The elections in Israel on Tuesday, April 9th are quickly approaching. Get up-close-and-personal with several members of the Wexner community who have joined a party ticket for their first time.
We are excited to be able to offer some insights into what motivated these candidates to run in an inspired conversation facilitated by Dana Savoray-Hadar, Deputy Director of The Wexner Foundation, Israel.
Join us on Wednesday, March 27th at 10:30 AM EST, 16:30 pm Israeli Time, via zoom.
Candidates will reflect on what motivated them to join the race. They will also be able to answer your questions on their parties’ platforms, urgent issues being discussed during the campaign and how the outcome could impact the Israeli-Diaspora relationship.
Joining us on the call will be:
Wexner Israel Fellowship Alum Orit Farkash-Hacohen (Class 18)
– Blue and White Party (Kahol Lavan) #15
Orit is the first woman to be the Chairperson of the Israeli Energy Market Regulatory Authority (PUA.) Under her leadership the Authority supported the first-ever introduction of private power players to the electricity market in significant volumes (40%.). Orit was the Chief Legal Advisor to the Authority and was a whistle blower when the bidding for the Tamar and Leviathan gas field development were given to companies that favored big business and their profits at the expense of the Israeli public. Orit was fired as a result and made front page stories as the scandal played out. She is now affiliated with the Consortium for Energy Policy Research and the Harvard Electricity Policy Group as a visiting Fellow and member. Orit graduated from the Law Faculty of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. She held a legal internship both in a private law office and at the Supreme High Court in Jerusalem, where she clerked for Justice Dorner. Orit also holds an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.
Wexner Israel Fellowship Alum Ruth Wasserman Lande (Class 18)
– Blue and White Party (Kahol Lavan) #43
Ruth was born in Israel and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. Returning to Israel on her own at the age of 17, she graduated, cum laude, with a degree in International Relations and Communications from Bar Ilan University. After completing her studies, she served for three years as a political analyst in the Israeli Defense Force Intelligence, rising to the rank of Captain. Ruth started her career at the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, eventually serving as Advisor to the Deputy Director General for Strategic Affairs , dealing with counter-terrorism and counter-proliferation issues. During this time, she completed, with Honors, a Master of Arts degree in International Relations at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, focusing particularly on Middle Eastern issues. Ruth was then appointed to serve as the Political and Economic Advisor in the Israeli Embassy in Cairo, completing her service there as the Deputy Chief of Mission. Ruth was appointed as Foreign Affairs and World Jewish Affairs’ Advisor to former President of Israel, Mr. Shimon Peres. Ruth works, on a voluntary basis, on the promotion and development of one of Israel’s poorest mixed Jewish-Arab cities in Israel, Lod, where she also lives with her husband and three children. Likewise, she is a member of the “Israel Initiates Forum”- a non-political group advocating for regional cooperation in the face of security and other challenges which the country faces. Ruth speaks Hebrew, English, Russian, Arabic and French.
– Bridge Party (Gesher) #7
Michal has been the Director General of Ra’anana since 2014 and she is the first woman to hold this position. In this position and with the collaboration of the mayor, she led the strategic work program and was responsible for implementing the municipal policy and the day-to-day managing of the municipality including over 3,000 employees and an annual budget of over 1 billion NIS. Michal led the city service revolution, believing that the residents are in the center, she developed the human resource and made changes to the organizational structure to adapt to modern age, managed the planning teams of future neighborhoods and development of newly established neighborhoods, upgraded the public areas and parks, oversaw development of the industrial zone and initiated multi-year plans intended for innovation and use of technological tools for the welfare of the public and improvement of the quality of life for residents. Upon being released from the IDF she began her bachelor degree studies in English. Michal taught and held several positions in the Ben Gurion middle school in Herzliya including Deputy School Headmaster. In 2003 she was appointed Headmistress of the “Ben Zvi” middle school in Kfar Saba and moved on to become Headmistress of the Ilan Ramon middle school in Kochav Yair. In 2006 Michal was appointed Director of the Department of Education in the Ra’anana Municipality and in 2011 was promoted to Deputy Director & Director of the Education Administration of the municipality. She led and embedded unique educational programs in the city and implemented system changes that turned Ra’anan into one of the leading cities in education and opened dozens of new kindergartens and schools in the city. Her worked earned her the Roni Feinstein prize in 2014. During her five years as Deputy Director of the Ra’anana Municipality, the city won many prizes, including the National Prize for Education, the Minister of Interior’s prize for Social Responsibility and others. Michal is a certified business coach, has a Masters (cum laude) in Managing Educational Systems from the Bar Ilan University, is an alumna of the Wexner Senior Leaders program, completed Municipal & Public Corporations Directors course and the program for Paradigm Disrupting Business Models in the IDC Herzliya. She is a mother of three.
Wexner Israel Fellowship Alum Ram Shmueli (Class 11)
– All of Us Party (Kulanu) #10
Brigadier General (Res.) Ram served as the Head of Intelligence of the Israeli Air Force (2004-2007). In this position he was a member of the Commanders’ Forum of the Air Force, as well as a member of the Council of Directors of Intelligence. Ram is Founder and Chairman of the “Meetchabrim-connecting to a common future” movement. Because of this involvement, in 2015 he won the Jerusalem Award from President Rubi Rivlin. He also serves as the Chairman of the NGO “Hashomer Hachadash” and the Chairman of the youth village Kfar Galim. Prior to this, Ram was the founder and owner of “Education-cities,” an organization that leads strategic planning and executing of a unique model of the city as a generic platform for better education in the 21st century. He also headed the task force “The Best Become Teachers” to promote the status of teachers in the Israeli society. Ram earned a bachelor’s degree in the AWC American Air Force, Auburn University, and a master’s degree from Harvard University.
– Blue and White Party (Kahol Lavan) #42
Space is limited. RSVP here to participate.
