This
includes pioneering innovative Israel educational initiatives and hosting
delegations of politicians, diplomats, academics and other people of influence
in Israel.
Michael
has been intimately involved in establishing the
StandWithUs Israel Fellowship, which has become the go-to public diplomacy
program on Israeli campuses and has graduated over 1,500 of the country's
future diplomats and leaders – a highly influential network. These outstanding
Israeli young adults have gone on to staff major corporations, political
parties in the Knesset, government ministries and embassies and NGOs worldwide.
Michael
holds a Bachelor’s degree from University College London (UCL) and diplomas in
Management and Project Management. Born in the UK, Michael made Aliyah to Israel
in 2006 from London as the Second Lebanon War ended, together with his wife and
two young children – they now have five children and live in central Israel.
Michael
regularly addresses audiences and broadcasts on issues pertaining to Israel and
public diplomacy. He is an accomplished writer and some of
his articles and TV interviews can be seen here.
Michael has
led diplomatic, academic and journalist missions to Israel and has advocated
for Israel in different forums, including at the UN “Durban II” conference, in
the Knesset, in Europe, the US and in the Far East. Michael has helped pioneer
the organization’s social media activity, which now has a weekly Facebook page
peak reach of over 105 million people. He has been instrumental in setting up
“social media situation rooms” as far back as in 2009 during Operation Cast
Lead, which he referred to as “the
first social media war” to Reuters news agency.
Michael
was very active in the UK Jewish community and was twice appointed to Bnei
Akiva UK’s executive. Following this, he spent a short time working in top advertising firms before being appointed as Director of Informal
Education at JFS, the largest Jewish school in Europe. In the five years he was
there, Michael formed a department that pioneered innovative programming for
2,000 Jewish students on a daily basis, dealing with all aspects of Jewish life
and Israel. He worked with senior representatives from the Christian and Muslim
communities to formulate effective and original Multi-faith programs that met
Government guidelines. He made Israel educational initiatives a central focus
of school life and also launched the groundbreaking “Ambassador” program, a
reality-TV show format educational format based on the Israeli TV series of the
same name, teaching students skills in advocating for Israel, which was
rolled-out in UK schools nationwide.
StandWithUs was formed in 2001 in Los Angeles, where the Head Office is based. Under Michael’s leadership, StandWithUs’s operation in Israel has grown exponentially, empowering people in Israel and internationally to be active advocates for Israel and countering efforts to impose commercial, academic and cultural boycotts on Israel. Michael oversaw the construction of the new StandWithUs Educational Center in Jerusalem, opposite the King David Hotel. The site hosts 20,000 students and tourists a year, participating in educational programs.
Michael
is a Senior Fellow at the Center for International Communication (CIC) of Bar
Ilan University, is an Honorary member of Alpha Epsilon Pi, and was appointed
to the Spectrum Forum of leading Executive Directors in Israel under the age of
40. In 2016, he was named as the 14th most influential Jew on Twitter and also one of the “30 Israelis Making a Difference” by Channel 10 TV’s “Hazinur” at a ceremony at the President of Israel’s Residence. Michael was listed in the Top 30 of "The Aliyah 100 List" of British immigrants to Israel, one of the "flag bearers who shape the state of Israel and made a significant contribution".
Michael continues to be an energetic, influential and active voice for Israel to the world.
Michael continues to be an energetic, influential and active voice for Israel to the world.
