Kaima Professional Team
OUR NETWORK: Kaima Center for Economic Development and Educational Training
The Kaima Center for Economic Development and Educational Training enables us to oversee all educational, business, and financial resource development activities across the growing Kaima youth farming network. This includes managing current farms and vetting potential new sister venues. Meet the team below:
Yoni Yefet-Reich: CEO and Kaima Network Director *
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: Kaima Network, Educational Coordinator
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. Though he previously served as Kaima’s long-time, onsite social worker, Guy has taken on a new, larger role traveling to our sister farms to assure all operate in alignment with Kaima’s “employment-as-education” principles. When not at one of our network farms, Guy offers psychotherapy in a private clinic in Jerusalem.
Nadav Bensusan: Kaima Network, Marketing Manager *
Nadav holds a B.A. in Service Organization Management from Hadassah College and has considerable experience as an administrator and consultant to social businesses, having served as the Logistics Manager for NGO Youth of Light and the Ofaimme Farm for Sustainable Agriculture. Before his IDF service, Nadav volunteered with vulnerable communities in Beersheva and the surrounding area. Nadav is the former coordinator of Moadon Re'ut, a soup kitchen and social club for Jerusalem's poor and elderly, created and run by high school youth. Nadav is also a member of Israel’s volunteer police corps as well as an avid baker.
OUR PROTOTYPE FARM: Kaima Beit Zayit
Kaima Beit Zayit, the network’s prototype farm, is led by a strong team of young professionals who are passionate about what they do. Their collective experience as educators and respect for the environment align to offer youth and young adults an essential sense of personal pride, encourage civic responsibility, and bring to their lives the possibility of a brighter future. Meet the team below:
Dror Ben David: Social Worker
Dror grew up on Kibbutz Neot Semadar. While in the army, Dror trained as a tour and hiking guide, cementing her love of the land. She received her BA in Social Work in 2020 from Hebrew University and joined Kaima the following year. As the organization's social worker, she promotes the social, emotional, and mental well-being of our young farmers, intervening early with issues before they escalate, and serving as a link to other social welfare authorities. Kaima reminds Dror of the community she grew up in--a place that values the rhythm of nature, the power of community, and the cultivation of interpersonal relationships.
Ella Koren Lifshitz: Customer Relations Manager
Ella grew up in Ashdod. She received her BFA from the School of Audio Visual Arts at Sapir College. Her natural curiosity about people and their stories evolved into a long career as a television investigator and content editor. After a decade of working in the field, her interest in people changed direction. In assuming Kaima’s role as Customer Relations Manager, she now interacts with our 500+ membership base as well as our young farmers, listening to and absorbing everyone’s life stories. The position requires real “people-person” skills, which Ella has in abundance.
Irit Liberman: Office Manager
Irit grew up on Kibbutz Ein Tzurim. Before enlisting in the IDF, she volunteered with disadvantaged communities via the Israeli scouting movement. During her army service, Irit worked with new immigrants and youth at risk. A professional educational administrator for over 25 years, she is committed to working with social change organizations whose ideology she shares.
Niv Liel: Agricultural Development Manager
Niv grew up in Kiryat Tivon and was educated at the Harduf Waldorf School. Upon graduation, he moved to Jerusalem where he worked in numerous educational settings. Following 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. Kaima always remained on Niv’s mind; he eventually joined Kaima's staff, initially assuming the challenging position of Agricultural Director, though is currently engaged in agricultural expansion activities.
Adi (Didi) Malka: Farm Manager
After completing her army service, Didi attended Reidman International College for Complementary and Integrative Medicine, an experience that heavily influenced her holistic approach to youth outreach. At Kaima, Didi feels she 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. Didi is responsible for both our adult and youth staff and oversight of our CSA business operations.
Michael Mizrahi Fein: Educational Artist and 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, he teaches welding and woodworking skills to our youth, and together they build and fix farm equipment and other items.
El Shabtai: Packing House Manager
El grew up on Kibbutz Beit Oren. As a child, El helped raise goats and sheep; as an adult, she has followed a similar path, working in agricultural settings throughout the country. El is in charge of Kaima’s extremely busy packing house, a task that involves managing our youth workers and volunteers; maximizing operational efficiencies; and assuring consistent output, quality, and waste reduction. El considers herself an environmental activist and educator, and, as such, believes there is nothing more important than encouraging young people to take responsibility for their actions and impact on their community.
Gilad Shmueli: Pedagogic Agriculturalist & Team Leader
Gilad received his degree in clinical social work from Hebrew University. Originally a customer and later a volunteer, he subsequently joined Kaima’s professional staff as a team leader. Gilad maintains that the farm’s embracing community offers young people unique opportunities to connect to nature – essential to personal growth and healing.
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Hallel Tal: Agricultural Manager
Hallel was born and raised in Kiryat Tivon. Upon graduating from the Harduf Waldorf School, he volunteered in Jerusalem with vulnerable youth. After hearing about Kaima, Hallel came for a visit, fell in love with the farm, and arranged to perform two years of national service working with our youth. Once his service concluded, Hallel traveled to the Far East where he volunteered on a number of farms. Upon his return to Israel, he rejoined Kaima as a team leader and eventually took charge of Kaima’s “Fruits of the Forest Project,” which allows us to experiment with berry farming. More recently, he assumed the position of the farm’s Agricultural Manager.
Nadav Yudekovitz: Team Leader
Nadav grew up in Jerusalem where he spent most of his childhood climbing, practicing survival skills, and imagining a future as an educator, teaching other people life’s lessons rather than academic subjects. After his army service as a climbing, surfing, and rescue guide, Nadav undertook advanced climbing courses (receiving certification from the Wingate Institute) and tackled many challenging climbs, both in Israel and abroad. Nadav also holds a B.sc. in plant phytology, microbiology, and entomology from the Hebrew University.
* Kaima Founder
National Service Team
Moran Adler
Zohar Gilad
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Tom Ron
Bari Arobas
Yotam Gur
Uriel Ben Itzhak
Talia Grossman
Yahel Ben Zaken
Caren Sussman
Maayan Reuven
Volunteer Leadership
Board of Directors
Ariel Cohen
Dani Dikshtai
Ohad Hod
Ari Peleg
Tomer Shemesh
Audit Committee
Elishar Lifshitz
Advisory Committee
Adv. Ariel Dayan
Jackie Goren
Uri Kandel
Nomi Lifshitz
Erez Nota
Adv. Lior Rozner
Carmel Vernia
Yuval Yardeni
Founders
Yoni Yefet Reich
Nadav Bensusan
Tamir Deutch
Gilad Hochman
Uri Kandel
Nomi Lifshitz
Ishai Rivkin-Fenton
Erez Spivak
Marit Taub (z"l) **
Sharon Yaakovan
** In Memorium. Kaima cherished and deeply appreciated the vision, wisdom, and hard work of founding member, Marit Taub z"l, with whom we had the privilege to work until her untimely passing in August 2015.