International Women’s Day: Menomadin Foundation CEO Receives Israel Hayom Women’s Award for Economy and Innovation

Since October 7th, women have been courageously fighting in front and rear, leading massive volunteering enterprises in support of evacuees and Israeli society covering all aspects of life. Since October 7th, the Menomadin Foundation, under the leadership of businessman and philanthropist Haim Taib and CEO Dr. Merav Galili, has also conscripted all of its experience, knowledge, and partnerships to the aid of the State of Israel coping with the war’s ramifications. In the 2024 International Women’s Day, the Israel Hayom editorial board, and publisher Dr. Miriam Adelson honored Dr. Galili with a personal award as a token of appreciation for her contribution to Israeli economy and innovation. Eighteen other women were honored with the award for their courage, sacrifice, and resourcefulness in military and security, public diplomacy and international outreach, health, education and research, civic engagement, and community service.

The award committee praised Menomadin Foundation’s activity since the war began, “but essentially it was a recognition of our worldview as we seek to advance Israel’s economic and social resilience,” explains Merav (48, married and a mother of five). “Throughout years of investments in technology and social causes, we have built the infrastructure that now allows us to lead national impact in times of emergency.” Merav extends her heartfelt thanks to Israel Hayom for its appreciation and recognition.

Merav brought her eldest daughters, Ilay and Shira, to the award ceremony. “I keep telling them, ‘You can dream and reach anything you wish for.’ They should see thriving women and absorb this message, and there was a spectacular group of women at the event.” Merav told her daughters about Hava Zingboim, who sponsored the evening: “Zingboim grew up in an underprivileged home and singlehandedly built a cosmetics empire from the ground up. Even more impressive, from her high status at the top of the business world, she continues to empower other women. It is important for me that my daughters see they can reach outstanding achievements in any field they desire, and that they fundamentally comprehend what solidarity is.”

Israeli Solidarity

With the spirit of solidarity so characteristically sweeping Israeli society in times of crisis, the Menomadin Foundation too stepped up to provide immediate needs following the onset of the war. Menomadin’s employees volunteered to prepare home-cooked meals and transported them to soldiers and evacuees; A logistics center was established in the garage floor, to collect all sorts of necessities. “We bought and donated equipment, employees volunteered to organize, pack, and transport it and also went out to the fields to help farmers. Later, we produced, in collaboration with advertising group Baram, giant billboards with the kidnapped children’s photos, raising awareness and calling for their release.”

Menomadin’s powerful nationwide billboard campaign was designed to raise awareness of the Israeli children held captive by Hamas in Gaza.

Alongside these significant activities, the Menomadin Foundation wished to provide solutions for more strategic needs. “Although our staff rose to the challenges so willingly, it was evident that we all needed emotional support. ifeel, a startup company in which we are invested, developed an online personal emotional service already available to tens of thousands of employees in major companies worldwide. We signed Menomadin Foundation and Mitrelli group, also owned by Haim Taib, to ifeel’s service and made it available to our thousands of employees and their families. Many CEOs of our portfolio’s companies were drafted, so we also extended the service to them and their spouses. But it wasn’t just our immediate surrounding we cared for. We sponsored a campaign to spread this service throughout Israel, where the need for innovative mental health treatment solutions was already very much in demand even before the war, and now it is actually lifesaving.”

Menomadin stood by its portfolio’s start-ups, such as those providing health solutions. EyeControl, for example, develops a platform that allows communication with wounded and intubated patients, something that has sadly become highly relevant for many injured in the war. Concerned for their long-term stability, Menomadin also made efforts to introduce its start-up companies to new markets, even in such times. “One foreign investor got spooked when the war broke and pulled out of one of the companies. We immediately stepped in,” says Merav. Opportunities also emerged out of Menomadin’s social ventures – in Tiberius, for example, where over the last three years the foundation has been engaged in education and municipal resilience enhancement. “We realized we can help the city with absorbing the 12,000 evacuees who flooded the city nearly overnight, with the help of our solid, long-term partners the Joint, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, Tiberius municipality and others.”

Impacting Community, Region, and State

Menomadin continued to put its measures and resources into making local, regional, and national impact. The foundation initiated long-term collaboration with frontline authorities in the south and north, with the cities of Ofakim, Netivot, and Kiryat Shmona, and with the community of Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, with which it works even now in its transitional location in Netivot. “We are building community resilience to promote their return to the Kibbutz and also creating economic growth avenues. Municipal resilience is the basis for the citizens’ resilience, and we achieve it through implementing the educational and municipal programs that we created and headed in Tiberius. We wish to bring this already proven success to as many local authorities as we can.”

Simultaneously, the Menomadin Foundation partnered with the Western Negev Cluster and Kinneret and Valleys Cluster. “Colluding with geographical units that cover several municipalities and local authorities enables us to impact the resilience of an entire region. In the Western Negev Cluster, for instance, we are sitting on the five-year plan steering committee and leading the education committee. We bring our proficiency in leading multi-system processes in order to advance multi-municipal strategic planning.”

At the national level, Menomadin Foundation’s expert partners from the Hebrew University wrote a wartime edition to the national welfare program led by Menomadin, The Right for Good Welfare. In March 2024, the Welfare in the wake of War plan was submitted to the Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs, Ya’akov Margi. Impressed by the program’s comprehensive solutions, Minister Margi pledged to continue working with the foundation to implement it and even emphasized the ministry’s trust in the three-way partnership of government, philanthropy, and academia – those standing at the core of Menomadin’s activity – as a strategy he has been promoting even more vigorously since the war began. “There are quite a lot of opportunities to act in these three arenas and make an impact in each of them. Even before the war, this was Menomadin’s field of expertise, and since the war began, we are committed to putting it in favor of Israel’s struggle through the hurdles of the hour,” says Merav.

Menomadin Foundation President Haim Taib and Minister of Welfare and Social Affairs Ya’akov Margi alongside Dr. Merav Galili and welfare experts from the Hebrew University, joined by the Menomadin Foundation team.

A Journey of Israeli Impact

Merav established Haim Taib’s foundation five years ago. “We set up an impact foundation with an approach that seeks to elevate our knowledge and expertise and those of the Mitrelli group to aid Israeli society. Mitrelli, in its decade of activity, executed massive strategic projects in Africa, ranging from the development of housing, agriculture, and water infrastructures, to the creation of workplaces for women and at-risk young adults, and the cultivation of local arts and culture.” If one was to pinpoint the essence of Mitrelli and Menomadin’s capability and subsequent activity, that would be process management and primarily long-term and highly comprehensive processes.

“Process management is translating vision into practice. You need to mark your target and work your way back to define the details: action items and schedules, budgets setting, choosing personnel, and finding the institutions and partners needed to complete the process. Through long-term process management, we’ll make maximum impact in Israel as well,” says Merav. “The Menomadin Foundation provides me with the opportunity to actualize entrepreneurship and innovation and build bridges between the business, civil, philanthropy, academic, and governmental sectors in local and national arenas. Menomadin is fertile soil, a vast field that sustains impact growth, and what can be more marvelous than knowing that at the heart of this impact’s beneficiaries stands Israeli society, the State of Israel, and the Jewish people – my biggest love.”