BRIT OLAM - Key Persons
Michael (Mike) Naftali is a social entrepreneur, social inventor, social activist and teacher, and researcher in voluntarism and civil society. For more than 40 years, he has taken an active part in advancing, managing, and leading a wide range of social endeavors, including the formation of social entrepreneurship platforms, volunteering and civil society infrastructure programs, youth at risk services, formal and non formal educational settings, mental health programs, community-based art programs and a variety of international development initiatives.
Much of his work has been incorporated in heading and leading Civil Society organizations.
To date, Dr. Naftali serves as the founding president of a network of leading Israeli Civil Society Organizations (C.S.Os.) Topaz - Leading Social Innovations, Brit Olam - International Volunteering and Development and Inspiration - Arts for Humanity.
Formerly Dr. Naftali served as the chairperson of the National Council for Voluntarism in Israel (C.S.O.), the national Civil Society umbrella association for Voluntary Effort. He is also co-founder of Natan - The Israeli Coalition for Disaster Relief (C.S.O.), and until 2016 served as vice-chairperson of S.I.D. Israel - The Society for International Development (C.S.O.). In 2017 Dr. Naftali was nominated as the chairperson of the "The Israeli Academic Forum for Social Enterprise, founded in 2009 by the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University, SHATIL - Leading Social Change (C.S.O.), and Topaz.
In the past, Dr. Naftali served as the founding director of Enosh- the Israel Mental Health Association (C.S.O.) and between the years 1984 - 2003, the founding C.E.O. of Elem - Youth in Distress in Israel (C.S.O.). During this period, Dr. Naftali initiated and advanced numerous endeavors challenging the unique needs of at-risk, neglected, and delinquent youth. Dr. Naftali is one of the founders of Platforma - for Civil Society, a nonprofit consulting and development firm and initiator of the Israeli national program for expanding the Israeli voluntary effort "Life Long Volunteering and Giving."
Michael Naftali is a Social Worker by profession and received his Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University School of Social Work in 1996. Michael is married to Dr. Timna Naftali - a specialist in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology. They live in Tel Aviv and have four children. He is also a keen Yachtsman and holds a Skippers Certificate for Mediterranean and Ocean Voyages.
Marcelle Juliet Saul Sheiman is a current Board Member with Brit Olam. An admitted attorney to the Supreme Court of the Republic of South Africa and Israeli advocate with 25 years of experience in the business community. She currently serves as Chairman of the Israel - South Africa Chamber of Commerce.
Ms. Saul Sheiman has extensive management and investment banking experience, and is the founder of her own boutique investment banking firm, Presidio Strategic Capital, and PharmaLight, an ophthalmic drug delivery company. She is also a partner in AntHill LP, a unique partnership of Israeli entrepreneurship, funding and management, established to capitalize on Sub-Saharan African opportunities.
Ms. Saul Sheiman has always maintained a strong Jewish identity and ties with those committed to the promotion of the State of Israel. As such, she has featured as guest speaker in numerous diplomatic settings including for the Consulate General of Israel in New York, the Jewish National Fund and as a member of the speakers bureau of the United Jewish Communities/ Federations of North America. She tenured as a Senior Research Fellow with the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, also working with two of Israel's national security advisors, including as past member of Israel's Forum for National Responsibility.
Together with a consortium of Israeli Jewish and Arab entrepreneurs, she founded an innovative Israeli NGO - "Synergy - Coming from Peace" - that uses breakthroughs in broad thinking in order to forge new possibilities for those populations living in conflict areas such as our own, to live in Peace.
Efrat was involved with studies in Celiac Disease, IBD and liver diseases from the beginning of her residency. She was also involved in many multicenter studies, especially in IBD, and lately, investigating the factors associated with patients adherence to treatment, as well as patients preferences to treatment outcome in IBD. Efrat believes that understanding this issue might improve patient physician communication. Her presentation of the summary of my work in the annual conference of the Israeli gastroenterology association won the prize of the best presentation of the conference in 2018. The results of Efrat's studies led her to believe that patient's physician communication in need for improving inflammation, disease activity and quality of life in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Efrat is looking forward to the opportunity to further explore this relationship in other chronic gastrointestinal diseases. Today, Efrat works as a specialist in adult and pediatric gastroenterology, Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology Unit in Shamir Medical Center, Israel.
Job Titles:
- Founding President of the "Association of WIZO Graduates
- Professor in Education
Prof. Lazovsky is also the founding President of the "Association of WIZO Graduates" [October 2018]. She wrote the first WIZO's Code of Ethics for this centennial organization, went on mission to Jewish communities in 32 cities. She knows 6 languages. Professor Lazovsky has been awarded twice, by the Ministry of Education and IAED, the Educational Counseling Award for her outstanding professional and academic work. And she received 4 awards from World WIZO for her volunteer work throughout the years, including Life Honorary Membership.