Our Team
Uri Scharf
Founder, first CEO and former Chair
Uri Scharf founded and was the first CEO of the MATI Jerusalem Business Development Center in 1991, and his model was replicated in 23 cities nationwide. He is a veteran Jerusalem businessman who built Scharf Furs Ltd. into a leading Israeli manufacturer and exporter across 14 countries (1970-1989). He also established Israel's franchising sector by founding the Israeli Franchise Council and the Center for Advancement of Franchising. He has served on numerous boards including the Khan Theatre Jerusalem, and Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and was Chairman of ZAKA (2015-2022).
Eli Bentata
Chair of the Jerusalem Board
Formerly National Director for Development of Accelerators in the Periphery within the Small Business Agency of Israel’s Economy Ministry; former CEO of Gesher, owned by the Ministry of Welfare; former Deputy CEO of Tevet Joint Israel; and former Deputy Director of the Authority for Small and Medium Size Businesses in Israel.
MATI Jerusalem Board of Directors
Shmuel Marciano
Jerusalem Mayor's Representative
Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem, social entrepreneur, and representative of the French community at the Jerusalem Municipality
Haim Amar
Jerusalem Municipality Representative
Former Director of the Municipal Employment Authority in the Jerusalem Municipality
Ruth Rubinstein
Jerusalem Foundation Representative
Chief Financial Officer of the Jerusalem Foundation
Adina Bar-Shalom
Social activist and entrepreneur from the ultra-orthodox community
Michal Shalem
Entrepreneur and international expert in competitive strategy and innovation
Ruth Cohen
Expert in financial management, former senior executive at
Bank Igud
Amir Schneiderman
Director of Economic Development and Loan Funds at the Jewish Agency and co-founder of Spark.il
Ofir May
Former Director of the Licensing and Supervision Division at the Jerusalem Municipality
Gitit Guberman
Attorney specializing in finance
Uri Sirkis
CEO of Israir Group, leading executive in Israel’s tourism and aviation industry
Udi Ben-Dror
Former senior executive at the Ministry of Finance and Bezeq International; Deputy CEO at Harel
Tamar Ben-David
CEO and attorney in the public and private sectors
Sharon Hasid
Entrepreneur and Co-Owner of the Hasid Group
Ismail Washahi
CEO and owner of an engineering and construction company
Mazen Sabitani
CEO of Akram Company
MATI USA Board
Steven D. Fleischer Esq, PLLC
Treasurer of MATI USA
Steven is a lawyer with a focus on estate planning, elder law, probate and guardianship, based in Manhattan. He is Executive Vice President of the Shirley & William Fleischer Family Foundation Inc., and a former Board Member of the UJA-Federation of New York.
Yonina Rothblatt
JIMF Board
Donald Franklin
Founder Trustee & Chair
Donald has worked as a Senior Economic Adviser in the UK’s Government Economic Service for the last fifteen years, and is Treasurer of the Middle East and North Africa Health Policy Forum. He was previously Chief Economist to Schroders PLC.
Michael Pollack
Founder Trustee & Honorary Secretary
Michael is responsible for JIMF’s expansion within Jerusalem’s Charedi community. Educated at the LSE and Hebron Yeshiva, he oversees advanced Rabbinic programs and community education in London and Jerusalem.
Jasmina Posen-Griffoul
A project manager and communications specialist in the non-profit sector with experience in international development, Jasmina has worked on large-scale, publicly funded programs. Jasmina holds an MA in Communications from Sciences Po (Paris) and an MSc in Environmental Politics from University College London.
MATI Jerusalem Senior Staff
Zvia Shelly
Chief Executive Officer
Zvia has many years of experience in economic-social management and the development of public organizations, non-profits, and businesses. She has a BA in Political Science and Middle Eastern Studies, and an MBA with focus on researching employee performance in non-profit organizations. Among her previous positions she was CEO of the Witz Center and of Givat Brenner.
Riham Jaber
Director of the East Jerusalem Branch
Riham is a lecturer, facilitator, and promoter of strategic planning processes. She brings her experience as a lecturer in women’s empowerment, financial education, personal counseling and coaching, plus her expertise in strategic planning and Hebrew language education for the Arab sector. She has a BA in Law and an MA in Gender and Diversity.
Dr. Irit Kornblit
VP of Resource Development
Irit previously managed entrepreneurship and business development programs at the Hadassah College Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, and was a business mentor for early entrepreneurs and job seekers in the technology sector. With a Ph.D. in Rhetoric and Communication from Bar-Ilan University, she brings a unique combination of academic expertise and practical experience in the world of entrepreneurship and innovation.
Akiva Ganz
Business Division Director
Akiva’s expertise is business management and organizational development, from setting strategies and managing budgets to establishing sales systems and implementing business plans. He has a BA in Political Science from the Hebrew University, and an MA in Law from Bar-Ilan University, and his previous positions include VP of Sales at Internet Rimon, Regional Manager at Tnuva, and Business Division Manager at Pelephone.
Aviya Baba-Hazan
Projects and Partnerships Director
Aviya has over a decade of experience managing social impact projects, building communities around a shared vision, and public advocacy. She specializes in creating impact and driving policy change to advance safety for
women and marginalized populations through engagement with local authorities and government ministries, transforming community vision into tangible results.
MATI West Jerusalem Office Staff
Sigal Abutsedaka, Office Manager
Avishay Aviratz, Loans and Automations Manager
Maayan Chakimi, Business Consulting Coordinator
Amit Aganzi, Information Systems
Tamar Taub, Projects Coordinator
Alison Nuriel, Maalot Program Coordinator
M. Rothberg, Resource Development Coordinator
MATI East Jerusalem Office Staff
Shirine Jaber, Marketing Manager
Wassim Za’atari, Business Consulting & Loans Manager
Maii Omri, TIFLI Program Manager
Fatma Awadallah, Financial Literacy Project Manager
Suhad Otman, TIFLI Program Partnerships Manager
Achmad Abu Snina, Office & Youth Projects Manager