Our Team
"Helping the Negev Bedouins integrate fully into Israeli society is a mission of national significance"


Management Team

Dr. Mohammed Alnabari
CEO of Yanabia

Mohammed Abu Jafar
Director of Ratam

David Shavlev
Head of Quality of Life Division

Ella Reskin
Agriculture Coordinator

Horia Abu Jaber
Agriculture Coordinator

Ghalia Abu Kaff
Head of Economic Development Division

Roei Dahan
Head of Local Government Division

Haigar Abu Shareb
Development and Training Cordinator

Faten Elawashla
Agriculture Coordinator

Tayir Azulay
Head of Administration and Partnerships

Michal Aviram
Local council development liaison

Hadil Masaudin
Industry Coordinator
Board of Directors
Itzik Zivan
Businessman and philanthropist

CEO of Al-Sanabel, one of the most successful social businesses in Israel, which provides employment and empowerment opportunities for women in the Bedouin community. Member of the board of directors of Desert Stars.
In addition to his full-time volunteer social activism in the Bedouin community in the Negev, he is a co-owner of Zivtex Ltd, and served in the past as VP of Pex and as a head of division for Delta Galil Industries.
Mr Zivan holds a BSc in Computer Science.
Natuch Alsana
Entrepreneur, engineer, social activist in the Bedouin community

A construction engineer by trade, married and a father of four children, lives in Lakiya.
CEO and owner of Z.N Engineering and Construction and Reality Impact Ltd.
Social activist and member of the board of directors of Desert Stars.
Also a co-founder and member of the board of directors of Asak – The Forum for Arab Businesspeople in the Negev.
Shira Bergman
Senior Product Manager

In addition to her job as a senior product manager at Taboola, she is also involved in media and news products.
In the past, she served as a coordinator in the Budget Department at the Ministry of Finance, where she was responsible for transportation, water and agriculture. Among her responsibilities, Shira was involved in shaping the government decision on socioeconomic strengthening of the Bedouin community in the Negev—the first such decision to be drafted with the active participation of members of the Bedouin community.
In 2018, she was part of the founding team of Yanabia, since when she has served as a member of its board of directors. Shira has a BA in Economics and Political Science from Tel Aviv University, and an MA with a specialization in finance from the Interdisciplinary Center Herzeliya.
Yarona Ben-Shalom
Social worker and psychologist

Yarona Ben-Shalom Richardson is a social worker, organizational psychologist, manager and entrepreneur.
She holds a range of strategic managerial positions, including: director of the southern branch of Shatil – the New Israel Fund; senior program director at JDC-ELKA; co-director at Mifam (southern branch); project manager of the Regional Campus for the Education and Rehabilitation of Bedouin Children with Special Needs; project manager at the "Neve Briut" health center in Beer Sheva; overseeing the implementation of government resolutions and more. She specializes in strategy, public and municipal government, inter-sector cooperation, developing partnerships and leadership, developing services and working with Arab and Bedouin society.
Ms. Richardson is proud to be one of the founders of Yanabia.
Roni Maninger
Business consultant and mentor

Graduated with a BSc in Life Sciences and a Masters in Business Administration from Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
She brings with her a wealth of experience from industry, having served as the CEO and other management positions in various companies.
She also serves on the board of directors of a number of publically-owned companies and works as a business consultant. She has also volunteered as a mentor for many years with the Keren Shemesh Fund.
David Gordon
Head of investments at Longliv Ventures

David Gordon is head of investments at Longliv Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in digital health investments.
He has previously held senior management positions in innovation, product development and strategic planning at Intel.
He is one of the founders and held a senior executive position at Orange Israel (Partner).
He has served as a research fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS).
In the 1990s, he was a correspondent and senior editor at the Maariv, a leading Israeli daily newspaper.
David holds a bachelor's degree in computer science and a master's degree in archaeology from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He also has earned adiploma in negotiations and conflict resolution from Tel Aviv University.
Nimrod Sheffer
Major General (Res.)

Nimrod Sheffer was previously head of the Planning Directorate of the IDF and served for many years as a combat pilot and commander in the Israeli Air Force.
After completing his army service, Nimrod served as CEO of Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). In recent years he has served as a board member for MAOZ and Yanabia and has supported the Desert Stars initiative almost from the day it was established.
He is married to Haya and has four children. He holds a bachelor's degree in geophysics from Tel Aviv University and a master's degree in public administration from Harvard University.
Atef Abu Ajaj
CEO of a Municipal Corporation

Holds a BA in Engineering and a PhD in Philosophy from Ben-Gurion University. As part of his doctoral work, he developed a unique model for dynamic analysis and interaction in state-tribal relations in the Negev.
Atef has significant experience in senior public management, and for over a decade he has served as the CEO of a municipal corporation serving over 100,000 residents.
Before this, Atef worked as a manager in the Department for Economic Development at AJEEC-NISPED. Ever since, Atef has been involved in social projects with the goal of promoting and developing the Bedouin community in the Negev. At the same time, he is a lecturer in various forums and institutions for higher education, and he has been been awarded recognition as an outstanding lecturer on multiple occasions.
Dr. Yasmeen Abu Fraiha
Doctor of internal medicine, entrepreneur and founder of Rodaina

A Bedouin Israeli social activist and entrepreneur, founder and CEO of Rodaina, which encourages pre-marital genetic tasting, primarily in the Bedouin community.
A doctor of internal medicine at the Soroka University Medical Center in Be’er Sheva.
Dr. Abu Fraiha is a polyglot, speaking Hebrew, English, Arabic and Spanish fluently.
During her studies at Hebrew University, she edited and put together presentations in anatomy that are known as “Yasmeen Presentations”, which the students use to support their studies.
Kher Elbaz
Co-CEO, Ajeec-Nisped

Graduated with a BA in Social Services from Ben-Gurion University in the Negev, an MA in Social Planning and Policy from Wilfrid Laurier University in Canada, and an MBA from the University of Haifa.
For many years, Kher managed the Regional Welfare Division that provided services for the Bedouin towns of Segev Shalom, Kseiffe, Ar’ara and the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev. He worked in the Canadian Department of Welfare for three years.
Today, he is an expert in government social policy and contemporary trends in Bedouin society. He is involved in a wide range of initiatives in community planning and development, on a local and national level.