Staff

For general inquiries please email director@hasbarafellowships.org

Executive Leadership
Staff
Campus Coordinators
Campus Advisors
Logistical Staff

Executive Leadership

Elliot Mathias
Executive Director
emathias@hasbarafellowships.org

Elliot Mathias is the Founder and Director of Hasbara Fellowships, a leading pro-Israel campus activism organization working with over 100 Universities across North America. Elliot founded Hasbara Fellowships in 2001. Hasbara Fellowships trains and supports students on Universities to defend and promote Israel, providing them with information, tools, materials and motivation to stand up to the wide range of anti-Israel activism and propaganda prevalent on University campuses. Elliot frequently speaks both on and off campus about topics relating to Israel, Israel activism and Jewish education. Elliot graduated from Northwestern University in 1997 with a degree in Communications and received his Rabbinical ordination from Yeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem in 2007.

Natalie Menaged
Director of Education
nmenaged@hasbarafellowships.org

Since 2006, Natalie Menaged has been on the management team of Hasbara Fellowships, serving as Managing Director, National Director, and now as Director of Education. In her current capacity, Natalie oversees the Hasbara Fellowships curriculum and campaigns, activism training programs in Israel, leadership development, public relations, and other strategic initiatives. Natalie was a participant on the very first Hasbara Fellowships and was the founder and president of Gators for Israel at the University of Florida. She was extensively involved in university and state politics, as well as the Jewish community, during her time at UF. Upon graduation Natalie worked for Hasbara Fellowships as a Campus Coordinator, and then studied in Israel. With her husband Eli, Natalie was active in Jewish education and outreach in Brooklyn for many years. The Menaged family recently made aliyah to join the Israel XP program at Bar-Ilan University, where they look forward to continuing their work in Jewish education and Israel advocacy.

Alan Levine
Managing Director
alevine@hasbarafellowships.org

Alan has been part of the Hasbara Fellowships team since 2009. In that time, Alan has trained hundreds of student pro-Israel activists. Previously, Alan focused on research and writing, where he focused on the activities of Hezbollah and Iran in Latin America. His writing has been featured in prominent publications such as Front Page Magazine, InFocus Magazine, and National Review Online. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with an emphasis on international relations from UC Santa Barbara, where he first became involved in pro-Israel activism through Hasbara Fellowships. Alan speaks English, Spanish, and Hebrew, and is based in Los Angeles.

Ephraim Shore
Israel Director
eshore@aish.com

Ephraim Shore received ordination at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem. As a student, he founded the Jerusalem Fellowships program, which has become the most popular study program for college students in Israel. He founded Aish HaTorah's successful branch in South Florida, then became the Executive Director of Aish HaTorah Toranto, overseeing the building of two major community centers, and the expansion into 4 separate Aish centers. He co-founded Hasbara Fellowships and works at Aish HaTorah Jerusalem in new projects, fundraising and public relations.

Staff

Daniel Cohen
Regional Coordinator, Midwest
dcohen@hasbarafellowships.org

Daniel Cohen is the Midwest Regional Coordinator. He is a recent graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Bachelor of Science in Psychology. Daniel studied abroad at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and became a leader in Israel advocacy upon his return, working as a student reporter for Israel Campus Beat, an intern for MASA Israel, and an intern at Hillel while planning Israel events with Israel Illini. In addition, Daniel worked as an Internal Development Coordinator with Illinois Business Consulting, the largest student-run consulting firm in the country, where he led recruitment and training efforts across three colleges. Daniel is very excited to join Hasbara Fellowships and looks forward to meeting campus leaders and helping them bring Israel advocacy to their campus!

Hashem Hamdy

Regional Coordinator, Eastern Canada
hhamdy@hasbarafellowships.org

Hashem Hamdy is a graduate of Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and majored in political science with a focus in security studies and Afghanistan. Hashem served in leadership positions on the board of the city-wide Israel Awareness Committee in Ottawa, and worked to defend Israel in many on-campus forums. Aside from advocacy, Hashem sat on Carleton's student council and Senate, and was lucky enough to work on both Parliament Hill in Ottawa and Capitol Hill in Washington. With a love for communications, Hashem hopes to spend his days engaging with and inspiring many people.

Jesse Shore
Regional Coordinator, East Coast
jshore@hasbarafellowships.org

Jesse Shore is a graduate of Yeshiva University where he majored in Philosophy and Psychology. Before university, Jesse studied for two years at Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi in Jerusalem. His education and enthusiasm for Israel advocacy lead him to participate in many Middle East and Israel affiliated organizations. Jesse was unanimously elected president of Yeshiva University's Israel Club where he ran advocacy programming and extended its impact beyond the confines of his campus. A seasoned public speaker and resourceful writer, Jesse is keen on bringing his talents to Hasbara Fellowships and is committed in continuing to nurture the advancement of Israel activism.

Netanella Refael
Administrative Coordinator
nrefael@hasbarafellowships.org

Netanella Refael is the Administrative Coordinator for Hasbara Fellowships. She is a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology. As a freshman in CUNY John Jay, Netanella helped renew and form the Hillel at John Jay where she served as the Treasurer, Vice President and then President. Netanella attended the Hasbara Fellowships program in 2009 and became an active fellow on her campus and in the New York City area. Additionally, Netanella was the New York Campus Coordinator for Hasbara Fellowships during her senior year. She is fluent in English and Hebrew, and is very excited to continue working with Hasbara Fellowships.

Rachel Weiss
Director of Alumni and Young Leadership
rweiss@hasbarafellowships.org

Rachel Weiss is the Director of Alumni and Young Leadership for Hasbara Fellowships. As a former West Coast Campus Coordinator for Hasbara Fellowships, Rachel is excited to rejoin the Hasbara Fellowships team. She is eager to reach out to Hasbara Fellowships alumni to develop pro-Israel programming and fundraising initiatives tailored specifically for alumni interested in continuing their advocacy efforts and supporting the organization's growth. Rachel recently served as the Director of Young Leadership & Donor Relations for the Museum of Jewish Heritage for several years raising money to support the Museum's cutting-edge exhibits and outreach efforts. Previously, she was the Leadership Management Director for one of the AIPAC New York regions, working on fundraising for pro-Israel politics and planning lobbying activities. Rachel is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University with a B.A. in history & Public Policy, with a focus on foreign policy. Rachel looks forward to connecting with Hasbara Fellowships alumni old and new, and inspiring them to get involved in dynamic young leadership activities.

Campus Coordinators

Alexandra Cohen
Campus Coordinator, Greater Washington Region
alexandracohen@hasbarafellowships.org

Alexandra Cohen has been involved with Israel advocacy since she returned from her Taglit-Birthright trip in 2009. She has been trained by Hasbara Fellowships and other national pro-Israel organizations. As a Hasbara Fellow and leader of the Coalition of Hopkins Activists for Israel (CHAI), Ali built a lot of coalitions and has developed many campus-wide initiatives. She enjoys educating others about Israeli politics, culture, innovation, and current events, sharing an infectious love of everything Israeli to her peers. As the Campus Coordinator for the Greater Washington region, Ali hopes to develop relationships with student leaders on different campuses, as well as spread positive messages to friends and future friends of Israel. Ali speaks Spanish and is learning Hebrew.

Avi Fuld
Campus Coordinator, New England
afuld@hasbarafellowships.org

Avi Fuld has been a passionate about Israel since he was a counselor for a Zionist youth movement during his four years in high school. After graduating high school, Avi spent a year in Israel at a Yeshiva program called Lev HaTorah, where his love for Israel grew exponentially. Avi then attended Brandeis University where he became one of the leading activists in his Israel group, the Brandeis Zionist Alliance. Avi is extremely excited to be working with students throughout New England in making their campuses more Israel friendly.

Batya Reyz
Campus Coordinator, New York
breyz@hasbarafellowships.org

Batya Reyz is a human rights activist and is therefore proud to consider herself a pro- peace Zionist. Batya became passionate about Israel activism in her senior year of High School, when she attended various lobbying missions to Washington, DC with her college classmates. Batya became Vice President of Students United for Israel at Brooklyn College in her freshman year, and went on to intern for the Zionist Organization of America that summer. After becoming a Hasbara Fellow, Batya acquired the tools that she needed to better achieve her goal of bringing Israel life to her campus. Excited to continue her involvement in campus activism, Batya is looking forward to working with as many students as possible around the New York area.

Danielle Reich
Campus Coordinator, New York/New Jersey
dreich@hasbarafellowships.org

Danielle Reich studied at the Albert A. List College Joint Program with Columbia University, with a prospective double major in Middle Eastern studies and Jewish history. As a winter 2010 Hasbara Fellowships graduate, a former CAMERA Campus fellow and a former David Project fellow, Danielle has gained a lot of Israel advocacy experience throughout her time at college. Additionally, Danielle is proficient in Hebrew and Spanish, and is currently studying Arabic. She is very excited to work for Hasbara Fellowships and to help create effetive pro-Israel programming with all the fellows in the New York/New Jersey area.

David Plotkin
Campus Coordinator, Montreal and Ottawa Region
dplotkin@hasbarafellowships.org

A graduate of the Hasbara Fellowships Israel Program in Winter 2009, as well as the Hasbara Fellowships NY2DC Program in Winter 2010, David has received a wide range of Israel Advocacy training and is very excited to share his passion and knowledge with fellow advocates on the CEGEP and University campuses in the Montreal and Ottawa region. He has held past positions on the boards of Dawson College Hillel and Hillel Montreal, and continues to be active in student life and Jewish community initiatives. David is eager to develop and enhance Israel Advocacy initiatives on campus, within the framework of the Canadian university experience.

Eitan Gilboord
Campus Coordinator, Toronto
egilboord@hasbarafellowships.org

Eitan's first time in Israel was on March of the Living where he fell in love with the country and came to the realization of the need to defend Israel from her enemies. Eitan has held many positions in the Jewish community since then, including a re-founding father of AEPi at Ryerson in his first year of college. It was that year where he realized that his campus needed a much larger pro-Israel group to counteract the anti-Israel sentiment on campus. The following year Eitan revived the Israel Affairs group for the Hillel on campus and has recruited many great advocates for Israel. Eitan also spent a summer as an intern at the Canadian Jewish Politics Affairs Committee. Eitan is excited to make Ontario a safe place for pro-Israel students to raise their voices and opinions.

Galia Nurko
Campus Coordinator, Ohio
gnurko@hasbarafellowships.org

Galia has been involved with Israel activism since she attended The Agnon Jewish Day school in Cleveland, Ohio. After graduating from high school she chose to live in Israel for a year and participated on the program Young Judaea: Year Course. At The Ohio State University she helped restart the pro-Israel club Buckeyes for Israel. Galia is fluent in English and Spanish and is proficient in Hebrew. She is looking forward to working with and inspiring Israel advocates in Ohio to continue doing their valiant work.

Noa Naftali
Campus Coordinator, Boston
nnaftali@hasbarafellowships.org

Noa Naftali has been an active member of the pro-Israel movement on-campus since she began her studies at Tufts University. She participated in Tufts Friends of Israel since the fall of her freshman year, and held various leadership roles in the organization. She also served as the Development Chair for Tufts Hillel, and was among the founders of Tufts Against Genocide. Noa is fluent in Hebrew and is proficient in Spanish and Arabic.

Rebecca Sterling
Campus Coordinator, Florida
rsterling@hasbarafellowships.org

Rebecca Sterling is the Hasbara Fellowships Florida Campus Coordinator. Rebecca’s passion for pro-Israel advocacy and activism emerged upon returning from a year long program in Israel. As a Hasbara Fellow, she revived the pro-Israel group at Florida International University and served as president of Shalom FIU. Fluent in English and Spanish, with intermediate Hebrew skills, Rebecca is happy to facilitate future leaders from different backgrounds on their path towards pro-Israel advocacy.

Sandra Cohen
Campus Coordinator, Northern California
scohen@hasbarafellowships.org

Sandra's interest in Israel advocacy began when she served as student senator at UC Berkeley and combated the infamous anti-Israel divestment bill. Since then, she has dedicated her time to educational roles on and off campus. After attending Hasbara Fellowships in the summer of 2010, she has worked with several Zionist, pro-peace organizations sharing her experiences. Sandra is currently the campus coordinator for Northern California campuses.

Sarah Close
Campus Coordinator, Boston
sclose@hasbarafellowships.org

Sarah was exposed to Israel from a young age while attending Surprise Lake Camp in upstate New York, but her passion for Israel activism truly started after attending a Taglit-Birthright trip through Boston University Hillel. At Boston University, Sarah is active in BU Students for Israel and the newly formed Challah for Hunger chapter. As an Environmental Analysis and Policy major, Sarah has a particular interest in Israel's sustainable initiatives, especially in desalinization and water usage. Sarah is thrilled for the opportunity to spread the message of Israel's desire for peace and to build strong coalitions with groups and students of varied backgrounds in the Boston Area.

Stephanie Aziz
Campus Coordinator, Southern California
saziz@hasbarafellowships.org

Stephanie Aziz became a pro-Israel activist through the 'SC Students for Israel at the University of Southern California her freshman year of college. She became particularly active after being in Israel during Operation Cast Lead, and returning to campus to witness de-legitimization. She participated in Hasbara Fellowships a year later and helped turn SC Students for Israel into one of the top pro-Israel student groups in the country. She also spent a semester at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Stephanie is excited to work with the pro-Israel students from all around Southern California.

Talia Salzman
Campus Coordinator, Pacific Northwest and Western Canada
tsalzman@hasbarafellowships.org

As president of Hillel at the University of British Columbia for two consecutive years, Talia organized numerous events surrounding Israel advocacy and Jewish culture. After participating in Hasbara Fellowships, Talia learned what it means to be a strong Jewish leader and decided to do everything she could to defeat Anti-Israel sentiment at UBC and nearby campuses. This past year, Talia organized a West Coast Hillel Leadership retreat with Hasbara Fellowships to inspire young leaders to promote Pro-Israel views on their campuses, as well as how to communicate, market, and organize events effectively. Talia is fluent in English and Russian, and has a working knowledge of Spanish and Hebrew. She is the campus coordinator for the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada, and is very excited to work with campus leaders to encourage Israel activism.

Orie Schiffman
Web Marketing Coordinator
webmaster@hasbarafellowships.org

Orie Schiffman is the Web/Social Media coordinator for Hasbara Fellowships. He studied at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a double major in Economics and Psychology. A graduate of Hasbara Fellowships winter Israel program, Orie had the opportunity to learn under the tutelage of prominent military and political analysts, journalists, historians, soldiers, and entrepreneurs. During his term as Chabad Student Board President, Orie helped to host prominent pro-Israel speakers, organize roundtables with pro-Israel professors, and help educate fellow students that face anti-Semitism on campus. Orie is excited to be a part of the Hasbara Fellowships team!