Our team

Ruth was active for many years in the world struggle for Soviet Jewry and worked closely with Prisoners of Zion and Refuseniks. After serving as the Executive Director of the Israel Public Council for Soviet Jewry she went on in 1993 to found Selah – Israel Crisis Management Center. She has been a leading voice in Israel’s trauma and immigrant communities for decades. Ruth personally knows many of Selah’s recipients, and closely oversees their needs and progress. Read more about Ruth’s incredible story here.

Galit Dekel is Selah’s Executive Director.

Galit has extensive experience in management, development and leading projects with social impact and fundraising.

Galit is an Accountant who finished both her B.A. and M.A. in Business with honors.

In her past, Galit worked as the CFO of ‘Naschitz Brandes Amir’s’ highly decorated Law Firm and since 2015 began her involvement in social activities: she served as Chairman of The Parent Leadership Council and took an active part in “Beit Ha-Lochem” activities- Toronto, Canada.

Within these frameworks, she contributed greatly to the achievement of goals, initiated new projects, introduced technological efficiency into programs, contributed to innovative, fruitful collaborations.

All of which she intends on implementing in her current position- Director of Selah Organization: promoting and achieving Selah’s goals, initiating new projects that continue to assist recipients and establishing important collaborations.

Galit is married to Hagi and is a mother of 4 wonderful children.

Dr. Alex Altshuler (PhD) joined Selah as a volunteer in 1998 during his college studies, and joined its Board of Directors in 2012. In 2014 he joined the Program on Crisis Leadership (PCL) at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University as a Fulbright Post-Doctoral Fellow with PCL. His research focused, among others, on psychosocial and organizational aspects of emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction. Most recently, he co-authored an official 2019 UN scientific report on disaster risk reduction  https://www.preventionweb.net/publications/view/65182.

Professor Dan Amir, the chairman of Selah’s board of directors, is a professor emeritus of mathematics at Tel-Aviv University. He served for four years as special dean for immigrant students, and for four years as the university rector. He was chairman of the board of the scientists committee of the Israel Public Council for Soviet Jewry, where he was a key initiator of the Giladi and Kamea projects for immigrant scientists. He also served as chairman of the Israel Public Council for Soviet Jewry.

Boris Krasny was a Refusenik and a key activist in the struggle for Soviet Jewry, who came to Israel in 1972. Between the years 1985-1988, he was the president of the Golda Meir Center. He has served as a strategic and political adviser to Israeli prime ministers and other key public figures, and is currently the president and CEO of Policy Political Communication Management, a leading consulting firm he founded in 1988.

Dr. Tova Levran is a clinical psychologist specializing in trauma and immigration, having earned her doctorate in the United States. She is also a licensed social worker, with degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel-Aviv University. She has served for many years as a professional and clinical adviser to Selah’s social workers and emergency aid coordinators.

Shlomo Shapira served as a pilot and commander, in active and reserve service, in the Israel Air Force during the years 1960-1991. He served as a representative of the Israel Aviation Industry in Latin America (1976-1978), and directed marketing systems of security industries overseas (1985-2004). He is a Bar-Ilan University graduate in Economics and International Relations.

Alfredo Tor-Paz is a social worker. He served as chairman of the World Union of Jewish Students (WUJS) and works as a consultant to the tourism industry overseas.

Moshe Kanfi, an attorney, served as a diplomat in Turkey on behalf of the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs for four years. He was a consultant to Stef Wertheimer for business development, initiatives and projects from 2006-2007. He served as the director for marketing and business development of the Elbit company, and as the director of the Keren Hayesod Holland office during 2011-2013, and during  2013-2017, served as the VP of business development of Metalicone – a super-precision metal production company in the Galilee.

Since 1982, Micha Feldmann has devoted his life to bringing Ethiopian Jews to Israel and helping them adjust and incorporate into Israeli society. As Israel’s Consul to Ethiopia, he was one of the key architects of 1991’s Operation Solomon that succeeded in bringing 14,310 Ethiopian Jews out of besieged Addis Ababa in one weekend. Among his many other languages, Micha speaks Amharic, and is personally in touch with almost all of Selah’s Ethiopian recipients on a regular basis. At a recent Selah support group meeting for Sibling-Headed Families of Ethiopian origin, a teenage orphan who has been raising his younger siblings teased: “Micha may have white skin, but he’s Ethiopian at heart.”

Lior has spent over 10 years working in the field of Democratic Education with children of all ages and all familial backgrounds. He also worked at the Akim organization, integrating individuals with disabilities into Israeli communities.

Lior is married and is a father of two.

Daniel accompanies Russian-speaking families.

He immigrated to Israel in 2018 from Ukraine, and resides in Karmiel. He has a master’s degree in economics and business administration.
Daniel has always been involved in working with people – at the ‘Chesed’ charity organization, Hillel, youth club and educational projects, and more.
Daniel is loves to help and support people, and this is felt by his patients. Since he himself is a new immigrant, he understands the difficulties and challenges faced by new immigrants, especially those who have encountered a crisis, from personal experience.

Tatiana is a home visit and support coordinator, accompanying Russian-speaking immigrant families.

By training, she is a psychotherapist working from a holistic approach, and does everything in life with an open heart and a listening ear. As part of her role at Selah, she meets people in difficult moments and accompanies them with sensitivity and presence.

Tatiana believes with all her heart in the power of love and healing.

Ruthie has a BA in Economics and International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She has an investment consulting license from the Israel Securities Authority.

Prior to her work at Selah, Ruthie was the Director of the Investment Department at Massad Bank, as well as a member of the bank’s Investment Committee.

Elya is responsible for communicating with Selah’s various partners and donors, creating visual designs and media products and posting on our social media platforms and our website.

Alongside her work at Selah, Elya is pursuing a Masters degree in Clinical Social Work and hopes to help patients enduring personal struggles and adversity in the future.

Transportation Coordinator.

Activities coordinator.