A farm where people and the land grow together
Our Team
Professional Staff
Kaima Nahalal’s multi-generational all-women professional team is comprised of seasoned educators, talented permaculturalists, creative thinkers, and passionate doers. All are committed to the girls and younger women who have come to the farm to heal, exercise their curiosity, and discover their own strengths.
Merav Carmi - Founder, CEO, and Community Relations Manager
Merav, born on Moshav Nahalal, is a fourth-generation moshavnik and sixth-generation Israeli, the descendent of farmers and pioneers guided by a passion for working the land. Merav has a strong background in environmental studies, permaculture design, biodynamic agriculture, media, and community building. After a decade of working in television in Tel-Aviv (aside from one year in New York), Merav returned to the north and co-founded Yesh-Meain Ecological Farm, an eco-educational farm promoting environmental and social awareness and encourages change regarding consumption and the perception of abundance in Israeli society. That farm, and the experience gained with healing the land from decades-long chemical abuse, informed much of the spirit behind Kaima Nahalal. In 2019 Mearv received the Yaffa London Yaari Award which recognizes women who have established innovative solutions to advance the status of girls and women in Israel society.
Rumia Ben Ari - Packinghouse Manager & Pedagogic Agriculturalist
Rumia grew up in the cooperative Israeli Jew/Arab-founded village of Neve Shalom and nearby Modi'in. For just over a decade she lived and worked on an urban kibbutz affiliated with the Dror Israel movement in Tiberias, where she was involved in education and community work with a variety of age groups and populations. Specifically, she helped run Kibbutz Ravid’s educational projects, focusing on the special relationship between education and work. This experience aligns perfectly with the many roles she plays at Kaima Nahalal. Rumia has a BA degree from Beit Berl collage in informal education and is trained in sex education.
Anat Carmi, Customer Service Manager
Born and raised on Moshav Nahalal, Anat grew up feeling a deep connection to the earth and agriculture. Her work as an accountant, a restaurateur, and an interior designer informed her specialty in customer service, a field that depends on the ability to develop close, personal relationships. Anat has contributed much to the farm since its founding In her current role as Kaima Nahalal’s Customer Service Manager, Anat is the primary liaison between the customer and our farm.
Nofar Eshed Lavi, Farm Manager & Social Worker
Nofar, born in Nahalal to a family that earned its living exclusively from agriculture, has always felt deeply connected to nature. She received a BA in Psychology and Special Education from Tel Hai College and worked with youth with special needs for several years. Nofar also holds an MA in Clinical Social Work from the University of Haifa. Her academic and professional life has been largely devoted to assisting women. Before joining Kaima Nahalal, Nofar worked at the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel and with Ofek Nashi, an NGO that provides crisis intervention and long-term aid for prostituted women. For Nofar, Kaima Nahalal unites many of the elements that drive her—encouraging empowerment and self-worth of girls and women, and engaging in physical work with the earth as a way to build personal capacities.
Ori Sadot Greengold, Agricultural Director
Ori grew up on Kibbutz Lohamei Hagetaot founded by a community of Holocaust survivors, and today lives in Haifa. Orchards, fields, barns and plant life have always been part of her domestic space. After studying the history of Israel at Haifa University, agriculture continued to play a central role in her professional life as she has worked in a variety of educational settings, including an agricultural boarding school and agricultural hostel for at-risk youth.
Iris Williams, National Service Residential Program Mentor
Iris grew up on Kibbutz Tzora. Following her army service, Iris traveled throughout Israel and internationally. Upon her return, she worked and volunteered in a variety of educational and agricultural settings, including farming communities south of Israel’s Dead Sea. Iris recently returned to the north and is now studying for a degree in criminology and education at Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, while she mentors residents in Kaima Nahalal’s Safe Living initiative.
Maayan Zaks, Social Worker
Maayan is a mother of five (four biological and one adopted) who lives in Sde Yaakov, a religious Moshav just 15 minutes from the farm. She received her degree in social work from Ariel University and is highly experienced in working with high-risk teen girls, particularly those seeking to break away from social norms and expectations. Previously, Maayan worked at Kfar Shira, a residential initiative for ultra-orthodox high school girls unable to find their place in the Haredi educational system; Bat Ami, founded to provide national service opportunities for religious girls and now operating with greater emphasis on ensuring social equality; and Ulpana Segula Bnei Akiva, a boarding school in the north combining Jewish learning with volunteerism.
Lay Leadership and Founders
Board Members
-
Ori Epstein
-
Gil Fridman
-
Assaf Pery
-
Limor Regev
-
Racheli Tidhar Kaner
Advisory Committee Members
-
Merav Dahan Bar Yzhak
-
Tal Marzer
Founders
-
Odi Ben-Valid
-
Merav Carmi
-
Irit Carmi
-
Eran Falkenberg
-
Gil Fridman
-
Yoav Saban
-
Naama Saban