Sapir Weitz-Sobelman

Sapir Weitz-Sobelman is a PhD student in the Department of Physics at Bar-Ilan University under the supervision of Prof. Beena Kalisky.

Sapir’s research focuses on the relationship between magnetism and unconventional superconductivity.

She performs local sensitive magnetic measurements using a scanning SQUID technique on various materials systems such as Van der Waals materials, Kagome lattice structures, and Josephson junction arrays. Sapir aims to utilize the high sensitivity of the scanning SQUID system to provide valuable insights into these complex systems and their quantum behaviour. By gaining a better understanding of non-trivial superconductivity and finding ways to control it, Sapir hopes that her research will contribute to advancing quantum technology.

Sapir grew up in Eshchar, a small community village in central Galilee, and currently lives with her husband and daughter in Givat Shmuel. She was attracted to science and driven to better understand the universe around us from a young age. She obtained her BSc in Physics at Bar-Ilan University and continued on to an MSc under the supervision of Prof. Kalisky. In parallel to her academic path, Sapir has always strived to contribute to society through diverse volunteering initiatives. From an early age, she was active in the scouts and volunteered at the local library. She currently takes part in social initiatives, including encouraging young girls to study science. In her free time, she enjoys being with family and friends, travelling, and reading.

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Orly Shapira

Orly Shapira is a PhD candidate in the Jamie and Joan Constantiner School of Education at Tel Aviv University under the supervision of Prof. Fadia Nasser Abu Alhija.

Orly’s research emphasizes the importance of interpersonal relationships in the educational process. It focuses on teacher– student relations and the ways in which these are reflected through dialogue in knowledge- building situations within humanistic studies.

Her mixed methods research follows teachers who have been classified by their principals and former students as relationship “experts.” Through classroom discourse analysis and episodic interviews with these teachers and their students, Orly seeks to understand the linguistic expressions and pedagogical practices they employ. She thus hopes to contribute to teachers’ training and professional development programs and to enhance teachers’ relational abilities in classroom interactions.

Orly obtained a BA in communication and social studies at the Open University of Israel (magna cum laude) and an MA in curriculum design and development at Tel Aviv University, where she also received an outstanding academic achievement award. She has been passionate about education her whole life and has worked as a teacher, professional development facilitator, program director, vice principal, and pedagogical consultant in Israel as well as in New York City. She is a former dancer and dance instructor and loves all arts. She also enjoys reading children’s books, especially those that encourage philosophical thought and discussion. She lives in Hod Hasharon with her husband and three children, who are her favourite reading partners.

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Orit Chorowicz Bar-Am

Orit Chorowicz Bar-Am is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev under the supervision of Prof. Yael Hashiloni-Dolev (Ben- Gurion University) and Prof. Elly Teman (Ruppin Academic Center).

Her research focuses on the intersection between gender, motherhood, fertility, assisted reproductive technologies, and the emerging generation of surrogates and women’s activism in Israel.

Her study takes a holistic approach to the surrogacy experience over time, drawing on the narratives of retired surrogates to contribute to our understanding of the personal and collective significance of the surrogacy process. The unique connection between various theoretical fields in Orit’s research aims to draw interest and contribute to a more informed public discourse both in Israel and around the world.

Orit was raised in Tel Aviv and currently lives in Hatseva, a moshav in the Central Arava region with her spouse and two sons. She obtained a BA in behavioural sciences at the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo and an MA in school counselling with a specialization in early childhood at Tel Aviv University. During her pregnancy as a surrogate, she immersed herself in the surrogate community and became an activist. Through her involvement, she identified gaps between the internal discourse among surrogates and external discourse and academic literature. This prompted her to embark on a feminist study in the field, amplifying the voices of women – who are often marginalized in the public sphere and rarely studied in academia – and adopting the political and ethical principle of “nothing about us without us.” In her free time, Orit enjoys hiking and camping with her family, sports activities, such as jogging and cycling, music, creative writing, and travelling

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Ori Kinberg

Ori Kinberg is a PhD student in the Department of Hebrew Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Dr. Jonathan Vardi.

Ori examines Hebrew literary culture in fifteenth-century Italy, its place within Jewish everyday life, and its relationship with the surrounding Italian and Renaissance culture.

His work traces poetic revolutions and neo- classicist trends in Renaissance Hebrew writing alongside the personal networks of patrons and writers, masters and students, teachers, and connoisseurs that made up the literary fabric of this momentous period of Hebrew letters. He draws on methodologies from literature, sociology, social history, and anthropology to reconstruct the world of Renaissance Hebrew literature, considers the ways in which Hebrew writing served as an institution of Jewish life, and explores how social and political changes reshaped Hebrew writing on the verge of modernity.

Ori grew up in Ya’ad, a moshav in the Galilee, and has lived in Jerusalem since his high school days at the IASA boarding school. He completed his BA in Hebrew literature and philosophy at the Hebrew University, where he also completed his MA in Hebrew literature under the supervision of Prof. Shulamit Elizur and the late Prof. Aminadav Dykman. He is a member of the European ANR- DFG research group, Rieti – A Hebrew Dante, and a research assistant to Dr. Jonathan Vardi, with whom he is preparing a new critical edition of the poems of Shmuel Ha-Nagid. When not sifting through old manuscripts, he plays the guitar, takes photographs, and backpacks. Some of his poems were recently published in the literary magazine Eruvin.

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Ofir Yaish

Ofir Yaish is a PhD student in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at Ben- Gurion University of the Negev under the joint supervision of Prof. Yaron Orenstein and Dr. Nir Shlezinger.

Ofir’s research focuses on developing and applying machine-learning techniques for analyzing and interpreting vast amounts of genomic data.

In particular, he is working on computational modelling of mRNA degradation and a CRISPR gene-editing system based on high- throughput data to help prevent the disruptive unplanned editing of genomic sites. Ofir is also interested in interpretable deep learning in the field of genomics, which can contribute to our ability to interpret models and discover new findings.

Ofir grew up in Beer Sheva, which he hopes will always be his home base. What began as an enthusiastic adventure to tackle computational challenges led him to pursue a BSc and MSc – and now a PhD – in electrical and computer engineering at Ben-Gurion University. Ofir enjoys consuming daily news, especially about political and technological developments which have attracted his interest since his teenage years. As a religious, open-minded, modern orthodox person, his weekends are very quiet and spent mostly with his family. He loves the spirit of the Sabbath and being able to disconnect from the ordinary tasks of the week.

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Odeya Eshel

Odeya Eshel is a PhD candidate in the Department of Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Eviatar Shulman (The Hebrew University) and Prof. Charles Hallisey (Harvard University).

Odeya studies the sacred texts of the Buddhist Theravāda tradition, focusing on their literary aspect and on questions of formation and reception.

Her research reconsiders the relationship between the Pāli canon and its commentary and introduces the commentarial technique as a creative literary process integral to the formation of scriptures. Sensitive to the significance of overlooked narratives, her research suggests that scriptures emerge from a vibrant cultural dynamic and work to emotionally engage their audience. She thus wishes to enhance the understanding of scripture literature and the role of commentaries in it.

Odeya grew up in Jerusalem, where she currently lives with her husband and two sons. She received her BSW and BA in the Multidisciplinary Program in the Humanities and her MA in comparative religion from the Hebrew University. She spent several years learning Jewish scriptures in traditional institutions. Her love for Jewish scriptures not only influences her understanding of religious experiences but also enhances her sensitivity to the concept of sacred reading. In her free time, she enjoys reading Hebrew literature and poetry, and baking, especially sweet things.

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Natanel Jarach

Natanel Jarach is a PhD student in the Institute of Chemistry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the joint supervision of Prof. Shlomo Magdassi (Hebrew University) and Prof. Hanna Dodiuk (Shenkar College).

His research focuses on developing sustainable polymers for 3D printing, a rapidly advancing field in which most raw materials are non-recyclable.

Natanel’s research aims to address this issue by developing two types of fully recyclable photolithography 3D (re)printable polymers. The first set utilizes light-induced reversible reactions, which have never been used in this field. The second set incorporates pH-responsive reversible groups. By adding a component known as “photo base generator,” he plans to use these groups, for the first time, as reversible photolithography-based raw materials. Through his research, Natanel hopes to push the boundaries of technology and sustainable chemistry to benefit industries using radiation crosslinking as they strive to minimize their environmental impact.

Natanel was born in Tzur Yigal and currently lives in Jerusalem with his husband. His academic journey began at Shenkar College, where he completed his BSc and MSc in polymeric materials engineering (summa cum laude). During his studies, he was drawn to sustainability and now pursues the subject with a vision for sustainable and climate-conscious chemistry for a better world. Despite being diagnosed with Crohn’s disease, Natanel volunteered for full military service, serving for seven years and completing officers’ course. He continues to contribute to his unit on a monthly or bi-monthly basis as a reservist and a consultant. Natanel also spends time helping other religious LGBTQ+ people with their struggles while promoting visibility and open dialogue on the subject. In his free time, he enjoys drawing, reading, running, baking, and watching television.

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Guy Kornowski

Guy Kornowski is a PhD student in the Department of Computer Science & Applied Mathematics at the Weizmann Institute of Science under the supervision of Prof. Ohad Shamir.

Ori’s research interests are machine learning and optimization theory, specifically, the complexity of learning algorithms.

Such algorithms make predictions based on observed data and are used throughout science and technology. Guy’s research is fundamental in its nature and aims to provide grounded algorithms that are efficient in terms of both computational resources and the amount of data required for meaningful generalization. Understanding fundamental barriers in this realm and finding ways to overcome them often involves deep mathematical insight.

Guy lives in Tel Aviv with his partner, Tom. He obtained his BSc in mathematics at Tel Aviv University and his MSc at the Weizmann Institute of Science. In the past few years, he has volunteered as a mentor at Magshimim, a national program that provides computer science education to underprivileged youth. Prior to his current academic path, Guy was a professional jazz guitarist and completed his musical studies at the Israel Conservatory of Music. He has performed in renowned music venues in Israel and abroad and won several awards, including the America-Israel Cultural Foundation scholarship and first prize in the Rostov International Jazz Competition.

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Ezra Ben Abu

Ezra Ben Abu is a PhD student in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology under the supervision of Prof. Amir Gat. His research focuses on leveraging viscous flow and multistable structures that can change their shape in multiple ways in applications such as energy harvesting and storage, refrigeration cycles, heat pumps, search and rescue operations, and minimally invasive surgical procedures. Ezra has invented a novel structure that can twist and change its shape in multiple ways. He has also succeeded in miniaturizing this structure to reach the smallest micro-scale dimensions.

His research contributions have the potential to make a substantial impact and have already shown promise in revolutionizing fields such as green energy, soft robotics, and medical devices.

Ezra was born and raised in Holon and currently lives in Haifa with his fiancé. He has a BSc in mechanical engineering from Afeka – The Academic College of Engineering in Tel Aviv and is currently following a direct PhD track. For almost a decade, Ezra has trained in Muay Thai, a martial art that assists him in balancing various aspects of life. In the past year, he has volunteered at Latet, the largest NGO combating poverty and food insecurity in Israel. In his free time, Ezra enjoys being with his fiancé, family, and friends, reading, watching movies, and listening to podcasts.

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Boaz Garfinkel

Boaz Garfinkel is a PhD candidate in The Azrieli Center for Israel Studies (MALI), Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev under the guidance of Prof. Avi Bareli (Ben- Gurion University) and Prof. Danny Gutwein (University of Haifa).

Boaz’s research focuses on understanding the class formation resulting from the government’s housing distribution policy in the early years after the establishment of the State of Israel.

By examining numerous original archival documents, his research investigates the government’s intentions, considerations, and eligibility criteria for the distribution of housing. He hopes that this research will help shed light on the origins and development of social and political inequality in Israel today.

Boaz grew up in Jerusalem and has been living in Haifa for the last eight years. He completed both his BA and MA in the University of Haifa’s Department of Jewish History. His MA focused on Israel’s labour history, with a particular emphasis on strike action during the early years of statehood. He now teaches in the same department a course on the transition from feudalism to capitalism. His passion for labour and social history extends beyond academia, and he actively contributes to the intellectual discourse on social and political issues as one of the founders and a member of the editorial board of Pigumim, the Israeli magazine for socialist thought and philosophy. In his free time, Boaz enjoys reading novels, engaging in thought- provoking discussions with friends, and working out.

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