Ilan Wagner

Ilan was born in New Jersey and moved to Israel in 1986 after years of activity in the Young Judaea youth movement. Upon arriving in Israel, he helped found the Keren Kolot Educational Seminar at Kibbutz Ketura, wrote a text book for teaching English at the high school level, and then went on to be the head of the Education Committee on Kibbutz Yotvata, and supervisor of Civics at the regional high school.

In 1996, he worked as an emissary for college students in North America on behalf of Hadassah. From 2002 until 2004 he directed the Jewish Agency Department of Education’s global student activities, and then returned to the United Sates as the Jewish Agency’s representative to Hillel and Student Affairs in North America. Beginning in August, 2007 he served as the director of the Jewish Agency’s educational efforts in North America and directed MAKOM, the Israel Engagement Network in North America.

Ilan returned to Israel in 2009, continuing his work as the Director of the Jewish Agency’s North American regional office and was involved in the creation of Onward Israel, of which he is currently the President and CEO. Ilan lives In Modiin with his wife Shoshi and two children, Amit and Adi, and their beloved dog, Eddie. If you meet Ilan, be sure to say a kind word about the Boston Red Sox.

Eliran Cohen

Eliran is married to Maayan and father to Or-Yosef. From a very young age Eliran was active in social organizations as both participant and staff. Eliran served as a fighter and commander in the Israeli navy. After this he was a Shaliach in US, before returning to Israel to continue his career. In the last few years he was a Director of Programs in diverse projects such as ‘Taglit’, ‘Masa Israel’, and more.

His academic career includes a B.A degree in Political Science and Public Communication. Currently he is completing his Master’s degree in the Studies of American Jewry. During his years as a student, Eliran participated in a number of significant leadership programs such as The Stand With Us Fellowship, The Jewish Statesmanship Center and the program for educators for Jewish Peoplehood in Beit H’atfutzot.

Among other endeavors, Eliran lived in and managed the Tel Aviv ‘Moishe-House’ extension. In addition, Eliran founded and manages his own company ‘Kelim Shluvim’ that specializes in the development and management of training skills for diverse audiences. Eliran is a big fan of sports and music of any kind.

Jessica Siskind

Jessica was born in raised in New Jersey. Throughout her youth, she attended and worked at Ramah movement summer camps and was involved in United Synagogue Youth (USY). During college, she had the opportunity to study abroad in two incredible cities, London England and Haifa Israel, which helped shape her interest in giving young people the opportunity to have immersive abroad experiences.

After graduating from Boston University with a B.A. in International Relations in 2008, she started work at the Jewish National Fund (JNF). Jessica served in multiple roles at JNF including in the Israel Advocacy and Education department and later in the Greater New York region as an events manager. In 2013, she completed her Masters Degree in Public Administration with a focus in Nonprofit Administration from Baruch College of the City of New York. She had the opportunity to participate in Germany Close Up and was a Birthright Israel Fellow.

Having been involved with Onward Israel since its inaugural year in 2012, Jessica proudly serves as the Onward Israel North American Senior Director.

Veronika Matlov

Veronika was born and raised in Vilnius , Lithuania, After making aliyah in 1990 she continued her B. A studies in Hebrew University in the field of Sociology and History. Veronika worked for the Jewish Agency for 20 years , mostly with educational projects for young adults and professional projects to new immigrants all over the world . In 2001-2004 and 2007- 2008 she worked as an emissary in Kiev , Ukraine, working with local Jewish community and other Israeli organizations such as Nativ, ORT, and private companies , running the Israeli oriented activities , seminars , summer camps etc. After returning from the second emissary mission Veronika directed the professional integration unit In The Jewish Agency , focusing on helping new olim build their careers in Israel. She joined the Onward Israel team in November 2015.

Veronika is married to Boaz and has 3 suns – Eliyahoo and Yonathan – soldiers in the IDF, and Noam – middle school student. Sives in Mevasseret Zion, a small town near Jerusalem, and is a big fan of music of any kind , interior design, travelling, and good coffee.

Aryeh Solomon

After his army service as a commander in the Paratroopers Brigade, Aryeh studied for his B.A. in education while working with both formal and informal education projects. In 2009 Aryeh joined Yavne Olami as the director of a summer internship program.  A couple of years later he moved to one of the largest educational tourism companies in Israel, the Israel Experience. Working there for over 7 years in various roles including managing the internship placement team, and as the director of Masa and Onward programs in the company.

Aryeh joined Onward Israel in  2019 as part of the operations team. As a quality control manager Aryeh works closely with the program providers to ensure the Onward Israel programs are run at a high level and meet the quality standards.

Madison Dore

Madison joined Onward Israel in January 2022 as their Director of Theme-Based Programs. Madison was born and raised in Chicago and is a fan of the Bears and Chicago style thin crust pizza with giardiniera. Growing up, Madison attended and worked at JCC Day Camps and was involved with her high school’s Jewish Student Union. In the Summer of 2015, Madison went on the Cleveland Onward Israel program where she interned with the Museums of Bat Yam. After graduating from Case Western Reserve University with a BA in Art History, Archaeology, and Judaic Studies, Madison spent five years as the Manager of Student Life, Engagement, and Leadership at Cleveland Hillel.

Madison loves to travel and bake. In her free time you can find her searching for cheap flights, hanging out on the beach, or making her famous chocolate cheesecake. Madison currently lives in Florida’s Space Coast with her husband, Zach, and their dogs Rowan and Zahav.

Jessi Davidson

Jessi joined the Onward Israel Team in November 2020 as their Director of Internal Programs. Jessi originally born and raised in England, made Aliyah in 2009 after taking part in a summer program and falling in love with Israel. Determined to share her powerful experience with  others, Jessi joined one of the largest educational tourism companies, Sachlav. Working there for over 11 years in their Taglit, Masa and Onward Israel departments in various roles, Jessi ultimately ended up as their Director of Masa and Onward Israel programs. 

Jessi graduated in Marketing in 2000, as well as completing her Legal Executive Diploma in 2002. She spent most of her working life in the UK as a paralegal and legal executive before finally choosing to make Israel her home.

Jessi lives in the Judaean mountains with her husband and four children. She loves spending time dancing, gardening, horse-riding, teaching Zumba and enjoying life.

Renana Shanani

Renana is a 9^th generation Israeli with a strong connection to both Israel and the worldwide Jewish community, committed to connecting both.

She believes the personal and national connection between all Jews and communities is important and significant for personal, communal, and national development.

Renana has been involved in non-formal education since her youth, and traveled to various Shlichut missions in South Africa, Australia the Netherlands and the USA. In Israel, she worked with youth and young adults from all over the world in cooperation with federations, Schools, and youth movements.

Renana is a BA graduate in Business Administration and holds a masters in American Jewish Studies through the Ruderman program at the University of Haifa.

Holly Millet

Holly works with our North American partners to ensure great experiences in Israel for our program participants. Israel holds a special place in Holly’s heart as she completed a Masa Israel Teaching Fellowship where she lived and taught English in Haifa for one year. While in Israel, Holly spent her weekends gaining cultural and spiritual enrichment traveling to holy and historical destinations such as Tzfat, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Eilat, Mitzpe Ramon, and the Golan Heights.

Holly holds a master’s degree in Higher Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from James Madison University. She has experience working in student engagement, academic advising, international programs, and service learning on college campuses.

Holly believes in fostering a global mindset amongst young adults and is passionate about women’s empowerment. In her free time, you can find Holly paddle boarding with her dog Charlie, learning עברית, practicing yoga and meditation, or planning her next travel adventure.

Yoni Mann

Yoni Mann serves as the Senior Advisor to the CEO of Onward Israel. He grew up in San Francisco and made Aliyah to Israel in 2011. Yoni has a deep passion for Israel and Jewish Peoplehood. Prior to Onward Israel, Yoni founded and headed the Campus Department at Jerusalem U for four years, working to provide Israel educational experiences to thousands of college students throughout North America.

He most recently completed his term as Board Chair of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS), the umbrella organization representing over 500,000 Jewish students worldwide. His involvement in Israel and Jewish communal affairs extend to over 10 years with numerous Jewish organizations such as AEPi, Hillel, Chabad, StandWithUs, Israeli Jewish Congress, and the Jewish Agency for Israel, where he directed a flagship program encouraging Aliyah on college campuses.

During his service in the Israel Defense Forces, Yoni served in the Foreign Relations department working for senior foreign high-ranking delegations to Israel. His political experiences include advising various Israeli Knesset Members, and he currently heads the Olim Department of the Hitorerut in Jerusalem party, with which he was a candidate for the Jerusalem city council in 2018. 

Yoni served as a delegate in the 37th World Zionist Congress and is a member of the Zionist General Council of the WZO.

Yoni lives in Jerusalem and enjoys playing the trumpet with Jerusalem’s Harel Orchestra. He graduated with a B.S. in Marketing from California State University, Northridge in 2010.

Shunit Karako Tanne

Shunit is in charge of placements and business relations for our Law & Entrepreneurship Theme Based Program and the Finance & Economics Theme Based Program.

Born and raised in Israel, Shunit moved with her family to Amherst, Massachusetts for a few years as part of her father’s Navy service.

For the past few years, Shunit has been working with international young professionals, new Olim, and MBA students on finding internships, jobs, career development, networking and professional growth as well as connecting international talent to the Israeli market. She has worked for both the Israel Experience and Tel Aviv University’s Coller School of Management career center.  Shunit has a BA social work and MA in organizational sociology from Ben Gurion University and also has experience as a social worker and English teacher. She is married to Niv, mother of Doron and Omer, and lives in Modiin.  

Lena Kushnir

Lena is a passionate facilitator of inclusive Jewish and Israel experiences. Originally from Ukraine, she worked in Development with the Jewish Agency for Israel in Ukraine, completed a one-year program at the Paideia Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, and co-founded a thriving Moishe House in Kyiv. After completing a one-year fellowship in Israel with JDC Entwine, where she helped empower young Israeli immigrants in Jerusalem and Lod, Lena relocated to NYC in 2015 and received her Masters in Public Administration and Non-Profit Management at CUNY Baruch College in February 2018. Prior to joining Onward Israel in 2021, she served as a Planning Executive in the Jewish Life Department at UJA-Federation of NY. Lena lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and 6-year-old daughter.

Jason Steckler

Jason was raised in Culver City, California and studied Recreation, Parks and Tourism Administration with a focus on Tourism at San Francisco State University. Jason spent the Summer of 2014 on Onward Israel’s National Hillel program where he lived in Jerusalem, interning for a Dual-Narrative Tourism organization. His experience that Summer helped him materialize his passion and love for providing immersive community-building experiences and set him up early-on for his burgeoning career in Jewish communal work and Israel education.

As an SFSU Alum, Jason has served the last 3 years as an Israel Engagement Associate with San Francisco Hillel. There, he helped shape Israel educational programming, promoted dialogue and coalition-building amidst controversial Anti-Israel campus activism, organized trips for non-Jewish student leaders to Israel, and strengthened students support in their connections to Israel and Judaism, as well as, taking advantage of programs and opportunities to advance their careers, education and Jewish Journeys. He currently serves on a multitude of board and committees within San Francisco Jewish community focused on Israel education and engagement, and will soon be a certified Birthright Israel Fellow.

Jason can usually be found in the city at Jewish communal events, Salsa or Israeli Dancing, trying the best food SF has to offer and exercising.

Alyssa Glucksman

Alyssa is so excited to be joining the Onward Israel team as the New York and Camp Counselor Program coordinator! From Connecticut, Alyssa graduated from the University of Wisconsin Madison with degrees in Human Development & Family Studies and Communications. As an alumna of the Camp Counselor Program, Alyssa looks forward to helping future participants engage in meaningful experiences in Israel. She credits her own Onward Israel internship, working in development at a nonprofit in Jerusalem, with inspiring her to pursue a career in the nonprofit sector. Alyssa’s experiences in the Jewish community come from involvement at Hillel, Chabad and fifteen summers at Jewish Camp. In her spare time, you can find Alyssa on her Peloton bike, walking her dog Lola, or eating mint chip ice cream.

Aleeza Kharilkar

Aleeza, originally from Toronto, now lives in Jerusalem with her husband Avishai and daughter Shirah. She went to Reichman University for her BA where she majored in Psychology and minored in Biology, and is currently in her MA studying Organizational Behaviour and Development. From being a camper to the head of staff in camp, Aleeza has spent most of her life working with youth across the world and has a deep passion and love for all of her campers and the world of informal education. 

Emmanuel Keukjian

Emmanuel serves as the Programs and Operations Assistant, handling a variety of administrative support tasks and brings over five years working across the nonprofit realm to Onward. Emmanuel has a passion for helping connect people with meaningful life experiences.

A lifelong New Yorker, Emmanuel has a B.A. in Politics. He enjoys exploring New York State and all it has to offer with its food and nature.

Judy Felner

Judy is excited to join the Onward Israel team as the Campus Programs Coordinator. Judy was born in New York and raised in New Jersey. Growing up she was heavily involved with various youth organizations and after being involved in the Hillel programs at both Bergen Community College and William Paterson University, she spent her summer of 2017 participating in Onward interning with Israeli Football League (IFL) and Maccabi Tennis in Tel Aviv. That summer solidified for her that helping others in any compacity is important to her and is what she wanted to dedicate herself to. Judy is excited to help other Hillel professionals and Israel Organizers create meaningful opportunities for Jewish students.

On Sundays, you can find Judy yelling at her TV because the NY Jets are winning, winning then losing, or just losing. She is also a big fan of Marvel movies, Bob’s Burgers and watches them usually with a cold Coke in her hand.

Ally Cohen

Ally Cohen is excited to join the Onward Israel team as Partner Relations and Special Projects Coordinator. Ally works with partners to ensure great onward Israel experiences for participants. Ally was born and raised in Massachusetts, but now resides with her dog in Austin, TX. She has a bachelor’s degree from Loyola University New Orleans, where she studied Theater and International Relations. Ally is an Onward Israel alumnus, she spent the Summer of 2015 living in Haifa, interning for an Israeli tourism start-up. Ally returned to Israel in 2016 as part of the Masa Israel Teaching Fellowship, where she taught English in an Israeli school in Ashdod for a year. When she’s not working Ally can be found hiking and performing improv comedy.