Haim Jelin

Haim Jelin is a public figure and community leader who has become the voice of hope, rebirth and change not only for the Gaza-area communities but for the entire State of Israel. Jelin is a member of Kibbutz Be'eri and the former head of the Eshkol regional council; from 2007-2015 he managed the region and its residents through three IDF operations: Cast Lead, Amud Anan and Tzuk Eitan. Jelin was a member of the Knesset as part of Yesh Atid from 2015 to 2019, during which time he was a member of the Knesset's Science and Technology Committee, the chairman of the lobby for local government, the chairman of the lobby for the Gaza-area communities and the chairman of the agricultural lobby. After surviving the massacre of October 7th, Jelin chose to return to Kibbutz Be'eri to begin the work of revival. He continues to work tirelessly to promote his Zionist vision: Solidarity, agriculture and resettlement of the Gaza-area communities.

Rosa Feldman

The name Feldman is synonymous with  the  Jewish community in Mexico City.  Three generations of the Feldman family have served as pillars and mainstays of the community. For decades the Feldman family have also been the ambassadors of Bar-Ilan University in Mexico and have continuously lent their support and commitment to our students, our faculty and our research initiatives. The Feldman name is proudly attached to physical facilities on both our campuses as well as on laboratories, physical facilities and research programs throughout Bar-Ilan.

Rosa was married to the late Eng. Israel Feldman and is the mother of Raquel, Ruben, Ilana z"l and the Chairman of the Amigos Bar-Ilan Nathan Feldman. Rosa is the matriarch of the family who, as  a true Eshet Chayil, has raised her family with sterling values and  “midot”. She is a woman of chessed and an example for all.

Aviv Geffen

Aviv Geffen is one of Israel's most legendary rock singer-songwriters. His career spans over twenty years, and he is widely associated with creating some of the most iconic and progressive songs in modern Israeli history. From the beginning, Geffen's music has dealt with the universal- and sometimes controversial- subjects of love, peace, death, religion and the military that strongly resonated with Israeli youth. Among his most well-known songs: HaShir Shelanu (Our Song), Or Hayareah (Light of the Moon), and Yeled shel Kulanu (Everybody’s Child)- a song about then-hostage Gilad Shalit. But perhaps more than them all, Lifkot Lecha (Cry for You), which became a kind of national anthem after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and came to represent an entire generation. Since October 7th, Geffen has used his music to give voice to the grief, anger and despair felt by so many, to bring people together and to help heal. His song Zricha Shchora (Black Sunrise), about the terror of that dark day, was performed together with musician Mia Leimberg, who herself spent 54 days in Hamas captivity. 

Prof. Haim Cedar

Prof. Haim Cedar is a biochemist world-renowned for his discovery of DNA methylation, a mechanism that turns genes on and off. His contribution fundamentally changed the field of epigenetics and laid the groundwork for the development of new approaches for targeting and, thereby, preventing the fundamental pathology of cancer. Prof. Cedar's lifetime accomplishments- which includes the invention of a simple blood test that helps diagnose diseases such as diabetes, multiple sclerosis, Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), as well as early signs of some types of cancer- have saved countless lives. His groundbreaking research has earned him numerous awards, including: the Israel Prize (1999); the Wolf Prize in Medicine (2008); the Emet Natural Science Prize (2009), the Canada Gairdner International Award (2011) and the Rothschild Prize (2012). He has been a member of the Israel Academy of Sciences since 2003, and in 2022 was elected to serve as a member of the US National Academy of Sciences in recognition of his groundbreaking research.

Brothers For Life (Achim L'Chaim)

Brothers For Life is a non-profit organization run by injured IDF veterans that gives critical and immediate assistance to other injured Israeli combat veterans who fought for the safety of the Jewish people. Started in 2008 by Gil Ganonyan and Yaniv Leidner from the IDF’s elite Duvdevan unit together with Rabbi Chaim Levine, a leader in the Jewish community of Seattle, the organization quickly attracted the attention of wounded veterans looking for ways to help other soldiers. Since October 7th, the organization has deployed teams to hospitals to conduct over 1,000 initial meetings with injured soldiers to assess and provide for their immediate, vital needs, including short- and long-term personal needs for extended hospital stays. They also respond to the needs of families with parents who have been called to fight in the war as well as providing the families of injured soldiers living near the Gaza Strip with financial aid, short-term housing and personal household goods. Brothers For Life members include veterans from Eilat to the Golan Heights, from every walk of life and religious observance, bonded by their shared injuries, their desire to heal and their passion to help injured soldiers like themselves. Day in and day out, Brothers for Life are transforming trauma and restoring life.

Dr. Ilana Dayan

Dr. Ilana Dayan is an investigative journalist, anchorwoman and attorney best known for hosting the award-winning investigative news program Uvda (“Fact"). Under her leadership, Uvda has generated intense public debate and practical action aimed at improving Israeli society for more than 30 years. Alongside her career in journalism, Dr. Dayan is a member of the Israeli Bar Association and received her L.L.M and J.S.D. degrees from Yale Law School as a Fulbright Fellow. For her trailblazing journalism, Dr. Dayan has earned numerous awards: In 2009, she received an award from the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, citing her “unique contribution to the fight against the scourge of corruption, and raising the level of coverage and criticism in the written and broadcast press". In 2015, she was awarded the Sokolov Prize – considered one of the most prestigious awards for Israeli journalism- for “a host of thorough, groundbreaking investigations, for her pioneering contribution to televised investigative journalism, for creating a new investigative language, and for serving as a paragon for a new generation of investigative journalists.” In 2018, she was honored with the Israeli Academy of Film and Television's lifetime achievement award.

Rav Eliyahu Blumenzweig

Rav Eliyahu Blumenzweig is the founder and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat HaHesder Yerucham and a leading proponent of the integration of Torah learning, Zionism and ahavat Am Yisrael.  He is an alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion, where he served as a senior faculty until the year 5753. In addition, he served as a senior teacher at Yeshivat Yamit, and as the head of the Beit Midrash of Beit Morasha alongside Rav Shagar. In the year 5754, Rav Blumenzweig founded the Yeshivat Hahesder in Yerucham as a "beit midrash with windows to the world". The Yeshiva strives to cultivate a student body that views the Torah as central to their lives while remaining actively engaged with their local communities and committed to the State of Israel. As an expression of this, 95% of the student body is ultimately drafted into combat units. The Yeshiva has lost nine students and alumni since Hamas declared war on Israel on October 7th.