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Masa Israel Journey, founded by the Jewish Agency and the government of Israel, stands as the foremost organization connecting young Jewish adults from all around the world with Israel through transformative long-term programs. Welcoming approximately 12,000 fellows annually from 60 countries, Masa offers young Jews a unique opportunity to engage deeply with Israeli society, culture, and heritage.
Masa fellows participate in a wide range of programs tailored to their interests and goals. These include Masa Israel Teaching Fellows, where English-speaking fellows teach conversational English in Israeli schools for a year; Masa Career, offering fellows to internships with Israeli companies across various industries; and Masa Doctors, designed for medical professionals to prepare for licensing exams in Israel while learning Hebrew and familiarizing themselves with the country. Other programs include Masa Volunteers, Masa Academic, Masa Gap, and Masa Jewish Studies.
While some Masa fellows choose to make aliyah at the end of their program, most return to their home countries with a deep understanding of Israel and Israeli society. They carry this knowledge, along with a strengthened connection to Israel and their Jewish identity, back to their local communities. Many fellows describe their experience as transformative, often inspiring them to pursue careers in the Jewish world or become passionate advocates and supporters of Israel in various capacities.
To celebrate the impressive impact of its 200,000 alumni, Masa is launching the Masa Changemakers List in 2025. This inaugural list features 18 distinguished alumni selected from its vast network of graduates. These individuals have excelled across diverse fields: some lead in media and politics in Israel and abroad, others are social activists and entrepreneurs, while others make their mark in business and the medical field. Despite their varied professions, they all share a transformative Masa experience in Israel that has inspired them their impactful contributions to the Jewish people and the world.
The Masa Changemakers List aims to inspire hope and confidence in the next generation of young Jewish adults, demonstrating their readiness to embrace the mission of strengthening the Jewish people wherever they may be. These individuals exemplify the transformative power of a Masa experience, serving as a beacon of inspiration and a reminder that the future of the Jewish community is in capable and committed hands. These are the Masa Changemakers.
Sharona Shnayder
Nigeria/Israel
Masa-Career, 2019
Sachlav top Israel interns
Environmental activist
Born in Nigeria, grew up in the United States and today lives in Israel.
Sharona initiated an international environmental movement, Tuesdays for Trash: a mission to inspire everyone around the world to dedicate at least one day a week to the planet by picking up trash. Tuesdays for Trash has 15 chapters, participants in over 60 countries, and more than 87,000 pounds of trash removed. Today Sharona is active in the President's Climate Crisis Forum and has been selected to receive the National Geographic Young Explorers grant as one of 15 young people aged 18-25 from 13 countries chosen for their "groundbreaking and impactful environmental solutions achieved through leadership and courage." With the grant, Sharona is expanding the project and is currently publishing a children's book on environmental issues.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharona-s/
https://www.instagram.com/sharonashnayder/
Dov Forman
UK
Masa Jewish Studies, 2022
Yeshivat Hakotel
Author, activist, educator
Born in London, Dov Forman is an advocate for Holocaust remembrance, Israel, and Jewish education. At the age of 16, he began sharing the story of his great-grandmother, Lily Ebert, a Holocaust survivor, with remarkable sensitivity. Thanks to Dov's dedication to telling the truth about what really happened and combating Holocaust denial, over a billion social media users have been exposed to her story – many of whom may never have heard it otherwise. Dov co-authored Lily's Promise, a memoir that includes an introduction by King Charles III, which became an instant New York Times bestseller and has been translated into 15 languages. He is also the recipient of the prestigious Points of Light Award, presented by then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Lily recently passed away at the age of 100, having traveled the world with Dov to share her harrowing Holocaust testimony with millions of followers on social media. Through their work, Dov and Lily created a lasting impact, ensuring her story continues to educate and inspire generations to come.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dovforman
https://www.instagram.com/dovforman/?hl=en
Dean Cohen
Australia
Gap year program, 2010
Habonim Dror
Social activist and initiator
Born and raised in Melbourne, Dean has been deeply connected to the Jewish community throughout his life. He now dedicates his time to the disability sector, striving to combat social isolation and foster meaningful connections between people with and without disability.
Dean is the Founder and Co-CEO of Flying Fox, a not-for-profit organization/youth movement that tackles social isolation by providing fun social opportunities for young people with and without disability. The organization facilitates regular social activities, getaways, and camps throughout the year, bringing together people with disability and their peers to share in a variety of exciting and adventurous experiences. Today, the organization includes 20 employees, 500 active volunteer buddies, and serves hundreds of young people annually.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/deancohen1/
Kristin Guerin
US
Masa-Volunteers, 2023
Israel experience
Social activist
Kristin is a professional actor, director and producer. However, in March of 2020, when the entertainment industry closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she refocused her energy on Buddy System MIA, an organization she co-founded and leads.
Buddy System MIA supports over 5,000 people with access to free, healthy food, through three robust programs. Every year, the organization repurposes over 400,000 lbs. of rescued food that would otherwise be sent to landfills, with the help of 1,600 volunteers who foster community accountability across Miami. One of the programs is the Community Fridge Initiative, which is a network of public refrigerators in food deserts with the motto, "take what you need, leave what you can." These community fridges are life-changing for the 800+ weekly visitors who are able walk up 24/7 and find free, healthy food.
Kristin was one of the first fellows on Masa-Volunteers, a program Masa opened at the beginning of the war to allow thousands of Jews from around the world who wanted to come and help, to do it and assist Israel in its most trying times.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristinguerin/
https://www.instagram.com/kristin.guerin
Samson Arveladze and Dmitry Lerman
Russia/Israel
Masa Doctors, 2010 & 2020
Israel Experience
MD and social activist
Samson and Dmitry both participated in Masa Doctors program 10 years apart. They came as doctors and through the program were certified to practice medicine in Israel, while learning Hebrew and getting to know the country, the culture, and the medical system.
Together they co-founded "group for Russian-speaking repatriate Doctors in Israel": From their own experience of immigrating as doctors to a foreign country, they now assist doctors who made aliyah or in the process to fit in the Israeli society better and navigate the medical system in the country. They provide help in Russian, offering all the necessary information about the rights and needs of immigrant doctors in Israel. "It's almost impossible to find information in Russian in an accessible way, so we made it available to those who need it". Today it is the largest group of doctors in the country with over 3000 involved members.
Upon completing the program, Samson began an internship at Rambam hospital in Haifa. He then enlisted in the IDF as a battalion doctor in the 55th artillery battalion during Operation Protective Edge. He recently returned from his third reserve duty rotation. Samson is a specialist in orthopedic surgery working at the hand surgery unit in Ichilov Medical Center. Dmitry is a urology resident at Kaplan hospital, and is very active on social media, where he posts many videos related to the medical profession, with accessible explanation in Russian about various medical conditions and treatments.
Samson:
https://linkedin.com/in/samson-arveladze-890753135
https://www.instagram.com/samson_dzen/profilecard/?igsh=Y2Q4d3Z1ODd5M3l1
Dmitry:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dmitrylerman/
https://www.instagram.com/doctor_ale/
Emily Schrader
US/Israel
Masa academia, 2018
Tel-Aviv university
Journalist and social activist
Emily is a journalist and news anchor at Ynet and ILTV. In addition, she is one of the leading advocacy figures in Israel and internationally, even before the current war, with a focus on the fight for women's rights and freedom everywhere, and especially in Iran, sending these messages to hundreds of thousands of followers she holds in her social media assets. In December 2023, Emily initiated an open letter condemning terror activities of the Islamic republic of Iran and Hamas which was co-signed by 55 female leaders from 12 middle eastern countries. She was named by Algemeiner as one of the 100 people positively influencing Jewish life in 2022, and in 2023 as one of the 18 "Women to Watch" by Hadassah Women's Zionist Organization. She is the recipient of the 2023 Bonei Zion award for Young Leadership from Nefesh-b'Nefesh. Emily will soon be publishing her first book: "10 things every Jew should know before they go to college".
Jacobo Cohen Mann
Mexico
Gap Year Program, 2018
Maccabi World Union
President of the Mexican Federation of Jewish Youth
A leading young Jewish activist in Mexico City, Jacobo has distinguished himself as a dynamic, energetic, and dedicated leader. Jacob now serves as the President of the Mexican Federation of Jewish youth, which started as a small movement and today encompass all youth activities, from all backgrounds. The federation serves as the official representative of Jewish youth in Mexico's civil and political spheres, as well as on the international stage. It sends the official Mexican Jewish youth delegations to the world Zionist congress, the American Jewish Committee Global Forum, to the World Union of Jewish students, it works with JFNA and the Mexican Jewish Community institutions and organizations. The federation has 29 different institutions, and together they represent about 5,000 young Jewish Mexicans aged 18-35.
Alicia Schneider
Canada/Israel
Masa-Israel Teaching Fellows, 2016
Israel Experience
Social activist
Born and raised in Montreal. Alicia Co-founded Citizen's Kitchen - a Tel-Aviv based wartime meal operation providing food to anyone in need, whether its soldiers, displaced families, hostages families, "miluim" families, holocaust survivors, Nova survivors or anyone else. To date, Citizen's Kitchen sent out over 100,000 meals and raised over 350,000$ from individual donors to help fund the operation. The initiative also grew to become a community for Olim, providing a community for them with events and opportunities to meet and mingle. Citizen's Kitchen also have Masa interns from career programs on board at almost any given moment. Alicia participated in the Masa Israel teaching program, during which she taught English at a school in Israel for a year, and afterward, she made aliyah.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-schneider-content-writer/
https://www.instagram.com/travelsofalicia/
Kevin Malka
France/ Israel
Masa-Career, 2015
Gvahim
Business
Kevin was born and raised in Nice, France. He studied at a business school in France and the United States. Kevin came on Masa to intern at Ernst & Young, one of the "Big Four" global accounting firms, operating in over 140 countries. Kevin was already registered for a very prestigious master's program abroad but decided to make aliyah anyway. He later accepted a full-time position at EY.
Within four years, Kevin advanced to a senior manager position, and 3 years later to his current position, Managing Director at only 31 years old. Kevin also employs Masa interns, and he says that at any given moment he has 2-3 interns on his team from Masa, "and I have already hired four interns full-time".
https://il.linkedin.com/in/kevin-malka-97130866
Lucas Adlerstein
Argentina
Gap year program, 2018
Israel Way LTD
Influencer
Born and raised in Buenos Aires. As a child, Lucas attended the Maccabi club and studied in Jewish schools. But at the age of 15, everything changed: he lost his hearing, gradually and unexpectedly. Lucas participated in a Masa gap year program: "when I interacted a lot in English and Hebrew, I didn't have an issue with my hearing. I couldn't understand what people were saying to me because of the language, not the hearing. I didn't feel disabled in Israel".
Through his journey, Lucas went from being angry and confused, to sharing his insights with the world. Today, Lucas is helping countless people with hearing loss all over the globe, by raising awareness to accessibility for people with disabilities. He hosts a podcast on the subject, gives interviews in the media, being consulted by politicians about disability and awareness and was recently invited to attend at the AFS youth assembly in the United Nations.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucasadlerstein/
https://www.instagram.com/hipoacusico/
Eitan Bergman
Belgium
Kibbutz-Ulpan, 2012
Israel Experience
Politics, Jewish world
Eitan Grew up in a small community in Belgium. He was active in Hashomer-Hatzair for nearly two decades and involved in various Jewish organizations during his studies (political science & international relations). He participated in a Kibbutz Ulpan program with Masa learning Hebrew. Eitan evolved through time towards his focus: politics. Eitan serves as the Executive Director of the European Union of Jewish Students (EUJS), Secretary General of the Committee of Belgian Jewish Organizations (CCOJB), and a member of the WJC Diplomatic Corps. In June 2024, Eitan was elected at the City Council of Forest, a district of Brussels as a member of the Mouvement Réformateur, the French-speaking Liberal Party of Belgium.
Eitan is very active in preserving the memory of the Holocaust in Europe, all of this before the age of 30.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/eitan-bergman-3ba16b8b/
https://www.instagram.com/eitanbergman/
Talia Datt
Australia
Gap year, 2014
Tlalim
Business
Born in Johannesburg, grew up in Melbourne. Talia founded two social media agencies: The Social CliQ and The Content CliQ. She invested in several eCommerce businesses, including Matcha Maiden and TAPT, and co-founded an elevated lifestyle club, Pretty Privilege. Talia achieved all of this before she was 30.
In 2022, Talia was featured on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list for Asia. From Forbes: "Datt founded full-service social media and e-commerce marketing agency The Social CliQ out of her home office in Melbourne in 2018. She started by knocking on doors to get her earliest clients and now claims to have significantly expanded the online reach and revenue of multiple brands".
Talia defines herself as a "proud Zionist": "After Oct. 7, I was already well-known for my positions, and this sparked many conversations. Some people no longer work with us because of these opinions. It's precisely because I am a strong voice on social media among young people, that I will continue to support Israel."
https://www.linkedin.com/in/talia-datt/
https://www.instagram.com/_taliadatt/
Karin Zaiden (Rubinstein)
Ukraine/ Israel
Masa-Career, 2019
Beitar
Journalist and anchor, Channel 9
Born in Odessa, Ukraine. Karin came to Israel on a Masa-Career program, to intern in the media field at Channel 9, a Russian-language channel based in Israel, which serves as the main news source for Russian speakers in the country. The channel also has a large following internationally among Russian-speaking Jews, and even non-Jews who want reliable news about Israel. after completing the internship, Channel 9 offered Karin a permanent position. Today, Karin hosts a daily four-hour current affairs program, which, since the war began has been running special broadcasts continuously. The show receives hundreds of thousands of live viewers on the program's YouTube channel every day, with close to 400,000 subscribers. "People write to me all the time, thanking me for providing real information, not the propaganda that is broadcast in other countries about what's happening here".
https://www.instagram.com/invites/contact/?igsh=4lw3sqa6vn7o&utm_content=5jdufd
Rebecca Fine
US
Masa Israel Teaching Fellow
Israel Way LTD
Associate גirector of Campus Education at StandWithUs
For several years now, Rebecca has worked at StandWithUs, an international nonpartisan nonprofit that supports Israel and fights antisemitism. For the past two years Rebecca has served as the Associate Director of Campus Education, responsible for all education and content creation, as well as running the StandWithUs First-Year Leadership internship, a program for first-year students.
"My Masa program had a profound and transformative impact on my life and professional path. When I began the program, I was deeply disengaged from both my Jewish identity and my connection to Zionism. I reconnected with my Jewish roots in ways I had never imagined, finding pride and purpose in my heritage". Since Oct. 7, Rebecca's focus has been education against antisemitism more than ever before, in hundreds of campuses across the US and Canada.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-fine-89a619189
Naftali Shavelson
US
Jewish Studies program, 2018
Yeshivat Eretz Hatzvi Jerusalem
Media advisor, speechwriter and ghostwriter, consulate general of Israel in NY
It was a chance encounter at a Masa event in Manhattan that led Naftali Shavelson, then a recent university graduate, to his current role at Israel's consulate in New York. Since then, Naftali has served as writer, media advisor and communications strategist for Israel's diplomatic corps in New York, now under Consul General Ofir Akunis. His work has appeared in major global media outlets, lending a much-needed pro-Israel voice to contemporary political discourse. Naftali considers his and his team's efforts more meaningful than ever in the wake of Oct. 7: "since then I've been especially aware of the urgency and impact of our efforts. It's that responsibility that keeps us going. The job can be extremely demanding, but I – and all of us – know that it has never been more important".
https://www.linkedin.com/in/shavelson/
Margot Touitou
US/Israel
Masa-Career
Israel Way LTD
Influencer
Margot grew up in Colorado. After her program, she made aliyah and started a career in the tech industry that lasted 10 years. However, with time Margot began posting and sharing her life as a new "Olah" in Tel Aviv and quickly became a well-known online personality, especially in Israel, thanks to the "Tomer" persona she created to characterize the Israeli man from the perspective of an American woman. This caught a lot of attention online and brought her many followers. In 2021, during Operation Guardian of the Walls, Margot felt compelled to speak out and explain to the world what was really happening. Since the current war began, Margot's efforts have intensified. She shares and publish content about Israel globally and has gained significant recognition in Israel and abroad for her activities.
Margot has positioned herself as the aliyah Big Sister to new Olim, offering straightforward advice to those who need help adjusting to life in Israel.
https://www.linkedin.com/public-profile/settings?trk=d_flagship3_profile_self_view_public_profile
https://www.instagram.com/margotexplainsitall
Gideon Keyson
Netherlands/Israel
Masa-Career, 2018
Israel Tech Challenge
Hi-tech industry
Originally from Amsterdam, today lives in Tel-Aviv. At the age of 18, Gideon came on a Masa career program and was the youngest in the program that was designed for people who want to learn programming. After the program ended Gideon enlisted in the IDF Navy and served in the Dabur unit.
After his discharge, Gedeon began studying biomedical engineering at Ben Gurion University. Coding was a semi-professional hobby that he started developing during the Masa program, and so, in the first year of his studies, he launched a start-up together with his brother. Gideon is the co-founder and CPO of Riverside, a platform for podcast recordings, webinars, and more. Today, it employs 250 people globally, and among its hundreds of thousands of clients, you can find Hillary Clinton, along with very well-known podcasts in Israel and around the world that use its services. Almost everyone who records from home uses our platform.
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