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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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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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ISEF Treasurer Harry A. Katz joined ISEF’s Board in 2016. Harry has had a varied career in numerous industries. A graduate of The Wharton School with a BS in Economics, he holds an MBA from Harvard Business School. During his career as an entrepreneur, Harry founded and ran several private businesses which were ultimately sold to large public companies.

Harry owned and operated the largest independent distributorship for Sony Group of America. He has held many C-suite positions, including Chief Financial Officer of Best Products. Harry founded and ran Retail Resources, which was acquired by Bunzl, NA in 2005. He then served as Executive Vice President and CFO of Bunzl, NA, a $6 billion division of Bunzl, PLC, a FTSE 100 Company.

Harry and his spouse Bryna Sanger share their time between the city and Amagansett. They are the proud parents of two grown daughters, Margot and Meredith.

A long-time member of the board of the Jewish Center of the Hamptons, Harry served as President of the Jewish Center from 2009–2011 and was reelected in 2016.

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As a young CPA in the mid-1960s, Joe Rose visited Israel twice as a professional auditor. This transforming experience prepared him for involvement in several organizations that financially support education in Israel. While Joe pursued a career in accounting and real estate, his wife, Paulette, devoted herself to academia and antiquarian bookselling. Together, they have traveled to Israel nearly one hundred times to reinforce their commitment to further higher education.

In addition to serving as treasurer of ISEF for the last 30 years, Joe has held several positions as a board member of the American Associates of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and is currently a national vice-president. He is a past treasurer of the Bronx Museum of the Arts and a member of the Board of Trustees. Paulette and Joe have worked together on behalf of Israel Bonds– being honored for their efforts– and have hosted events for the Friends of the IDF, the American Friends of the IPO, and Food For Needy, Inc.

The Roses have two sons, David and Ian. David is married to Laurie and they have two daughters– Samantha and Annie. Ian is married to Ellen.

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