Our Team
The Kaima family is passionate about what it does. Our collective experience working with youth and our respect for the environment and community development align to offer dropout youth an essential sense of personal pride; encourage civic responsibility; and bring to their lives the possibility of a brighter future.
Yoni Yefet-Reich - CEO and Director of the Center for Economic Development and Educational Training
Yoni was born and grew up in Beit Zayit and is a graduate of the nearby Ein Kerem Community Environmental School. He has considerable experience in non-profit organizational management and informal social educational program development and implementation. Yoni received his Bachelor of Law (LLB) in 2005 and graduated with an M.A. in Non-Profit Management at Hebrew University in 2013.
Guy Bar Navon - Social Worker and Educational Director
Guy lives in Beit Zayit, just a few minutes from the farm. He received his MSW in Clinical Social Work from Hebrew University in 2014. Kaima’s supportive environment offers Guy with the ideal opportunity to combine his passion for nature with his professional goals. In addition to working at the farm, Guy works as a child and youth therapist in a public health clinic.
Nadav Bensusan - Community & Customer Relations and Logistics Director
Prior to his military service in the IDF, Nadav volunteered for a year in the Negev helping advance and support youth in vulnerable area communities. Nadav holds a B.A. in Management of Service Organizations (specializing in tourism) from Hadassah College including an internship at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Jerusalem. Nadav brings to Kaima his broad range of valuable experience in logistics, management and youthwork.
Yiftach Garber – Pedagogic Agriculturalist and Team Leader
Yiftach is from Kibbutz Kfar Menachem, where he grew up learning about numerous facets of agriculture, including work with goat and sheep. He is also a trained carpenter. After receiving his BA in special education, philosophy and history from Tel-Hai College in the Upper Galilee, Yiftach moved to Jerusalem and started working at Beit Sefer Hanisui (The Experimental School), initially one-on-one with autistic youth and later within in the mainstream elementary school. He planned to take a break from educational work, but when he heard about Kaima, he immediately changed his mind, and was welcomed on board.
Ariel Knafo – Center for Economic Development and Educational Training, Expansion Coordinator
Ariel grew up in Maalot, in the north of Israel, and is a graduate of the Tefen Experimental Democratic School. Ariel received his BA in Industrial Design department at Hadassah College in Jerusalem in 2011. After many years of living in and near the capital city and working as the Educational Specialists at Amutat Kaima’s mother farm in Beit Zayit, Ariel relocated up north to the village of Abirim where he is in process of building an eco-friendly home for his family. With tremendous experience and perfectly geographically positioned, Ariel splits his time between our sister farms, providing much needed guidance and mentoring.
Roey Kraus - Educational Agriculturalist & Hydroponic Greenhouse Director
Though Roey grew up in Ra’anana, he has lived in and explored many regions of Israel focusing on community and agricultural work. Roey received his B.A. from Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee in “Land of Israel Studies” - an interdisciplinary program that comprises several academic fields that relate to the country's human and natural landscape - past and present. Roey now calls Beit Zayit home. He loves nature, people, quiet and a positive look on life.
Irit Liberman - Office Manager and Visitor Center Coordinator
Irit grew up on Kibbutz Ein Tzurim. Before enlisting in the IDF, she volunteered in a program in disadvantaged neighborhoods via the Israeli scouting movement. During her army service, Irit worked with new immigrants and youth at risk. A professional educational administrator for more than 20 years, she is committed to working with social change organizations whose ideology she shares.
Niv Liel - Agricultural Director and Pedagogic Agriculturalist
Niv grew up in Kiryat Tivon and was educated at the nearby Harduf Waldorf School. Upon graduation, he moved to Jerusalem where he worked with youth in a variety of educational settings. After completing his military service, Niv embarked on a long journey in Israel and abroad, visiting farms, working, hiking and living in nature. His first connection to Kaima was as a volunteer while studying for his B.A. in Philosophy and Jewish Thought at Shalem College. Over the years, Kaima remained on his mind. Immediately upon graduation, Nir joined Kaima's staff. Because of his previous experience, Niv was able to assume the challenging position of Agricultural Director. It is at Kaima where he feels he is able to combine his love for people and nature.
Adi (Didi) Malka - Farm Manager
After completing her army service, Adi attended the Reidman International College for Complementary and Integrative Medicine. This background has allowed her to follow a holistic approach to her professional work with youth. At Kaima, Adi feels she has found a place where it is possible to develop a sincere and deep relationship with teens based on cooperation, personal and mutual responsibility, and caring. Adi is transitioning into the position of farm manager and will be responsible for both our adult and youth staff and oversight of our CSA business operations.
Michael Mizrahi Fein - Educational Artist, Director of Kaima PBL Lab
Born in Jerusalem, Michael always found his passion in building, renovating and craft making. In 2008, he graduated from Hadassah College’s School of Industrial Design, and later served as a faculty member at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design where he headed the school’s workshop. In 2017 Michael, who already had extensive experience volunteering with troubled youth, established Kaima’s PBL (Project Based Learning) wood and metal workshop. There, teaches welding and woodworking skills to our youth and together they build and fix farm equipment and other items.
National Service Volunteers
Yonatan Evan
Tal Giladi
Maayana Leibowitz
David Roth
Our Founders
We thank Kaima's enthusiastic founders for all their help and continued support along the way. Yoni Yefet Reich, Erez Spivak, Nomi Lifshitz, Nadav Bensusan, Tamir Deutch, Uri Kandel, Sharon Yaakovan, Gilad Hochman, Ishai Rivkin-Fenton.
In memorium. Kaima cherished and deeply appreciated the vision, wisdom and hard work of our much-missed founding member, Marit Taub z"l, with whom we had the privilege to work until her untimely passing in August 2015.