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Kayan's team
Staff
Rafah Anabtawi, Director
In 2013, Rafah moved from her position as the Coordinator of the Department of Community Work to take the lead as Kayan's new Director. Rafah is an expert social worker with over a decade of experience working with groups. Rafah earned her BA in Social Work at the Hebrew University and MA in Social Work from the University of Haifa. She also manages a center to combat drug abuse in Nazareth and facilitates groups in cooperation with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI).
rafa@kayan.org.il
Shirin Batshon, Coordinator of the Legal Department
Shirin holds a double LL.M. in Public and International Law from Northwestern University and the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University. A practicing attorney since 2002, Shirin previously worked at the Legal Aid Department of the Ministry of Justice in Jerusalem. Shirin also worked at Hamoked: Center for the Defense of the Individual, a human rights organization dedicated to the provision of legal aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
shirin@kayan.org.il
Ola Stewi, Advocate
Ola served as Kayan’s Legal Department coordinator from 2005-07 and returned to the staff in 2012. She earned her LL.B. in Legal Studies from the University of Haifa in 2001 and an LL.M. in International Human Rights Law from the University of Notre Dame. Ola has severd as an intern with Grupo do Monitoreo, El Salvador (2010-11), the coordinator of the Women’s Budget Forum at Adva (2006-08), and an advocacy expert with the Association of Women Against Violence in Nazareth (2005-06).
ola@kayan.org.il
Anwar joined Kayan's Community Department in December 2011. She earned her M.A. in Nonprofit Management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and works as coordinator for the Arab affairs in the northern branch at Kesher.
anwar@kayan.org.il
Towibah Majdoub, Community Organizer
Towibah earned a B.A. in Sociology and Education from the Upper Galilee College and an M.A. in Social Psychology at Bar-Ilan University Her thesis explores issues of identity amongst Arabs working in professional capacities within Jewish organizations in Israel. Towibah is involved in binational dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis and has served as volunteer coordinator in the "Good Deed Day" project, aimed at promoting volunteerism, social engagement and awareness in Israeli society.
Towibah earned a B.A. in Sociology and Education from the Upper Galilee College and an M.A. in Social Psychology at Bar-Ilan University Her thesis explores issues of identity amongst Arabs working in professional capacities within Jewish organizations in Israel. Towibah is involved in binational dialogue between Palestinians and Israelis and has served as volunteer coordinator in the "Good Deed Day" project, aimed at promoting volunteerism, social engagement and awareness in Israeli society.
towibah@kayan.org.il
Adella Biadi-Shlon, Community Organizer
Before joining Kayan in 2012, Adella served as Project Manager for Al-Amer Association. From 2003-2011, she was the Deputy Director of Mossowa Center - The Advocacy Center for Arab Citizens in Israel. Adella earned a B.A. in English Literature and Education from Haifa University.
adella@kayan.org.il
Randa Kanaaneh, Community Organizer
Randa joined Kayan's Department of Community Work in 2013. She earned a B.A. in Social Work from Haifa University and served as Intervention Coordinator for the Occupied Territories project of Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR-Israel). She also works at the National program for children and youth at risk, as well as the Elrazi Center for child rehabilitation.
randa@kayan.org.il
Joseph Mark Thomas, Development and Public Outreach Coordinator
Mark earned a B.A. in Finance from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since 2002, he has been deeply involved in the pursuit of human rights and social justice for Palestinians. Mark is very proud to have become part of this talented and dedicated team as Kayan's first male employee in October 2010.
mark@kayan.org.il
mark@kayan.org.il
Iris Klor, Bookkeeper
Iris joined Kayan's staff in this position in August 2009. She studied Accounting Management at the Michlala Lminhal and has worked for over 15 years in this field.
Board of Directors
Shahira Shalabi, a social worker by education, works as an organizational consultant at Shatil, the New Israel Fund's empowerment and training center. She co-founded Kayan in 1998 and was Kayan's Public Relations Coordinator. As a staff member of the Hotline for Battered Women and a volunteer for the Haifa Rape Crisis Center, she worked in the Haifa Women`s Coalition for 15 years. A former board member and chairwoman of the board of Kayan, she re-joined the board in 2008.
Umayma Diab holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Bar Ilan University and a Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Tel Aviv University. She was a researcher on Arab women's employment, civil society, communications and education at the Political Science Department of Tel Aviv University and at several civil-society organizations. She was also the Administrative Director of the Walter Lebach Institute for Jewish-Arab Coexistence through Education at Tel Aviv University.
Taghreed al Sayyid holds a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and lectures in this field at Sakhnin College. She is the director of a training program for Early Child Care and Development experts at Joint-Ashakim, editing manuals and facilitating groups. She was also a regional supervisor of childcare workers.
Niveen Rizkalla is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in social work, researching intimacy and marital satisfaction of Arab and Jewish married couples in Israel. She earned two Bachelor of Arts degrees, one in social work from Tel Aviv University and one in Psychology and English literature from Ben Gurion University. She recently finished a specialized qualification in couples and family therapy and facilitates and lectures on women's empowerment and conflict resolution. She is currently the manager of a mobile Ministry of Health clinic that treats women who work in prostitution.
Ahlam Hijazi is a nurse working in the pediatric surgery ward of Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, and a mother of three. Recently, Ahlam started to volunteer for the promotion of the status of Arab women. She is especially working with mothers of children staying in the surgical ward, giving them the encouragement and support needed to deal with the problems in the family and social surroundings resulting from their children's hospitalization.
Controlling Committee
Reem Assad develops material and supervises staff of Early Child Care and Development programs for Arab children in the Acre Women's Organization and Musharaka, a coalition of ECCD organizations. A certified community organizer, she worked with Shatil for five years as group facilitator and project coordinator. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in education from Tel Hai Academic College and a Master of Arts degree in Early Childhood Education from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, as well as a teaching and coaching certificate.
Manal Saabneh earned a degree in computer engineering from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology and is working as a software engineer in a high-tech company. She is also a board member of Wa Afaaq Nisaa (Women and Horizons), a Muslim feminist organization in the Triangle region, and a board member of the Triangle Research and Development Center in Kufr Qara.
