First Cohort of Menomadin-Peres Graduates: “You Are Called to Lead. Here. Now.”

“Since October 7^th, the State of Israel has not been the same country, not because of weakness, but strength. For unity and Arevut Hadadit (mutual responsibility) to be triggered not just by catastrophe, but to become the DNA of the country, you are called to lead. Here. Now. Not a decade from now,” Haim Taib, Founder and President of the Menomadin Foundation, told the graduates of the Menomadin-Peres Executive Initiative at the first cohort’s graduation ceremony, which was held in July 2025.

The first 46 graduates of “The Menomadin-Peres Executive Initiative: Impact-Driving Leadership” are CEOs and VPs at major companies, including Strauss-Elite, IBI Investment House, and Ashdar Building Company Ltd.; law firms and medical institutions such as Sheba Beyond and Shamir Medical Center; and prominent figures from the worlds of entrepreneurship and public administration. In a moving ceremony, they received diplomas for their studies from the Peres Academic Center and Harvard Kennedy School. Enrollment for the initiative’s second class is currently in full swing, with studies set to begin in November 2025.

On July 3, 2025, the Menomadin Foundation and Peres Academic Center held the graduation ceremony, which was attended by Ms. Ofra Elul, Founder and President of the Peres Academic Center; Prof. Ron Shapira, Rector of the Peres Academic Center; Dr. Shuki Friedman, Academic Director of the Initiative; Gilad Neumann, Director of the Initiative; Dr. Merav Galili, CEO of the Menomadin Foundation; Mr. Ilan Hamami, father of the late Col. Asaf Hamami; and Mr. Eli (Eliyahu) Tahar, father of the late Yossi Tahar, an elite Shin Bet unit fighter. Taib gave the keynote speech via Zoom.

The Tahar and Hamami scholarships are given to program participants in memory of these families’ heroic sons, who fell in the battles of October 7^th.

The evening opened with a recorded greeting from Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who reminded all that Israeli society is one society. “There is nothing more Israeli than being in the presence of two families from whom came the truest of heroes who dedicated their lives for the people of Israel,” said Prof. Shapira. The sentiment of shared destiny, unity, and mutual responsibility also resonated in the melodious voice of October 7 survivor Yuval Raphael, who performed at the event.

Harnessing Israel’s Human Capital

Recognizing the abundant human capital within the State of Israel, the Menomadin Foundation and the Peres Academic Center sought to cultivate this strength. Together, they created “The Menomadin-Peres Executive Initiative: Impact-Driving Leadership,” a first-of-its-kind leadership program in Israel. This program leverages the proven leadership abilities of senior executives from the business sector and their deep desire to drive positive change and heal our deeply divided society. Over the course of 26 evening sessions — which included lectures in Hebrew and English (some hybrid), and dedicated time for mingling over shared dinners — participants were taught by notable figures, including former Attorney General Prof. Avichai Mandelblit, former IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi, Portland Fund Partner Dr. Nasreen Haddad-Haj Yahya, and journalist Amit Segal.

“The subject matter isn’t easy,” says graduate Rachel Erez. Erez is Senior HR Manager at Ormat Technologies, where she is also responsible for global internal communications among the company’s 1,600 employees. “When we discussed societal gaps, minorities, feelings of inferiority among different sectors, and the roles of government institutions, the sessions often became heated. The opinions expressed were diverse, and the most important lesson we learned was to listen. I could feel how, little by little, people became more open-minded and candid.”

“A Formative and Unforgettable Experience”

In January 2025, the group traveled to Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, for an intensive week of training in the “Private Leadership and Negotiation as a Tool for Public Sector Intervention” course offered by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Executive Education (HKS) program, which was specially developed for the cohort. “It was a formative and unforgettable experience. We had the privilege of learning from the world’s greatest minds about crisis and conflict management, negotiation, sensitive leadership, introspection, silence, and compassion. We got to train muscles we didn’t even know we had!” said Livnat Mizrahi-Rinsky, CEO of IBI Exchange Brokerage, IBI Investment House, when she spoke at the graduation ceremony as the cohort’s representative.

“This was the best learning experience I’ve had in years,” concluded Erez, who is also a trained group facilitator. “The group is a wonderful thing, and the magic that happened within it was nothing we could have foreseen. When 46 senior executives gather in one classroom, all with impressive résumés, you would expect one-upmanship — but everyone came in with a genuine desire to learn, influence, and take action. The exceptional spirit of give-and-take was truly remarkable.”

Translating Ability, Knowledge, and Will Into Impact

This high-caliber group formed work teams and developed 16 social impact projects aimed at tackling the most sensitive and challenging issues currently facing Israeli society. The mission of this young leadership is “to ensure the rehabilitation, healing of rifts, and growth of the social and geographic periphery that was severely impacted by October 7^th, in both Southern and Northern Israel,” said Menomadin Foundation CEO, Dr. Merav Galili.

Dr. Galili was part of the judging panel, alongside Prof. Ron Shapira, Rector of the Peres Academic Center; Adv. Udit Corinaldi-Sirkis, former Legal Advisor to the Office of the President of the State of Israel; Dr. Shuki Friedman, Academic Director of the Initiative; and Gilad Neumann, Director of the Initiative. The judging panel evaluated the initiatives and selected four outstanding projects that received an implementation grant from the Jewish People Policy Institute. The leaders of the winning initiatives will participate in the “Social Accelerator,” an acceleration, mentorship, and support program launched by the Institute, in collaboration with the Peres Academic Center.

Three of the winning social projects aim to strengthen communities and vulnerable populations in Israel. One of these, “Turning Point: From Rehabilitation to Growth in Kiryat Shmona,” focuses on building a core community comprised of students from the University of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee (Tel-Hai College). They will integrate into the city’s existing community for the duration of their degree studies, through work, volunteering, and community building, with an emphasis on rehabilitating youth and seniors, and with the hope that they will choose to settle down in the city and make it their home.

“Kiryat Shmona has over 20,000 citizens who deserve functioning businesses, health and leisure services, and children’s activities within the city itself, not an hour’s drive away,” says Erez. “We have partnered with strong entities — government ministries, foundations, and academia — and we will do everything to ensure that a first mission-driven core group of 20 students settles and begins to operate in Kiryat Shmona as early as March 2026.”

A second winning project is “Preparing for Life: A Bridge to Meaningful Citizenship,” which will provide practical life skills, personal mentoring, vocational training, and a bridge to the job market to vulnerable young men and women, disconnected youth, and those lacking family support. The project will actively identify its target audience and, in collaboration with government bodies, the military system, and employers, will guide these young individuals towards the right path and a fulfilling and meaningful citizenship.

In a third project, “Equally Heard,” female executives will foster self-confidence and public speaking skills in girls and young women. The impact will be twofold: it will both increase female presence in the business world and the job market; and executives will serve as empowering female role models for young women at a formative stage in their lives.

The fourth winning project seeks to strengthen ties between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide. The importance of this connection and our shared destiny has been felt more strongly than ever since October 7^th. This project is a kind of “reverse Taglit,” (Birthright), where a special app will connect visitors from Israel with host families in Jewish communities, first in the United States, offering information on local events during their stays, and other opportunities for personal contact, thereby both lowering costs for travelers and promoting collaborations and business initiatives.

“We are the Ones Who Make a Brighter Day”

“A new day will rise,” sang October 7 survivor Yuval Raphael at the ceremony, echoing the Menomadin-Peres Executive Initiative’s vision to bring about a new future. The message of accountability and proactivity was movingly expressed by the two bereaved fathers who participated in presenting scholarships given in honor of their fallen sons.

Eli Tahar, Deputy Chairman of the Yad LaBanim organization, spoke about the nine babies born this year in Kibbutz Mefalsim, where his son Yossi died while battling to protect the community on October 7^th. He spoke about the first 140 young men and women who joined the new youth movement of HaShomer HaChadash, which Eli Tahar and Haim Taib, the movement’s president, helped establish. “Haim and I, we are moshavniks (members of a moshav, a co-op agricultural community), and in the new babies, in the youth, and in you — the 46 graduates of the first cohort of this new program — we see the first seedlings of a great forest whose shade and fine fruits we will all enjoy.”

Ilan Hamami, whose son Asaf, Commander of the Southern Brigade in the Gaza Division, was killed in the October 7^th battles, and whose body was abducted and is still held in Gaza, said: “Asaf knew how to bring together what he knew, what he believed in, and what he was willing to do for others. He acted out of kinship, responsibility, personal example, and a profound sense of mission. Significance was not a slogan for him, but a daily act. And now — it’s your turn, graduates.”

Mizrahi-Rinsky, on behalf of the entire first cohort of the Menomadin-Peres Executive Initiative, promised: “And now, the real work begins: Our vision is to lead projects that will restore to Israel hope, mutual responsibility, and the feeling of a shared home for all its inhabitants. Each in their way, through respectful dialogue and unifying leadership.”

[Video editor: Shahar Yurman]