Professional Team
The Kaima family is passionate about what it does. Our collective experience working with youth and our respect for the environment 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.
Dror Ben David - Social Worker
Dror grew up on Kibbutz Neot Semadar, in southern Israel, located in the Arava Desert. During her army service, Dror trained as a tour and hiking guide, further cementing her love of the land. Dror received her bachelor’s degree in Social Work in 2020 from Hebrew University, and joined Kaima the following year, in the midst of the pandemic. 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.
Rani Erez – Center for Economic Development and Educational Training, Expansion Coordinator
One of the co-founders of sister farm, Kaima Beerotayim, Rani accompanies that farm’s teens from the initial integration process, through their time on the farm, and provides assistance to alumni. Rani has a degree in behavioral sciences from Bar Ilan University and is a human resource manager by training, a career that changed direction in favor of homeschooling her three children. As the Kaima Center Coordinator, Rani works with all network farms, providing guidance and mentoring in agriculture, business, and education.
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 joined the team.
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
Niv grew up in Kiryat Tivon and was educated at the nearby Harduf Waldorf School. Upon graduation, he moved to Jerusalem where he worked 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. Kaima always remained on Niv’s mind, and upon graduation he joined Kaima's staff, assuming the challenging position of agricultural director.
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 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.
Eitan Nechemia - Educational Agriculturalist and Greenhouse Director
Eitan started at Kaima as a volunteer in the spring of 2020, and within a short period, became more and more passionate about the work, until, eventually, he joined our professional staff. He especially enjoys the Kaima young spirit and the fieldwork. Eitan is skilled in a number of healing and massage techniques (Shiatsu, Thai, and the Ilan Lev method) and is an avid sportsman and musician.
El Shabtai – Packing House Manager
El grew up on Kibbutz Beit Oren, in northern Israel, on Mount Carmel. As a child, El took part in raising goats and sheep; as an adult, she has continued to follow a similar path by working in a variety of 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; assuring consistent output and quality control, as well as waste reduction; and attending to safety issues. 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.
National Service Team
Anouk Goren
Yoni Hod
Rotem Lavi
Yair Sagi
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 our much-missed founding member, Marit Taub z"l, with whom we had the privilege to work until her untimely passing in August 2015.