Writings by Bronfman Bogrim & Amitim

Amira Shoshan-Ilani (Amitei Bronfman ’15)

Posted on June 14, 2024

My name is Amira Shoshan-Ilani, and I am from Jerusalem. I am a student of psychology and Jewish thought at Hebrew University. I work in mental health and teach yoga, and I am a Bronfman 2015 Fellow. I do not often see my father cry. The last time I saw him cry was the Seder Continue Reading »

Naftali Oppenheimer (Amitei Bronfman ’11)

Posted on April 26, 2024

Naftali is the co-founder and co-CEO of Teva Ivri, an Israeli nonprofit focused on Jewish environmental responsibility. He was a commander in the IDF’s Nahal Brigade, and since Oct. 7 has been on reserve duty, overseeing medical evacuations of soldiers under fire. The first time I cried in the army was a decade ago, when Continue Reading »

Eden Biton (Amitei Bronfman ’17)

Posted on April 12, 2024

Eden currently serves as Group Coordinator for Amitei Bronfman. On October 7th, I slept at my partner Shaked’s home in Haifa. Shaked serves in an elite army unit, and in October he had just several more months until he would be finished with the army. In short – we could feel the end coming, that Continue Reading »

Yael Efrati (Amitei Bronfman ’01)

Posted on April 2, 2024

My name is Yael Efrati, and I am a medical psychologist at Sheba Hospital. I direct a clinic that provides support to hospital staff, and I also have a private practice. I live in the moshav Beit Herut. I am Re’em’s partner, and the mother of Be’eri and Kelil. Last summer, after a journey of Continue Reading »

Tal Feingold Ben Harush (Amitei Bronfman ’02)

Posted on March 22, 2024

My name is Tal Feingold Ben Harush. I am 39 years old; a clinical social worker; a therapist; a care coordinator at a post-hospitalization residence; a mother of three young children; the partner of a soldier in reserve service who is a man of the soil, someone who works with his hands; an Israeli; a Continue Reading »

Nerya Cohen (Amitei Bronfman ’99)

Posted on March 15, 2024

Lives in: Tel Aviv Principal of the Amit Bar Ilan School in Petach Tikvah “I didn’t call myself anything. I was more than a teacher. And less. In the high school classroom you are a drill sergeant, a rabbi, a shoulder to cry on, a disciplinarian, a singer, a low-level scholar, a clerk, a referee, Continue Reading »

Ealeal Semel (Amitei Bronfman ’07)

Posted on March 8, 2024

My name is Ealeal, and I live in Tel Aviv with my partner, Nizan, our baby Emmy, and Shoko the puppy. October 7th was supposed to be the first performance of a new cast in a play I produced at the Gesher Theatre, Someone Like Me. In the play, written by Roy Chen, five young Continue Reading »

Shira Semo (Amitei Bronfman ’17)

Posted on March 1, 2024

Academics in a Time of War Hello everyone! I am Shira, from Jerusalem, a student of urban planning, sociology, and anthropology at Hebrew University. I have chosen a sensitive topic to write about, and as saying anything beyond my limited experience seems totally wrong, I will start off by saying that I can only speak Continue Reading »

Yishai Gesundheit (Amitei Bronfman ’02)

Posted on February 11, 2024

My name is Yishai Gesundheit, and I am 37 years old. Here’s a glimpse into the life of a teacher during wartime: There is no longer a need for what I did in the army, so I did not enlist in the army reserves. What did I do? I helped out my relatives, I helped Continue Reading »

Rotem Reshef (Amitei Bronfman ’13)

Posted on January 21, 2024

My name is Rotem Reshef. I am 27 years old, and I was in the 2013 cohort of Bronfman. I was supposed to begin a master’s degree in developmental psychology in mid-October, but of course it was put off because of the unexpected war that descended on us on October 7th. On that morning, my Continue Reading »