, racism, and other forms of hate.
Yoni Hammerman
Yoni Hammerman is the Director of Elevate at the World Jewish Congress (WJC), where he leads the organization’s global strategy for developing and empowering the next generation of Jewish leaders. He oversees a portfolio of international leadership pipelines, including the Lauder Fellowship, Jewish Youth Assembly, Jewish Diplomatic Corps, and WJC’s global internship framework.
Since joining WJC in 2018, Yoni has helped design and scale programs that equip emerging leaders with the skills, networks, and confidence to engage effectively with governments, international institutions, and civil society. He has led delegations and convenings across North America, Europe, and Israel, engaging with bodies such as the United Nations, European Union, and NATO.
Yoni holds a B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Israel Studies from Binghamton University and an MBA, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
Emmanuel Nahshon
Emmanuel Nahshon is a retired Israeli Ambassador and former Deputy Director General of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs . He is currently the senior anti academic boycott coordinator on behalf of the Association of Israeli Universities Presidents.
Moshe Lencer
Moshe Lencer is Director of Campus Affairs at American Jewish Committee (AJC), the global advocacy organization for the Jewish people. In this role, Moshe ensures Jewish communities thrive on campuses worldwide while standing up for Israel's right to exist in peace and security and confronting antisemitism at its source. Born and raised in Herzliya, Israel, he empowers students to navigate difficult conversations with confidence and craft compelling advocacy stories. With leadership experience at Michigan Hillel, BBYO, Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, and The iCenter, Moshe dedicates his work to building resilient Jewish student leaders equipped to counter misinformation and shape public opinion in an increasingly challenging environment.
Hanna Veiler
Hanna Veiler is the President of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), representing over 160,000 Jewish students across Europe. Born in 1998 into a Jewish family in Belarus, she grew up in a small town in southern Germany from 2005. From an early age, she has been deeply engaged with questions of complex identity, migration, and memory culture. She previously served as President of the German Union of Jewish Students (JSUD).
Jonny Lipzcer
Jonny Lipczer holds the position of Director of Communications at The Rabbi Sacks Legacy. Previously, he served as the Creative Director at World Mizrachi, overseeing digital and print media initiatives. He spent four years as the Bnei Akiva Shaliach in Toronto, where he taught courses on Jewish History and Ethics at Yeshivat Or Chaim and Ulpanat Orot. Additionally, he has led numerous groups from various countries on Jewish journeys in Poland, exploring life there before and during the Holocaust. Born in the UK, Jonny now resides in Israel with his wife, Belinda, and their four children.
Prof. Gil Troy
A Senior Fellow at the Jewish People Policy Institute, the Global ThinkTank of the Jewish People, and a Distinguished Scholar in North American History at McGill University currently living in Jerusalem, Professor Gil Troy is an award-winning American presidential historian and a leading Zionist activist.
Yoni Alon
Yoni Alon is in the business of creating connections between Israelis and non-Israeli Jews. He was an Israeli Shaliach / Emissary with the Jewish Agency for Israel at the Staenberg-Loup JCC in Denver (2013-2015), prior to that, he served in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) for seven and a half years (Maj res.). Throughout his military service, he acted in various roles, including as a liaison officer in the International Cooperation Unit of the IDF, connecting the U.S. military with the IDF. In the last 8 years, he has been working independently with many Jewish nonprofits on various educational projects, including Masa, JAFI, WZO, Momentum Unlimited, ANU Museum, and more. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem with a BA in Political Science, and the Ruderman MA program for American Jewish Studies at the University of Haifa. He is an alumnus of the Chicago iCenter - iFellows Master’s Concentration in Israel Education.
Ayelet Nahmias
Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin is Chair of JReady, an organization focused on strengthening Jewish resilience and preparedness in times of crisis. She is an Israeli lawyer and former Member of Knesset (2015–2019), where she was active on issues of social justice, democracy, and Jewish identity. Today, she works at the intersection of civic leadership, community resilience, and Israeli–Diaspora relations.