Meir Buzaglo, Senior Lecturer, Hebrew University Philosophy Department
Dr. Buzaglo’s interests include the philosophies of mathematics and language and Jewish philosophy. He is one of the initiators of the revival of the traditional piyyut in Israel and was a founder of the website “An Invitation to Piyyut”. Dr. Buzaglo was a member of the Task Force for the Advancement of Education in Israel (Dovrat Commission).
Eli Gottlieb, Director, Mandel Leadership Institute and Vice-President, Mandel Foundation-Israel
Dr. Gottlieb holds degrees in Philosophy and Developmental Psychology from Cambridge and a doctorate in the Psychology of Education from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Prior to joining the faculty in 2004, Eli served for three years as a visiting professor in Cognitive Studies in Education at the University of Washington. His research examines the relations between cognition, identity and education. Recent publications include "The development of religious thinking" (Religious Education, 2006) and "Learning how to believe: Epistemic development in cultural context" (Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2007).
Annette Hochstein, President Emeritus, Mandel Foundation-Israel
Ms. Hochstein served as President of the Mandel Foundation-Israel (MF-I) from 2002 to 2010, following twenty years as its Director. She is a member of the founding group of Mandel endeavors in Israel, including the Mandel Leadership Institute. Prior to joining the Mandel Foundation, Annette was a planner at Jerusalem's Municipal Planning Department (1975-1978), following which the then Mayor of Jerusalem, Teddy Kolek, appointed her to direct Project Renewal in the city's Musrara neighborhood. Ms. Hochstein was co-founder and director of Nativ, Policy and Planning Consultants (1980-1990) until joining the Mandel Foundation. Key projects in which she contributed have included the West Bank Data Project, the Israel Experience Project and the Commission for Jewish Education in North America, for which she served as director of research. A graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with majors in philology and art history, Ms. Hochstein holds an MA from the New School for Social Research in Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis. She was a Humphrey Fellow at MIT (1983-1984).
Daniel Marom, Academic Director, Mandel Leadership Institute
Dr. Marom is co-author of the book Dialogue From the Heart of Confusion (Keter Books,Mandel Foundation) [Hebrew], and co-editor of Visions of Jewish Education (Cambridge University Press: 2003). He is the Academic Director of the Mandel Leadership Institute and also heads the Visions Unit, where he has developed a unique training program for educational leaders called “Philosophical-Educational Facilitation”. He has published articles in the history and philosophy of Jewish and Zionist education in Israel and America.
Mordecai Nisan, Director, Mandel Scholars in Education Program
Prof. Nisan is the founder and director of the Mandel Scholars in Education Program. Previously he served as the Academic Director of the Mandel Leadership Institute. He also directed the Mandel School for Educational Leadership, the IDF Educational Leadership Development Program and the Mandel Fellowship for Educational Researchers Program. Prof. Nisan is a developmental psychologist who served as Dean of the School of Education at the Hebrew University and as a member of the Council for Higher Education. His areas of research, on which he has written extensively, include moral development and behavior and human motivation.
Varda Shiffer, President, Mandel Foundation-Israel
Dr. Varda Shiffer is the President of the Mandel Foundation-Israel. She established the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev and directed the Center from 2004 until the end of 2009. Previously, she directed the Mandel Leadership Institute in Jerusalem, served as Chief Scientist of the Civil Service Commission and was in charge of the audit of the education system at the State Comptroller’s Office. Dr. Shiffer is a lecturer in the MBA Social Leadersip Program at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and was the editor of the periodical “Civil Society and Third Sector in Israel”. Dr. Shiffer is a member of the ethics in public organizations committee at the Israel Institute for Ethics and sits on the International Council of the New Israel Fund. Previously, she served as member of the Board of Directors and chairperson of the Grants Committee of the New Israel Fund. Dr. Shiffer has published articles on civil society in Israel, on the right to education in closed communities and on education in the Haredi Community in Israel.
Sarah Stroumsa, Rector, Hebrew University
Prof. Stroumsa entered her position as Rector of the Hebrew University on October 1, 2008 for a four year term. Prof. Strousma studied at Hebrew University and after completing her doctorate summa cum laude in philosophy she continued her studies in Paris. She is a professor in the Department of Arabic Language and Literature and in the Department of Jewish Thought in the Faculty of Humanities. In 2003 she was appointed Vice-Rector, a position she held for three years. She specializes in Medieval Islamic philosophy and theology and focuses on intellectual reciprocation between Jewish and Muslim philosophers.
Sam Wineburg, Stanford University
Prof. Wineburg is the Margaret Jacks Professor of Education and Professor of History (by courtesy) at Stanford University. His work stands at the interdisciplinary crossroads of education, cognitive science, and history. He studied religion and history at Brown and Berkeley, writing an honors thesis on Sefer Hasidim with Danny Matt in 1982. He went on to teach in public and Jewish schools, and in 1989 completed a doctorate in Psychological Studies in Education at Stanford. He spent the next twelve years at the University of Washington, where he was Professor, Cognitive Studies in Education, and Adjunct Professor, Department of History. For his sabbatical in 1997-98 he spent the year in Metulla (Israel), while serving as Visiting Professor at the University of Haifa. His book, Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past won the 2001 Frederic W. Ness Award from the Association of American Colleges and Universities for work that makes the most important contribution to the “improvement of Liberal Education and understanding the Liberal Arts.”
Hefzi Zohar, Deputy Mayor, City of Beersheva
Dr. Zohar, a Mandel Leadership Institute graduate, is in charge of the education portfolio and is the deputy mayor of the Beersheva municipality. Previously she was a lecturer at Achva College in the life sciences department, founded and led the Maof Center for Gifted and Outstanding Students and served as the national supervisor of the Department for Gifted and Outstanding Students at the Ministry of Education. In 2000 she completed her doctorate in biochemistry in the life sciences department at Ben Gurion University, under the guidance of Dr. Claude Aflalo and Prof. Nun Shavit.