The Wexner Foundation > Wexner Israel Fellowship Program

WIFP Class XXIII Fellows

Lt. Col. Reuven Arbel - Director of Technological Research and Analysis, Israel Defense Forces

Lt. Col. Reuven “Rubi” Arbel has served in the Israel Defense Forces since 1989 in several positions, combining operational flying in one of the Israeli Air Force’s jet squadrons with professional positions in the research and development field. Currently, Rubi is a Branch Director in one of the Israel Defense Forces’ technology units, leading complex multidisciplinary projects. He joined this field in 2004 after graduating magna cum laude with both B.Sc. and M.Sc degrees in Industrial Engineering from Tel Aviv University. During his studies, he focused on information systems and his final thesis was on the subject of data mining. Rubi's personal hobbies include hiking, biking, skiing, Jewish history, painting and cooking. He is married to Avishag and they live in Tel Aviv with their three children: Naomi, Dafna and Yoav.

Sharon Avraham-Weiss - Tel Aviv Regional Commissioner, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor

Attorney Sharon Avraham-Weiss serves as the Tel Aviv and Central Israel Region Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)since 2009. She is responsible for developing, implementing and overseeing a non-discriminatory policy for employers and employees in the private and public sectors. Sharon has prepared and appeared in court cases that broaden and clarify the protection against discrimination to which workers are entitled. Prior to entering government service, Sharon headed the Clinic for Corporate Social Responsibility at the College of Law & Business. Before that she was a staff attorney responsible for social and economic rights at The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). She was also among the founders and a board member of “Itach-Maaki – Women lawyers for social justice.” Sharon holds an LLM magna cum laude from Tel Aviv University, and LLB and B.Sc degrees from the Hebrew University. She is married to Yoav and they have two daughters: Alma and Ella Anna.

Commander Dalit Caspi-Schachner - Head of the Strategic Military Branch, General Headquarters, Israel Defense Forces

Dalit Caspi-Schachner is a Commander (Lt. Col.) in the Israel Navy. She joined the Navy in 1997 after graduating cum laude with B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from the Technion under the IDF’s program for outstanding students. Throughout her service, Dalit combined various disciplines in her assignments, including electrical engineering, operations research and operational theory. She has both performed independent research and lead various research teams in the Israeli defense industries. Currently, Dalit serves as the Head of the Strategic Military Branch in the Strategic Planning Division of the IDF General Staff. She focuses on the connection between strategic considerations and military force build-up decision-making. Dalit was recognized for her writing both by the Chief of General Staff (Award for best essay) and the "Military and Defense writing" competition committee for the year 2010. Dalit is married to Eyal and they live in Givatayim with their two children: Amit and Yoav.

Jacob Goldberg - Senior Head of Section, Legal Department, Israel Antitrust Authority

Jacob “Kobi” Goldberg is a section chief at the Israel Antitrust Authority's legal department. His responsibilities entail promoting competition and handling antitrust legal cases in a variety of sectors, including energy, transportation, infrastructure and environment. Jacob has led a number of pro-competitive legislative and public initiatives, particularly in the energy sector. He is a board member of the Israeli class action support fund. Prior to his affiliation with the Antitrust Authority, Jacob worked in the judicial system for over 6 years and from 2000-2003 was the chief legal aid to Justice Dr. Ayala Procaccia of Israel's Supreme Court. He was admitted to the Israeli bar in 1998, holds an LL.B. degree from the Hebrew University magna cum laude, an LLM degree from the Hebrew University and a European Master in Law and Economics (EMLE) degree from Universidad Complutense, Madrid.

Uri Gopher - Director of Policy Change, Arab Society-Police Relations Initiative. The Abraham Fund Initiatives

Uri Gopher has been working since 1998 to promote Arab-Jewish relations in Israel, focusing on the formation and implementation of public policy that promotes civic equality, inclusion and governmental accountability. Since 2009, Uri has directed the Arab Society-Police Relations Initiative at The Abraham Fund, conducted in cooperation with Israel Police, which seeks to promote community-based policing and reform in policing as they relate to the Arab citizens of Israel. Prior to this, he led a variety of advocacy efforts in the same organization. Before joining The Abraham Fund Initiatives, Uri served as co-director for "Orr Watch" at Sikkuy, the Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality, which monitored the implementation of the recommendations of the Orr Commission of Inquiry, established to investigate the events of October 2000. Uri is also an experienced group facilitator, trained at The School for Peace at Neve Shalom–Wahat Al-Salam and at Tel Aviv University. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Psychology from Haifa University and a Master's degree in Social Psychology from Tel Aviv University. Fluent in Hebrew, English and Arabic, Uri is also an accomplished musician and, together with his spouse Yanir, is the father of daughter, Hagar and son, Omri.

Lt. Col. Nir Peleg - Director of Research & Systems Development, Israel Defense Forces

Lt. Col. Nir Peleg is a Department Manager and Director in one of the Israel Defense Forces’ elite technology units. He joined this unit 18 years ago after receiving his B.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Ben-Gurion University under the IDF’s program for outstanding students. While serving, Nir also received his M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Tel Aviv University and in 2008 was promoted to the highest military R&D rank. In 2006, Nir received the highest Israel Defense Prize Award. Among his community activities, most recently Nir served as the Regional Leader of the "Atidim" Program, an IDF initiative providing university education to talented youth from Israel's disaffected communities. Nir is married to Tal and they live in Hod-Hasharon, Israel with their three children: Nitzan, Shaked and Tomer.

Yariv Regev - Senior Legal Assistant to the State Attorney of Israel, Ministry of Justice

Adv. Yariv Regev serves as the senior legal assistant to the State Attorney of Israel, advising and assisting the State Attorney. Among other matters, he is in charge of coordinating, supervising and advancing key national projects of the Office of the State Attorney. During the past five years, Mr. Regev has also been involved in Israel's most sensitive and high-profile political corruption and severe crime cases. Previously, he worked in the Office of the District Attorney of Jerusalem, specializing in litigation in criminal, administrative and civil proceedings. He received both his LLB magna cum laude and his LLM degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Yariv is married to Michal and they have two daughters: Roni and Daniella.

Tami Shor - Senior Deputy Director for Regulation, Israel Water Authority

Tami Shor is the Senior Deputy to the Director of the Israeli Water Authority. She is in charge of the Regulation Division. Tami has worked for the Water Authority and the Water Commissioner Office for the past seven years in a variety of roles, among them head of the Operations Department, serving as the leader of the national water crisis team in 2008-2009. Tami received her B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the Technion IIT in Civil Engineering and Management of Water Resources and started her professional course as a regional water engineer in Mekorot, the Israeli National Water Company. She also worked in the private sector as a product manager in Verint Systems, a provider of communications intelligence services. Tami is married to Erez and they have two boys and a girl.

Nimrod Tzukert - Deputy Head of Department, Ministry of Defense

Nimrod Tzukert is a senior executive within the Ministry of Defense, specializing in issues of intelligence and anti-terrorism. Raised in Jerusalem, he received his B.A. in Computer Sciences as a participant in the "Maof" program of the Tel Aviv Academic College. His hobbies include riding horses, scuba diving, math problem solving, and playing the piano. He lives in Kiryat Ono with his wife Nona.