Olivier grew up in Paris and moved to the US in 1998 for graduate school, worked on Wall Street, and is today Head of Equities at GenTrust, an investment management firm. Mr. Sarfati holds two Masters’ degrees, in Applied Mathematics and Finance.

With his wife, Alexis Klein, Olivier joined ISEF’s young leadership more than 15 years ago. Years later, and now parents, Alexis and Olivier continue to be dedicated to the core belief of empowering Israel’s youth through education. They were honored in ISEF’s 2018 Gala with the Young Leadership Award.
Olivier joined the ISEF Board in 2019 after over a decade of active leadership in ISEF’s Young Generation division—including taking part in two ISEF Missions to Israel, in 2009 and 2019. He is also a member of the ISEF Investment Committee and has been leading ISEF’s Gala Planning Committee in recent years. Olivier and Alexis live in SoHo with their two children, Leo and Elodie.

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On December 12, 2017, after 40 years as ISEF’s founding President, Nina Weiner took the title of Chairwoman Emerita. She remains an active leader on ISEF’s board, chairing its Public Relations Committee and serving on its Program Committee, which oversees the ISEF International Fellows Program and the ISEF Alumni Organization.

For 40 years, Nina Weiner has been a zealous champion of educating Israel’s bright young people from disadvantaged communities, through her work with ISEF.

Born in Alexandria, Egypt, Nina studied psychology with Jean Piaget in Geneva and earned a Master’s in vocational counseling from Columbia University.  It was while working in a Youth Aliyah camp in Israel in the 1950s that she encountered the young people whose cause would become her life’s work.  

“I saw the children, their eyes shining with intelligence, with no chance to get a good education and make something of themselves. It broke my heart, for them and for Israel.”

Nina remains as passionate for ISEF’s cause as she was in 1977, when Edmond Safra z”l, together with his wife Lily Safra, joined her in founding ISEF.

“The faces have changed, but the needs haven’t. When we began, nearly all our students were Sephardic. Today we also have Russians, Ethiopians, and Druze students.  What they all share is outstanding intellectual gifts that might go untapped if it weren’t for ISEF’s long-term investment in their development.”

In recognition of ISEF’s major contributions to Israel, Nina has received awards from the presidents of Israel’s universities, the American Jewish Committee, Yeshiva University, the Jewish Theological Seminary, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Bar-Ilan University, the Interdisciplinary Center for Law and Business in Herzliya, and the Knesset.

 “I see ISEF’s work as the truest expression of my lifelong Zionism, an abiding love and care for Israel, instilled in me from birth by my parents.”

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Carlos Benaim has been actively involved ISEF for two decades. He was elected President of ISEF, succeeding founding President Nina A. Weiner, in December 2017. Prior to that, he served as Chairman of ISEF and also chaired ISEF’s Strategic Planning Committee.

Born and raised in Tangiers, Morocco, he trained as a chemical engineer before embarking on a fabled career as a perfumer. He is famed throughout the world as the man behind a host of timeless classics, including Ralph Lauren Polo and Elizabeth Taylor White Diamonds.

“ISEF’s mission, to educate fine young minds from underserved communities, is more relevant to Israel’s future success than ever before. At a time when the quality of education in Israel is losing ground in comparison to other countries, our insistence on academic excellence is crucial. Beyond the scholarships we provide, the ISEF leadership program works to cultivate strong identities and pride in the multicultural backgrounds defining our students.”

Carlos Benaim has also been involved with many Sephardic causes.  His wife, Dr. Darel M. Benaim, a licensed psychologist and psychoanalyst, is likewise a member of ISEF’s board and co-chairs its Program Committee.

Deeply concerned about the disparity in educational opportunity in Israel, and committed to the struggle to educate Israel’s immigrant and underserved youth, the Benaim family has established an endowment fund in ISEF honoring Eskandar Manocherian z”l,  the father of Darel’s Benaim, to underwrite scholarships for advanced professional studies at Ben-Gurion University.

The Benaims have three sons, Joshua, Daniel, and Alexander.  Joshua is an active leader of ISEF’s Young Professionals.

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Avi Abergel is an alumnus of ISEF’s scholarship programs and, together with fellow ISEF alumnus and Vice-President Michael Vaknin, contributes his unique passion for the importance of ISEF’s mission to his work co-chairing ISEF’s Development Committee.

Avi was born and raised by Moroccan immigrant parents in the Negev development town of Dimona. With ISEF’s support, Avi received his LL.B. with first-class honors from the University of Sheffield (UK) and his LL.M. in Taxation from New York University Law School.

Avi is Managing Director at D.E. Shaw and heads its tax group, overseeing all aspects of tax for the firm. Avi has a wealth of experience in a wide range of domestic and international tax matters. Previously, Avi was Managing Director at The Blackstone Group where headed Blackstone’s Global Tax Planning.  Avi also served as an associate in the tax group of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP.

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Michael Vaknin, who co-chairs ISEF’s Development Committee together with Avi Abergel, was one of 13 children born to a Moroccan immigrant family in the development town of Ramle in central Israel.

Dr. Vaknin earned his BA and MA as an ISEF scholar at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem before receiving his PhD in economics and finance at Columbia University as an ISEF International Fellow, working as a research assistant to Nobel Laureates Joseph Stiglitz and Edmund Phelps. Michael also met his wife, Fany Vaknin, thanks to ISEF’s International Fellowship Program, where Fany was studying architecture–the very first architect to come out of the Negev town of Yeruham.

Until recently Chief Economist at JP Morgan Private Bank, Dr. Vaknin has also been Senior Global Markets Economist at Goldman Sachs International in London and economist at the Falk Institute for Economic Research. He has also lectured on international finance and monetary economics at Columbia University

“As ISEF alumni, we motivate others from a similar background to pursue higher education. We serve as role models for our families and communities. We pass our success on to others.”

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Ms. Erbes Mizrahi is a Founding Partner and President at James & Co., an executive search firm specializing in media, entertainment, sports, and media technologies. Previously, she was with the world’s leading Executive Search Firm, and prior to that, she worked at Lorimar Television. Before coming to the United States, Ms. Erbes Mizrahi worked in Product Management at Unilever in Istanbul, Turkey.
Roysi holds an MA in communications management from the University of Southern California and a BA in international business administration from the American University of Paris.
She has been a supporter of ISEF since 2002 and joined the ISEF board in 2006. Currently, she serves as the chair of the ISEF Governance Committee.
Roysi’s involvement with ISEF exemplifies the characteristics of leadership, devotion, and commitment. Roysi often speaks of ISEF Co-Founder Nina Weiner as a source of inspiration and a person who encouraged her leadership. As an active member of ISEF’s Board of Directors Roysi has initiated the establishment of the Personnel Committee. Her leadership has set a wonderful example for the younger generation of ISEF supporters, and for many women in the Jewish community.
Roysi was honored with the ISEF Award for Young Leadership in 2009. She lives in New York City with her husband Volfi Mizrahi. The couple has two children- Jessica and Joshua.

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A resident of Tel Aviv, Adi is the Dean of Students at the Interdisciplinary Center.  A former Knesset member, Adi holds a Ph.D. in Law (J.S.D.) from Columbia University in New York. She is the founder and director of “University for All,” which opens the world of higher education to disadvantaged population groups. For her work, Adi was awarded the 2012 Knesset Speaker’s Prize for narrowing social gaps and building bridges between population groups in Israeli society. Adi was an ISEF International Fellow during her J.S.D. studies.

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Born in Beer Sheva, Yehuda lives in Lehavim; he is married and a father of four. He serves as President of Shamoon College of Engineering. Prof. Haddad is internationally recognized as an authority in the field of advanced materials for use in space and in auto production, publishing dozens of articles in international journals and addressing conferences all over the world. Yehuda was an ISEF Scholar from his second degree all the way to his Post Doctorate studies.

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