Dr. Shira Taube Dayan is a licensed developmental psychologist, a teaching associate, and a research fellow at the Asian Studies Department at the University of Haifa. She is a member of the national Knowledge and Research Center for Emergency Readiness in which she is active in the consortium for children in emergencies.
Dr. Taube Dayan obtained her BA from the Psychology Department and the Asian Studies Department at the University of Haifa, while completing also an intensive Japanese Studies Program at Waseda University, Tokyo. Dr. Taube Dayan obtained her MA in Developmental Psychology and Ph.D. at the Asian Studies Department at the University of Haifa. She has also completed the professional internship program in psychology supervised by the Israeli Ministry of Health and is a practicing psychologist working with young children and their caregivers.
Dr. Taube Dayan’s recent research project has examined the longitudinal implications of natural and man-made disasters throughout childhood and adolescence in different societies in Asia. Within this framework, she has been particularly interested in less-heard stories of young people and the way they may reveal new meanings of psychological phenomena with personal and social importance in recovery from crises.
Dr. Taube Dayan is the author of several journal articles and more recently has been participating in an interdisciplinary book project about injustice in disasters, in which she brings out the voices of young people affected by mass traumas. In the coming years, she aims to continue integrating developmental psychology and cultural research for the benefit of the humanitarian research of children and young people in emergency and disaster situations, and to take an active part in forums that incorporate researchers, professionals, and policymakers for this purpose.  

Chaya Koren (University of Haifa) - Social Work and Welfare group

Chaya Koren, PhD, is Lecturer of Social Work and research fellow at the Center of the Study of Society at the University of Haifa. She is the recipient of a research grant from the Israeli Science Foundation (ISF) (2011-2014). Her research interests include late life marital relationships (e.g. late-life repartnering), intergenerational relationships in the family, forgiveness, ageism and the role of social work with older populations. The welfare of older persons in society and their family members at times of disasters such as war and terror attacks serve as cases in point. Dr. Koren is co-author (with Dr. Band-Winterstein) of an article and book chapter on how professional workers with older persons experienced a shared reality of war with their clients during the Second Lebanon War including implications for practice. Dr. Koren is also interested in methodological issues in qualitative research such as dyadic and family units and the construction of typologies. She published over 20 articles in peer reviewed journals and book chapters. Koren used to work as a social work practitioner with families and older members of society in various social welfare organizations.

Einav Levy is the Founding Director of The Israeli School of Humanitarian Aid. He is a manager and entrepreneur with a profound experience in the interface between the Non-Profit sector and the business, governmental, social and academic sectors, and expertise in Humanitarian Aid. Eianv was a COO in an organization, which promote development in Africa, a CEO of NGO dealing with International Humanitarian Aid, and was a founding member of SID-ISRAEL (Society of International Development) and a member of its first board. Einav led Humanitarian and social missions in countries such as Jordan, Haiti, Serbia, Zambia, Greece and Uganda.

Einav holds a Master's degree in Management of Emergency and Disasters situations from Tel Aviv University, and currently completing his Ph.D in Behavioral Medicine in the Liberal University of Brussels. His main academic work is focused on health and behavior among population at risk, Migrants and Minorities. Einav is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Pediatric Diseases (JPedD).

Limor Samimian-Darash is a Senior Lecturer (US Associate Professor) of Anthropology, at
the Federmann School of Public Policy and Government at the Hebrew University. Her
research focuses on preparedness and biosecurity (in Israel and the US), the governance of
risk and uncertainty (in theory and practice), and scenario thinking/planning.
She was chosen as one the promising early-career social scientists for the Alon Fellowship
(for the years 2013–2016). She received her Ph.D. in anthropology and sociology from the
Hebrew University (2010). She was a visiting research scholar at the University of California,
Berkeley (2006–2008), post-doctoral fellow at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
(2010), and a post-doctoral fellow at Stanford University (2010–2012), and a visiting
professor at UC, Berkeley (2016).
Her publications include Modes of Uncertainty: Anthropological Cases, (University of
Chicago Press, co-edited with Paul Rabinow); “Governing Future Potential Biothreats:
Toward an Anthropology of Uncertainty,” Current Anthropology; “Biosecurity as a Boundary
Object: Science, Society, and the State,” Security Dialogue; “Practicing Uncertainty:
Scenario-Based Preparedness Exercises in Israel,” Cultural Anthropology. Her current
research on Global Scenarios examines forms, practices, and conceptualizations of scenarios
in three distinct sites (health, energy, and security) and in global perspective.

Last name: Samimian-Darash
Institution: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Unit/Department: Fedremann School of Public Policy and Government
Area of expertise: Risk, Uncertainty, Emergency Preparedness, Scenarios Planning,
Telephone: 054-4833682
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Tal Zarsky (University of Haifa) - Law

Prof. Tal Zarsky is the Vice Dean of the University of Haifa's Faculty of Law. His research focuses on Information Privacy, Cyber-Security, Internet Policy, Social Network and Telecommunications Law. He published numerous articles and book chapters in the U.S., Europe and Israel. His work is often cited in a variety of contexts related to law in the digital age. He has advised various Israeli regulators, legislators and commercial entities on related matters. He severed on a variety of advisory boards and is a frequent evaluator of articles and research grants for various international foundations. He earned a joint B.A. degree (law and psychology) at the Hebrew University with high honors and his master degree (in law) from Columbia University as well as his doctorate dissertation, which focused on Data Mining in the Internet Society.

Among others, Prof. Zarsky’s work and current interests include an assessment and analysis of the need and way to regulate critical infrastructure so to limit cyber risks at the time of emergencies and disasters. In addition, he examines the privacy implications of identification databases (such as those including biometric information) and mechanisms set in place to provide relief and assistance to disaster survivors. He also strives to identify the optimal telecommunications policies which will facilitate the structuring of sustainable communications infrastructures and networks which will support post-disaster communications. 

Lea Wittenberg (University of Haifa) - Environment

Lea Wittenberg is associate professor in physical Geographer at the Geography and Environmental Studies department, the University of Haifa, Israel. She received her Ph.D. (Hydrology and sediment transport) from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK at 2003. In recent years her main area of research has been the role of disturbances in Mediterranean ecosystem, mainly wildfire effects on erosional processes and post fire management practices. In addition to this she has been studying fluvial geomorphology - floods and sediment transport - in various ecosystems. She is currently engaged in several European and local projects addressing fire (including post- fire management) effects on hydrological and erosional processes. She is a board member of the NPA and involved in national committees and organizations working on fire effects and mitigation practices.

She is the author of more than 70 scientific articles in peer-reviewed journals, book chapters and conference proceedings. She serves on the editorial board of "Land Degradation and Development" and member of COMLAND steering committee, the Commission on Land Degradation & Desertification - International Geographic Union.

Rivka Yahav (University of Haifa) – Welfare and Social Work

Rivka Yahav is an Associate Prof. Specialist at the Faculty’s School of Social Work at the University of Haifa, Head of Post Graduate Psychotherapy Studies and the Head of The Interdisciplinary Clinical Center (ICC) which provides an important bridge between academic research and evidence-based health care practice and training

 She is an experienced clinical social worker and psychotherapist.     Prof. Yahav was head of the Board of Directors of the Israeli Psychotherapy Association. 

She was awarded the prestigious 2012 Prime Minister's Prize for Initiative and Innovation and the 2009 Recanati-Chais-Rashi Award (for Outstanding Social Worker) for her work in developing an innovative system to the early discovery and treatment of environmental and developmental difficulties in children.

She initiated unique community intervention projects for at- risk and needy populations.  These programs include:

• The ICC maintains telephone hotlines in times of crisis and offers individual and family psychotherapy for those who find themselves in emotional distress following a crisis.
• The ICC develops emergency programs for individuals in times of crisis, including natural disasters and treatment programs for victims of terror and war.
• Emotional therapy for Haifa's children during the Second Lebanon War including therapy for children of Ethiopian descent with emotional difficulties.
• An interdisciplinary program providing developmental supervision for at-risk children from before birth to kindergarten age.
• Therapy groups dealing with loss and bereavement and more.

 Area of research: Children, adolescence and adult reaction to terror, war and crisis.
Psychosocial intervention during crisis and disaster.

Relevant Publications:

¨            Note: This is a sample of selected publications.

Sharlin, S., Moin, V., & Yahav, R. (2006). When disaster becomes commonplace:
     Reaction of children and adolescents to prolonged terrorist attacks in Israel. Social
     Work in Health Care, 43(213), 95-114. (IF=0.785, Rank=21/140 in Social Work
     (Q3))

Yahav, R., & Cohen, M. (2007). Symptoms of acute stress in Jewish
and Arab Israeli citizens during the Second Lebanon War. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 42, 830-836. (IF=2.537, Rank=60/140 in Psychiatry (Q2)).

 Moin, V., Sharlin, A. S., & Yahav, R. (2007). Multifaceted fears: Reactions of
      children and adolescents to terrorist attacks in Israel. The College of Judea and
      Samaria Press.  (206 pp.)

Sharlin, S., Moin, V., & Yahav, R. (2008). Living in fear: Ariel students in
     the shadow of prolonged terror. Judea and Samaria College Publications,
     229-238. (Hebrew).

Cohen, M., & Yahav, R. (2008). Acute stress reactions to the second
     Lebanon war in Israelis living in areas subject and not subject to
     attack.  Journal of Traumatic Stress, 21, 118-121. (IF=2.360,
     Rank=35/119 in Psychology, Clinical (Q2))

Yahav, R. (2011).  Exposure of children to war and terrorism: An integrative review.
     Journal of Child and Adolescent Trauma, 4(2), 90-108.

Michael Weinberg (University of Haifa) – Welfare and Social Work

Michael Weinberg, Ph.D. is a Lecturer and the head of the M.A and Supplementary studies in School of Social Work, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, University of Haifa. In addition he is the head of the trauma social work specialization in the MA program. His research focuses on exploring the coping process with stress and trauma (e.g. terror attacks, traumatic events, war etc.). Within this line of work he examined the survivor, the spouse, their bidirectional relationships and the general population. His research also focuses on the secondary trauma experienced by therapists and undergraduate students providing psychological and emotional assistance to trauma survivors. In addition, he is involved in research projects which are aimed at exploring the traumatic bereavement trajectories following a traumatic and violent death of a child. Michael Weinberg has published over 20 articles in peer reviewed journals and book chapters concerning coping with trauma and stress.

Gabriel Weimann (University of Haifa ) – Social Science

Dr. Gabriel Weimann is a Full Professor of Communication at the Department of Communication at Haifa University, Israel and a Visiting Professor at the University of Maryland.  His research interests include the study of media effects, political campaigns, persuasion and influence, modern terrorism and the mass media. He published nine books: Communicating Unreality (Los Angeles: Sage Publications, 2000); The Influentials: People Who Influence People (State University of New York Press, 1995); The Theater of Terror (New York: Longman, 1994); Hate on Trial (Toronto: Mosaic, 1986); The Singaporean Enigma (Jerusalem: Tzivonim, 2001);  Terror in the Internet: The New Arena, the New Challenges (Washington, DC: USIP Press, 2006), Freedom and Terror (London: Routledge, 2011); Social Research in Israel (Jerusalem: Tzivonim, 2015), and Terrorism in Cyberspace (New York: Columbia University Press, 2015). His papers and research reports, more than 180 publications, have been published in scientific journals such as Journal of Communication, Public Opinion Quarterly, Communication Research, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, American Sociological Review and others. He received numerous grants and awards from international foundations, including the Fulbright Foundation, the Canadian‑Israel Foundation, the Alexander von Humboldt‑Stiftung, the German National Research Foundation (D.F.G.), the Sasakawa Foundation, United States Institute for Peace (USIP), The Woodrow Wilson Center, the Australian Research Council and others. Prof. Weimann was a Visiting Professor at various universities including the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford University, American University (DC), Hofstra University, Lehigh University (in USA), University of Mainz and University of Munich (in Germany), Carleton University (in Canada), NYU branch in Shanghai, China and the National University of Singapore.    

Eran Vigoda-Gadot (University of Haifa) - Social Sciences Group head (also in Public Policy)

Eran Vigoda-Gadot is Professor of Public Administration and Management at the School of Political Science, The University of Haifa, Israel. He serves as the Dean of the Herta and Paul Amir faculty of Social Sciences and founder of the Center for Public Management and Policy (CPMP).  Vigoda-Gadot is of the leading public administration and management researchers in Israel and well-recognized internationally. He expertises in the management of the public sector and his book (co-authored with Prof. Shlomo Mizrahi) on "Managing Democracies in Turbulent Times" was published with Springer (2014). As part of his research interests Vigoda-Gadot deals with threats and challenges to the administration of modern democracies in times of major risks and global rapid changes in a series of political, economical, natural and technological field. The major thesis behind his work is that managing modern nations becomes a greater challenge over the years with the increased likelihood to disasters and emergency events sourcing in a variety of reasons.

Vigoda-Gadot is the author and coauthor of more than 170 articles and book chapters, 11 books and symposiums as well as many other scholarly presentations and working papers. His studies were funded by the Israeli science foundation, the European Community Program, and the German-Israeli Foundation, to name only few. He was awarded for Excellency by the Academy of Management Association and by other associations and publishing houses for his studies and publications over the years. Vigoda-Gadot is member of several national and international consulting committees working closely with public institutions and local municipalities on topics related with managing democracies in times of change and  risks to social orderand also serves in various scientific associations and Boards in Europe and in North America that deal with these challenges.He presented his work in many universities globally.