Meet the Fall 2024 semester Campus Life team who will run day-to-day life of the students and interns on campus!
Aviv Saad, Campus Life Director
Aviv grew up in Givatayim in the center of Israel, today he lives in Kibbutz Ketura with his partner Gili and their two children. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Humanities and Literature from Tel Aviv University. Before working at the Institute, he ran informal educational programs as part of Educating for Excellence, the Israeli Scouts, and the Kibbutz Grofit afterschool program. Aviv moved to the Arava region in 2019, and enjoys riding bicycles, practicing yoga, and hiking through the area.
Rotem Dori, Campus Life Coordinator
Rotem recently moved from the center of Israel to Kibbutz Elifaz in the Arava with her partner and their two dogs. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science and Geography, and studied permaculture at the Center for Creative Ecology in Kibbutz Lotan, and with Talia Schneider, one of Israel’s leading practitioners in the field. She likes to hike in the desert, play basketball, and especially playing music and sing.
Josephine Forthmann, Program Associate
Josephine, originally from Sweden, moved to Kibbutz Ketura in the summer of 2024. She holds a Masters degree in Political Science from Lund University. Josephine worked for the past six months with EcoPeace MiddleEast, and was previously involved in environmental and humanitarian projects in the West Bank. She has also worked in the Swedish Embassy in Belgrade and with Amnesty International. Josephine enjoys reading, writing, film and theater, yoga, and traveling.
Jawdat Kassab, Program Associate
Jawdat was born and raised in Nazareth, and recently graduated from the Arava Institute of Environmental Studies. He is a trained solicitor, and an admitted Lawyer in the Israeli Bar Association, practicing Intellectual Property and Civil Litigation. Jawdat holds a growing passion for building communities and cultures. He is the Co-founder of the FALLAHI project that harnessed skills of participatory leadership, dialogue, storytelling, and non-violent communication for the purpose of creating a safe space for collective healing.
