Our Office in Israel
Staff pictured in photo from left to right: Alon More, Hila Yallon, Merav Barr Grindlinger, Tamar Alperovitch, Barak Loozon, Tami Stern
The Federation's office in Israel enables, encourages and strengthens the connection between the Jewish communities in Israel and the Bay Area.
Our Federation has truly been a trailblazer in Israel, being the first to establish a permanent office there more than two decades ago, and recently forming a partnership of peers with Israel's first community foundation – Takdim, The Ramat Hasharon Community Foundation. Today, we continue our commitment to our homeland by working to strengthen Israel as a pluralistic, democratic and just society with equality of opportunity for all its citizens.
Location
After 20 years of working from Jerusalem alongside the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, the Federation made an exciting new move in 2014 to Kfar Saba together with other philanthropists, including the Lautman Foundation. Unique to the new office location is its proximity to the Steinberg Education Residential Campus, home to youth from Israel's periphery whose home environment prevents them from reaching their full academic, personal and social potential. The move to this location allows the Federation to be in constant contact with Israeli youth, tomorrow's leaders, and to continue our philanthropic work at ground-level.
Activities
The Federation in Israel has two central goals: to ensure "smart philanthropy," and to strengthen the bond between Jews in Israel and the Bay Area.
Smart Philanthropy
The Federation in Israel is clearly leading the way in innovative giving, which includes the growing field of social venture philanthropy. Our hands-on approach to grant-making in Israel is based on strategic investments, capacity building and developing and engaging local leaders and philanthropists who are able to actively promote the notion of a just, democratic and pluralistic state. The Israel office's staff have a deep understanding of the needs and challenges of the populations they serve, and of how to best assist our grantees in navigating "the system" for efficient implementation. Our Israeli program officers work side-by-side with our grantees to improve and enhance organizations' ability to reach their goals and fulfill their missions. At the same time, we know that smart philanthropy means working in partnerships and collaborating with other strategic funders in Israel (both public and private) to arrive at purposeful outcomes.
The Federation supports organizations that address specific social needs within five core issue areas:
- Preventing Poverty through Education: Narrowing Gaps and Encouraging Excellence among Disadvantaged Populations
- Preventing Poverty through Job Training and Employment
- Promoting Volunteerism and Leadership Development among Disadvantaged Populations
- Promoting a Shared Society
- Promoting Jewish Identity and Pluralism
Strengthening the Bay Area-Israel bond
The Jewish homeland is a unifying notion for Jewish communities worldwide, drawing disparate communities together and offering another way to express one's Judaism. The Federation office in Israel is charged with making Israel relevant to Jews in the Bay Area. The office acts as an active liaison between the two communities, hosting Federation and Bay Area synagogue missions, Diller Teen fellows, MASA participants, Impact Grants Initiative (IGI) donor-participants and others. Engaging the next generation of Bay Area Jewish leaders through our work in Israel is a powerful way to connect to our Jewish values of kehilla (community), tzedakah (giving with just intention), and tikkun olam (repairing the world).
Our Israeli Team
Barak Loozon, Director
Barak Loozon is currently the director of the Israel & Global network for the Federation in Israel. Previously, he has worked for the Federation as the director for young adult Israel engagement at the Israel Center and as the JAFI Community Shaliach. Prior to his Shlichut, Barak worked for the Institute for Democratic Education in Israel, and for the Israeli Scouts as their National Education director and deputy director-general. Barak holds a B.A. from Bar Ilan University in Criminology & Political science and a M.A. from Tel Aviv University and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
Tamar Alperovitch, Jewish Identity and Pluralism Program Officer and Gvanim Director
Tamar oversees the grantees in Israel in the area of Jewish identity and pluralism. She has been director of Gvanim since August 2009, and is herself an alumna of the program. Gvanim is the Federation's flagship program in Israel, a one-year, action-oriented leadership development program designed to train representatives from every sector of Israeli society, who, in turn, promulgate the principles of civil society, religious diversity, and unity to their own communities.
Alon More, Gvanim Co-Facilitator
Alon More joined the Gvanim team as a co-facilitator in 2014.
Hila Yallon, Employment and Education Program Officer
Hila oversees Israeli grantees in the area of employment and education, coordinates capacity building opportunities for these grantees, and collaborates with the director and other program officers to shape grantmaking strategies.
Merav Barr Grindlinger, Marketing Associate
Merav joined the Federation's team in Israel as a marketing associate with a unique American/Israeli perspective, helping to tell the story of the Federation's work in Israel to the Bay Area Jewish Community.
Tami Stern, Administrative Assistant
Tami Stern began working at the Federation in 2008.
