Graduates

Mandel Program for Local Leadership in Tira

NOVEMBER 2010 – AUGUST 2012

Samia Abu-Khit

Social engagement and personal development coordinator, Tira ATID high school

Samia is the social engagement and personal development coordinator at the ATID high school in Tira, and a biology and environmental science teacher. After the Mandel program she was appointed by the Ministry of Education as a tutor and training developer for environmental science teachers, and was made a national instructor in environmental sciences. She recently launched a social engagement project encouraging high schoolers to volunteer, and is in charge of developing the school’s “social matriculation” qualification. Samia holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Tel-Aviv University and a master’s degree cum laude in environmental education from the Kibbutzim College of Education. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Noor Basam Mansour

Director, “City Without Violence” program in Tira

Noor is the director of the “City Without Violence” program in Tira. She recently began work on a master plan for combating urban violence, a groundbreaking step for Arab cities and towns. She is also the volunteer coordinator of the “Accessible Community” program that provides training for people with disabilities. Noor holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Shaarei Mishpat College in Hod Hasharon and a diploma in professional mediation from the Gevim Group. She recently received her license to practice law, and is currently studying towards a diploma in group mediation from the Adam Institute for Democracy and Peace. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Salima Bisharah

Advisor to mayor on women’s issues

Salima is the mayor’s advisor on women’s issues, a social worker responsible for child and youth care, and chair of the municipal committee on early-age children at risk (part of the national 360 Degrees program). Over the last two years she has worked towards the establishment of a parent-children center in Tira that will combine guidance for parents, emotional therapy for children, a day center for children, a day fostering program (in which children without families spend the day at the homes of foster families), and a personal mentoring and nurturing program. She has set up a program, in partnership with one of the high schools in the city, to provide employment and professional guidance counseling for girls. Salima holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work, both from Tel-Aviv University. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Raed Fadila

Coordinator and teacher, Tira Tomashin high school

Raed works at the Tomashin high school in Tira, where he is a member of the management team, the social education coordinator, a home room teacher, and a natural sciences teacher. Raed is responsible for all informal education activity in the school, and has launched the school’s Health Day and its Palestinian Heritage and Culture Day. He is also involved in a city-wide project to promote youth leadership in Tira. Raed holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in chemistry, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv University respectively, and also holds diplomas in group facilitation (from the HILA program), environmental education (from the Heschel Center), and mediation (from the Knesset). He lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Athar Haskia

Director of community relations at Israel Railways

Before taking charge of Israel Railway's community relations department, Athar was director for the national 360 Degrees program for children and youth at risk. Under her belt are a number of processes aimed at implementing national reforms of work with at-risk children and youth in Tira. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and a master’s degree in non-profit and community organization management, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Manal Kadri

Educator, Tira Tomashin high school

Manal is a history teacher at the Tomashin high school in Tira, where she is chair of the school’s teacher association and responsible for the school timetable and monitor schedule. She is currently leading a campaign for the Tomashin national education network to create a fairer distribution of teacher association funds among the network’s schools. Following the Mandel program, she joined the board of the Tira community center, and recently also joined the city’s Parents Committee. Manal holds a bachelor’s degree in geography and the Middle East, and a master’s degree in Islamic studies and the Middle East, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She also holds a diploma in mathematics teaching from the David Yellin Academic College of Education. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Samira Kassim

Truancy officer, Tira municipal education department

Samira has served as a truancy officer in Tira’s municipal education department for the last six years. She works to create cooperation between institutions in order to benefit students, and is leading a drive to recruit non-profit organizations to provide enrichment activities for these children. She was recently put in charge of the city’s road safety office, and is responsible for creating a traffic and road sign committee. She has also been made chair of the children and youth committee at the Tira center for youth at risk. On a volunteer basis, she recently opened a center offering academic guidance and counseling for students from disadvantaged family backgrounds (help with the psychometric exams, academic guidance, grants, and so on), and professional guidance for students with no matriculation qualification. Samira holds a bachelor’s degree in social science and education from the Open University, and a teaching diploma in social science and civics from Beit Berl College. She is currently studying for a master’s degree in at-risk youth promotion from Beit Berl College. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Latifa Mansour

Social services supervisor, Ministry of Welfare - Tel-Aviv and Central District

Latifa is a Ministry of Welfare and Social Services supervisor for the Tel-Aviv and Central District, a position to which she was appointed after her first year on the Mandel program. She is the first female Arab district supervisor in a non-sectorial role. She works to improve awareness of people with cognitive disabilities, in particular in Arab society. Latifa recently joined the Ministry of Welfare roundtable group charged with thinking about and planning the ministry’s work in the Arab sector. She is also a board member of the Tira community center. She holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and a master’s degree in social work from Tel-Aviv University. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Hemmat Samara

Deputy director, Tira welfare department

Hemmat is a social worker in Tira’s welfare department, where since 2013 she has been a team leader and deputy director of the department. Among other projects, she has recently been responsible for setting up a nutrition club for the elderly, a rehabilitative day center for autism, a social club for over-18s with cognitive disabilities, and a project focusing on social assistance for people in poverty, and she has also established and managed a social club for widows. She was recently accepted to a prestigious two-year program for select team leader instructors in local authority welfare departments. Hemmat holds a bachelor’s degree in social work from Bar-Ilan University and a master’s degree in educational counseling from the Israel Academic College in Ramat Gan. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Summer Samara

Youth promotion social counselor

Summer has been a youth promotion social counselor for over 20 years, and a group facilitator, working at the city’s youth promotion unit. Following the Mandel program, she was appointed as the unit’s project coordinator. Among the programs she has launched are a sex education program for girls, and a program for girls in distress, which have both been expanded to other locations beyond Tira. Her work was recognized by the Ministry of Education with an award for excellence in 2014. She was involved in starting the “Belonging and Giving” NGO in Tira, and serves on the organization’s board of directors. She is also a board member of the Tira community center, and recently set up a forum combating violence against women. Summer holds a bachelor’s degree in teaching and youth promotion from Beit Berl College. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Ohud Shbita

Director, Tira center for youth at risk

Ohud is the director of the Tira center for youth at risk. She is responsible for much of the informal education in the city, and serves as a volunteer consultant to youth center directors throughout Israel. She is also the coordinator of cultural activities at the Tira community center, and has brought the “Wings of Krembo” project to Tira, in which youth volunteer to work with children with disabilities. In partnership with the “Mahapach” NGO she has led a project providing grants to financially disadvantaged students, and was among the founders of a youth volunteering program in the city.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

Lena Sultan Bisharah

Lawyer for at-risk minors, Public Defender's Office

Lena owns a law firm. Following the Mandel program, she was appointed by the court system to represent at-risk minors and youth on behalf of the Public Defender’s Office, and is responsible for all cases of Arab minors in the Central Region. She volunteers as an advisor to the NGOs “Power to the Workers” and “With You,” which promote women’s rights and women’s access to work while raising a family. She is also working to help establish a mediation and dialogue center in Tira. Lena holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the Shaarei Mishpat College in Hod Hasharon, and is studying towards a master’s degree in law at Tel-Aviv University. She also holds a diploma in mediation. She lives in Tira.*This biography was last updated at the start of the program

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