About Us

MARVA ASSISTS AND EMPOWERS THE MOST VULNERABLE IN ISRAELI SOCIETY

marva Nivin Abu Akel-Shbat

Nivin Abu Akel-Shbat coordinates MARVA’s work in the Israeli Arab community in the north. She is an attorney and social worker. A graduate of the University of Haifa in law and in community mental health, she has worked as a mediator since 2015. In the legal field, she worked in a public defense firm that dealt with the civil and criminal fields, especially with youths, and worked closely with the probation and welfare services. As a social worker, she worked with the elderly population and in particular those at risk; people with mental disabilities; and children and youth at risk. In addition, Nivin was the founding director of the Regional Mediation and Community Dialogue Center in Abu Sanan, the first mediation center in the Arab sector in Israel.

OUR EXPERT STAFF

Dr. Mickey Schindler

marva dr mickey schindler

Mickey Schindler, Esq., PhD., is the director of MARVA. He is an attorney with training in social work who specializes in Elder Law and Disabilities Law. Previously, Dr. Schindler was the long-time director of Yad Riva, a national nonprofit organization providing legal aid for the elderly. Prior to his work at

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Dr. Michal Wosner

marva dr michal wosner

Michal Wosner, Esq., PhD., was a founder of MARVA in 2015 out of concern for the need to integrate law and welfare in assisting at-risk populations. Her role at MARVA is to set policy, provide legal assistance, and engage in education and training.  An attorney since 1992, she specializes in elder law and

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Dr. Yael Mann Waksman

marva dr yael waxman

Yael Mann Waksman, Esq., PhD., is a senior attorney at MARVA. Prior to joining MARVA, Dr. Mann Waksman worked as an attorney at Yad Riva - legal aid for the elderly. She specializes in issues related to guardianship, legal capacity, inheritance law, and other areas of concern regarding at-risk elderly people and people with

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Shlomit Baranes

marva shlomit barnes

Shlomit Baranes, Esq., is an expert in all aspects of family law and among others serves as a legal guardian for minors and adults. Ms. Baranes is responsible for MARVA's work in northern Israel. She earned a bachelor's and master's degree in law. She also has a bachelor's degree in education, a field in which she worked

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Rivka Ben Zvi Pizam

marva shlomit barnes

Rivka Ben Zvi Pizam, Esq., specializes in issues related to guardianship, legal capacity, advance directives, inheritance law, and other areas related to at-risk elderly people and people with disabilities.
Ms. Ben Zvi Pizam has a bachelor's and master's degree in law from Bar-Ilan University. In addition, she is a

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Pnina Frits

marva Pnina Fritz

Pnina Frits is responsible for the administrative work at Marva. Pnina has many years of administrative management experience in various organizations.

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Anat Ben Zaken

marva Anat Ben Zaken

Anat Ben Zaken has been an active member of the MARVA team from its inception, and is responsible for the development of its social welfare activities, including the recruitment, training, and supervision of volunteers who are active in the organization. She received a BS and MS in Social Work from Hebrew University. Early in her career,

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Inbar Menahem Har-Adir

marva Inbar Menahem Har-Adir

Inbar Menahem Har-Adir coordinates MARVA programming in the northern periphery. She holds a bachelor's degree in law from Bar Ilan University and a master's degree in humanities from the University of Haifa. Since 2005, Inbar has been a lawyer in the fields of law and society. Inbar served as legal advisor to the Community Advocacy

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Nivin Abu Akel-Shbat

marva Nivin Abu Akel-Shbat

Nivin Abu Akel-Shbat coordinates MARVA’s work in the Israeli Arab community in the north. She is an attorney and social worker. A graduate of the University of Haifa in law and in community mental health, she has worked as a mediator since 2015. In the legal field, she worked in a public defense firm that dealt with the civil and

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BOARD OF DIRECTORS

  • Dr. Eli Rosenbaum

    Dr. Eli Rosenbaum is the director of urological oncology at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikvah. He completed his medical studies at the medical school of the Hebrew University and his urological residency at Hadassah Hospital. Dr. Rosenbaum did a urological oncology residency at the medical school of Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. He has published dozens of articles in professional publications. He is a member of oncological organizations in Israel and abroad and is on the board of the Israeli urological oncology association. Dr. Rosenbaum has also served as a board member and volunteer for Ahavat Rahamim, a nonprofit that assists people in need.

  • Dr. Sarah Alon

    Dr. Sarah Alon is an expert in social work and the welfare of the elderly, with a specialty in issues regarding abuse and neglect, topics on which she has published extensively. Dr. Alon is a lecturer at the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at the University of Tel Aviv as well as at the School of Social Work at the Ashkelon Academic College. In 2019, Dr. Alon received a prestigious award from the Tel Aviv University’s School of Social Work for her many contributions to the field of welfare policy in Israel.

  • Nechama Jeselsohn

    Nechama Jeselsohn is a veteran educator, teacher, trainer, and educational administrator. She has a Bachelors from the University of Haifa in English Literature and a Masters in Educational Guidance from the Hebrew University. She also received certification in group leadership from Efrata College. Since her retirement, she has worked as a volunteer with Yad Sarah, where she is involved in content development and mentoring of managers who work with volunteers. Ms. Jeselsohn is also an accomplished artist, and has held exhibits in Israel and abroad featuring her patchwork quilting.

  • Gili Pinhasi

    Gili Pinhasi is a former employee of the Prime Minister’s Office, and received the Israel Security Prize in recognition for his professional contributions. As a retiree, he is involved in a wide range of nonprofit work for which he has received the President’s Volunteer Award. He has served as a board member of the Beit Hagalgalim nonprofit for the past 25 years, and has been involved with the Pa’amonim nonprofit in family support, professional development, and as a lecturer and organizer. Mr. Pinhasi was the founding director of the Ma’anim research institute and was active in the Mifras program that develops educational initiatives with school principals. He has a Masters in Political Science from the National Security College.

  • Yael Ilouz

    Yael Ilouz is an entrepreneur with experience as a senior economist and property assessor. She has expertise in conflict resolution and works as a negotiator.

  • Gery Rot

    Gery Rot is the former Director of EMDA, the Israel Alzheimer’s Association, a post he held for 15 years before his retirement in 2020. A trained industrial engineer, prior to his work at EMDA Gery helped establish the engineering division of ECI Telecom and was responsible for budgeting at the INOVIA division. Earlier in his career, Gery served as an officer in the IDF and was responsible for the workplan of the techno-logistical system in the Israel Navy. He is a long-time volunteer with the Lions organization, and volunteers with Tel Hashomer Hospital and a hotline of the Municipality of Ramat Gan.

ADVISORY BOARD

  • Carmit Hefer Hentshel, MSW

    Carmit Hefer Hentshel, MSW, is a certified cognitive behavioral therapist and has expertise in the field of aging. Ms. Hefer Hentshel worked at the Ministry of Social Welfare in the field of people with disabilities and for 17 years at Tel Aviv Municipality where she was in charge of programs dealing with the protection of the elderly, especially those exposed to abuse and neglect. She has extensive training in a wide range of therapeutic approaches. A member of the senior staff of Aluma, a therapeutic center for couple, family, and individual care, she lectures extensively in social work programs, at ESHEL, and at municipal welfare programs. She also works as a private therapist for couples, families, and older adults.

  • Jenny Brodsky, MSW

    Jenny Brodsky, MSW, is the former director of the Center for Research on Aging at the Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute and a veteran researcher in the field of aging. She has published extensively on the subject of the health and welfare of the elderly in Israel, and is the editor of the national annual report on the status of older adults. She has been involved in the development of programming to improve the services that support the elderly, and has collaborated with other experts to create a national program focused on services for people with Alzheimer’s’. In addition to her work as a researcher and program developer, she is a member of numerous national and international forums in the field of aging, and lectured for many years at the Hebrew University and the Academic College in Ramat Gan.

  • Dr. Shai Wosner, Esq.

    Dr. Shai Wosner, Esq., is a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Law and directs the Taubenshlag Center for Research in Criminal Law. He serves as an academic advisor to a legal clinic providing assistance for people facing criminal charges who seek protection of their rights. Dr. Wosner’s research and work focuses on issues of ethics and social equity in the field of criminal law.

  • Dr. Pesach Lichtenberg

    Dr. Pesach Lichtenberg is a professor in the department of psychiatry at Hebrew University and served as department head. He studied medicine at the Albert Einstein Medical School at Yeshiva University in New York. For many years he directed a department at the Herzog Medical Center. He is a founder and director of the Soteria model in Israel, a nonprofit that provides support for people with extreme emotional challenges or psychosis. Dr. Lichtenberg is considered a national leader in approaches that provide alternatives to restraints and anti-psychotic medications.

  • Yoav Anaki, Adv.

    Yoav Anaki, Adv. is a lawyer with expertise in criminal law. Yoav graduated from the Hebrew University School of Law, and subsequently worked as a senior criminal prosecutor in the Military Advocate General of the Israel Defense Forces, specializing in cases pertaining to national security. Since his departure from the IDF, he has made it his mission to make the law accessible to the disadvantaged.

AUDIT COMMITTEE

  • Ruth Shalgi, Esq.

    Ruth Shalgi, Esq., is former assistant director of the Rasham Ha’amutot (National Nonprofit Registrar).

  • Mr. Ya’akov Fried

    Mr. Ya’akov Fried is retired from Israeli security services and an activist in social welfare and education.