Alumni Profiles

Roee Elisha

Roee was born in Eilat and grew up in Levahim, Israel. While a student at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies, he served as a member of the International Dead Sea Project, run by the European Union. In this project he was responsible for conducting a comprehensive water budget analysis of the water resources in the vicinity of the lake. Following his studies, the Alumni Department helped place Roee in a six week internship in the United States. During his internship at the California Coastal Conservancy, Roee recorded the footprint of a fire in Ventura County, California. He produced digital maps used by local farmers for the purpose of filing lawsuits.

Roee holds an M.A. in Environmental Studies from Ben Gurion University and a B.A. in Geography and Human Environment from Tel Aviv University. Currently he is the Associate Vice President of the Israeli Government Company for the Dead Sea Preservation. His primary focus is the planning and implementation of the project at the company's headquarters. In his previous occupation, he worked as a Regional Air Monitoring Project Coordinator in the Israel Union for Environmental Defense. (http://www.adamteva.org.il/)

Elizabeth Goldstein

Elizabeth Goldstein was a student at the Arava Institute during the fall semester of 2008. As an American Jew she'd always been involved with discussions on Israel, and identified as a strong sympathizer to the Palestinian cause. During her time at AIES, Elizabeth says she became much more versed in the complexities of the Arab-Israeli conflict and the need for all people involved to have a secure homeland. More than ever she sees the need for productive dialogue and understanding from all sides of this conflict, and not just for Israelis and Palestinians, but for their sympathizers as well.

Elizabeth is writing her senior thesis on how water crises and land use conflicts directly affect the state of the larger Arab-Israeli conflict. Over the summer she held an internship with Americans for Peace Now, the American progressive Zionist branch of the Israeli peace group Shalom Achshav. In 1990, Shalom Achshav and APN launched their "Settlement Watch Project". She encourages all those concerned about peace in Israel and Palestine to take a look at the work of Shalom Achshav (www.peacenow.org.il) or Americans for Peace Now (www.peacenow.org).

Muna Dajani

Muna holds a BSc in Civil Engineering from Birzeit University, specializing in water and environmental engineering. A resident of East Jerusalem, Muna spent two years working for NGOs in the West Bank, including the Near East Foundation and the National Democratic Institute in Jerusalem, where she was a translator for international observers during the 2005 elections in the Palestinian Authority. Muna also worked as a Junior Engineer at the Small Water Infrastructure Fast Track (SWIFT) Project in the West Bank and Gaza. She believes that the water conflict is one of the key issues hindering peace in the Middle East, and more Palestinian professionals need to concentrate on this topic.

In 2009, Muna attended an advanced training course in transboundary water management organized by Jordan University and the Swedish International Development Agency ( The course took place in both Amman and Stockholm, and included seminars on international water law and case studies on water allocation in Europe and North Africa. In the fall she will begin her M Sc in Environment and Development at the University of Manchester.

Anton Khalilieh

Anton grew up in a Christian family in Bethlehem. He received his first degree in chemistry from Bethlehem University. During his studies, Anton worked as a volunteer with different environmental institutes and organizations. After he graduated from the University, Anton found a job as a wildlife researcher with a local Palestinian NGO. Through his work with this NGO, he discovered his enthusiasm, obsession and passion for wildlife, specifically birds. From that time, Anton made the decision to continue his work and studies in the field of bird conservation.

In the fall of 2005, Anton heard about the Institute from a friend. Anton applied and was accepted, but was denied a permit to study in Israel. He applied for the permit again for several years, until it was finally granted for the spring semester of 2008. According to Anton, attending the Institute was “like a dream come true.” While at the Institute, Anton conducted an independent study project titled "The Probably Effects of the Red Sea-- Dead Dead Conduit on the Birds of the Holy Land". In this cross-disciplinary project, Anton analyzed the routes for the proposed Conduit, which will be jointly managed by Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Jordan, in light of their effect on the migratory bird population. Anton has been accepted to Ben Gurion Universities for his M Sc in Desert Studies.

Itay Greenspan

The academic career of Itay Greenspan spans Israel, Canada, and the United States. Itay graduated magna cum laude from Hebrew University with a B.A. in Geography. After receiving his first degree, he came to study for a year at the Arava Program. While at the Arava Institute, Itay conducted a comparative analysis of the environmental management of military training areas in the United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands.

After being exposed to issues of land use and public policy, Itay enrolled in a Master's degree in Environmental Studies at York University, Toronto. His thesis was titled "The role of NGOs in the land ownership conflict between the State of Israel and the Negev Bedouin". During his Master's studies, Itay was the recipient of the 2004 John Page Planning Award.

Itay is currently in third year of a doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania. He plans to write his dissertation on the Israeli environmental movement is shaped by the North American environmental movement. Itay writes: "Many founders of leading Israeli environmental organizations are American-born (think of our own example - Alon Tal) In addition, many Israeli green organizations are funded supported by Americans...these are issues I will be exploring in my dissertation."

Michael Zwirn

Michael directs the U.S. headquarters of Wildlife Alliance, an international conservation organization with the mission to provide direct protection to wildlife in danger, by stopping habitat loss and the illegal wildlife trade in Southeast Asia and the Russia Far East. He represents the organization to funding agencies, government partners, and peer organizations in the United States, and supervises the headquarters role in financial oversight, communications, and fundraising. Michael’s prior experience includes work in international conservation and the environment at the Global Environment Facility, the Wild Salmon Center, the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information, and on contract for the Environmental Protection Agency. He has taken part in conservation and environmental work in the Middle East, Russia, and Southeast Asia. Michael received a bachelor’s degree in International Relations and Political Economy from Carleton College and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy, with an emphasis in international environment and resources policy, from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Sarah Schuldenfrei

Sarah is currently in her 4th and final year of studies at Barnard College in New York. While her transition from the full 08-09 year in the Arava to the fast-paced life of New York City has been challenging, she has found ways to work towards the same ideals that flourish at AIES. She has participated in various community volunteering groups, such as teaching peace-building skills to children in rough neighborhoods of New York, and teaching environmental awareness and science to children in some of the most polluted neighborhoods in the US. This year, her volunteer work has been especially focused on helping to build a community garden and support the cause of sustainable consumption and the importance of green spaces.

As a student of Middle East Studies and Environmental Policy, Sarah is currently beginning research for her undergraduate thesis. She will be working with scientists from the Geological Survey of Israel to investigate the origin, age, and chemistry of an aquifer that is shared between the southern Negev and Sinai. Her project will also look into uses and treatment mechanisms for the relatively saline water in this aquifer that could be feasible for the region. Because she finds that the importance of sustainable water consumption and management are more and more obvious as tensions run higher every day, she is proud to be participating in scientific research that could make progress towards a better understanding of the resources available to the Arava and its beloved neighbors.

Gonen Sagy

Gonen was born on a kibbutz and raised in Zichron Yaakov. After earning his BA in education and philosophy, he joined the Masters program at AIES, in cooperation with Ben Gurion University.

Currently, Gonen is working on his Ph. D. The first stage of his research was an assessment of environmental literacy levels among Israeli schoolchildren in the national education system, which you can read here. The second stage aims to identify the specific elements that influence these children's environmental literacy, using quantitative and qualitative research tools. The study surveys both Jewish and Arab schools with various socioeconomic backgrounds, making Gonen's work relevant to vast segments of the Israeli population.

Gonen lives with his wife and two kids in Jerusalem.

Desiree Abecassis

Desiree, a certified Naturopath and member of the the Association des Naturopathes Professionnels du Quebec (ANPQ), offers holistic naturopathic consultations. Desiree holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies from York University in Toronto and completed it at the Arava Institute for Environmental Studies. She attained her Naturopathic training at the Natural Health Consultants Institute in Montreal and she is currently completing her master’s degree at the Montreal Institute of Classical Homeopathy. Her passion lies in helping individuals realize their innate capacity for healing. Fine tuned and custom tailored plans incorporating nutrition, the physical body, the mind and emotions and the spiritual self are designed based on her clients' individual needs. Desiree’s in depth Naturopathic training allows her to apply various modalities in treatment such as: Holistic coaching, whole food nutrition and supplementation, homeopathy, herbology, Traditional Chinese medicine and Ayurveda. In her practice, clients are led to a profound awareness of their thought patterns, habits and lifestyle choices and are empowered to partake in their own healing process. Holistic, whole person care is the underlying philosophy as clients are cared for on all levels including body, mind and spirit. Existing conditions are addressed at the root cause and clients learn useful methods of preventative health care.

Maya Negev

Maya was a student at the Arava Institute in 2004-5, during the first year of her MA in Environmental Studies. She graduated cum laude from Ben Gurion University, where she is now a PhD student. Her MA research focuses on developing a multicultural approach to environmental policy. She has published reports on promoting education for sustainability in various sectors in Israel (general, Arab, and Haredi). As part of her doctoral research, Maya is developing a model for multicultural public participation in health impact assessment, with the case study of planning land uses in the vicinity of Ramat Hovav. Maya was a Fulbright visiting scholar at Berkeley University in 2009, and received her PhD scholarship from the Environment and Health Fund. She is a research associate at the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, in the multiculturalism and public policy group, and the environment and regional sustainability group. She is a guest lecturer at the Arava Institute in the EcoHealth and Environmental Education courses.

Leiba Chaya David

Since her aliyah from the U.S. in 1996, Leiba Chaya has been exploring both the Land of Israel and the Israeli environmental movement. After training as a field guide with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), Leiba Chaya came to the Arava Institute to broaden her background in environmental policy and science. During her year at AIES (1997-98), she became interested in environmental ethics and place-based education. She received her MA in Jewish Education from the Hebrew University, where she researched the relationship between Judaism, Zionism, and Environmental Ethics. Leiba Chaya established and coordinates “Ru’ach HaSviva – Jewish Environmental Initiatives” at the Jerusalem branch of the Society for the Protection of Nature. She also works as an educator and tour guide for a variety of Israel Experience programs. Leiba Chaya lives with her husband and three small children on Moshav Aderet in the Elah Valley, near Jerusalem.

Noga Shanee

Noga Shanee was a student in AIES during 1999-2000. She graduated from Oxford Brookes University, UK, with an MSc in Primate Conservation.
She has many years of experience in wildlife conservation working in rescue centres in South America and Australia as well as reintroduction projects in Asia and the Middle East. Co founder of Neotropical Primate Conservation and co-director of the Yellow Tailed Woolly Monkey Conservation Project in Peru. Noga is currently pursuing a PhD in Political Ecology at the University of Kent, UK.

She co-founded Neotropical Primate Conservation (NPC) in 2007. It was awarded UK charity status in August 2009. NPC was set up in order to promote the conservation of Neotropical forest habitat and all wildlife through various means. These include: land protection; research; improvement of degraded habitat for wildlife; creation of public awareness; environmental education; and facilitation of the commercialisation of sustainable, ecological products on behalf of local people.

Molly Rose Elkins-Ryan

Molly Rose Elkins-Ryan, is from Chicago and currently resides in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne will be hosting the world's largest interfaith gathering, The Parliament of the World's Religions, 3-9 December 2009. This is where Molly Rose has been volunteer for the past year helping to organize the Youth Program and recently got hired as the Outreach and Marketing Assistant. Thousands of people from all over the world of different faiths and spiritualities will be gathering to share stories, knowledge and experiences. There are over 600 programs at the 7 day event, almost intangible, but will be will very soon. She is an alumna of Beloit College 2001 and AIES 2000 and held the position of Program Assistant at AIES for the 2004-2005 school year. Molly Rose also has a connection with Habonim Dror Camp Tavor. This past summer Molly Rose was fortunate to participate and run a workshop focusing on food security at the International Institute on Peace Education which was held in Budapest, Hungary. She always recycles.

Check out the link to find out more about the Parliament of the World's Religions 2000 http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/

Eric Amster

Eric was a student at the Arava in 2000. His academic coursework at the Institute greatly influenced his career path in environmental public health and medicine. His experiences living with Arab students at the Institute has influenced his belief that peaceful co-existence between Muslims and Jews is possible. Following his studies at the Arava, Eric received his B.A. from UC Berkeley, M.D. from UC Davis and M.P.H. in environmental health from Harvard University. He is currently completing post-graduate training in environmental and occupational medicine and is a research fellow in environmental health at Harvard University. His research interests are in occupational and environmental epidemiology. Eric continues to be involved with the Arava Institute: he participated in the Environmental Leadership Exchange Program, rode in the Israel Ride, and has lectured in both undergraduate and graduate courses at the Arava Institute.

Alumni Video Profiles

Emad Al-Fugaha is the co-founder of the Jordan Youth Exchange Group, an organization that encourages Jordanian youth to take initiative in contributing to their communities.

Hadeel Mageed researches bacterial antibiotics as part of her doctorate at the Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research in Sde Boker, Israel.

Hannah Schafer is the director of development for Zalul, an NGO taking political action to keep Israel's shores and rivers clean. She is a contributing writer for Green Prophet; there, you can read her biography and archive.

Mohammed Taher is a Master's student at the Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, developing biotechnology to make plants grow hardier in the desert.

Shiri Barr coordinates Middle Way, an organization committed to bringing Israelis and Palestinians together in peaceful dialogue.