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The People Behind GCV
Founder, President & CEO
Dr. Hasan is a neurosurgeon and scientist with extensive expertise in cerebrovascular and skull base diseases, treating more than 3,000 brain aneurysms and authoring over 300 peer-reviewed publications.
He has received multiple NIH grants and serves on editorial boards of leading medical journals.
Since October 7, he has focused on humanitarian aid for Gaza, completing multiple medical missions and helping deliver millions of dollars in medicine, food, equipment, and critical supplies. He also organized the only international NGO coalition dedicated to Gaza’s relief efforts.
Dr. Hasan now leads the creation of the Gaza Children’s Village, a multi-campus ecosystem that will provide shelter, education, healthcare, and rehabilitation for up to 20,000 children.
He is also the co-founder of Lumflies, a platform fostering connection and hope between Palestinians and Israelis.
Ahmed Alnahhal
Chief Operating Officer
Tamara Erde
Chief Officer of International Public Relationships
Dr. Dan Turner
Chief Medical Officer
Asi Garbarz
Chief Strategy Officer and Director of Israeli Branch
Rina Aley-Raz Naor
Chief Partnership Officer
Hannah Wilpon
Chief Marketing Officer
Joe Dirr
Chief Financial Officer
Yoram Yaacovi
Organizational Consultant
Vered Raz
Chief Liaison Officer
Jason Olson, PhD
Director of Strategic Partnerships & Government Affairs
The Board of Directors
Anis Alqaq, Chair
Anis al-Qaq is a Palestinian former dentist, politician, and diplomat. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Dentistry from the University of Baghdad in 1971 and later specialized in oral surgery in the United Kingdom. Before entering politics, he worked in private dental practice in Jerusalem and held leadership roles in professional medical associations in the West Bank.
In public service, al-Qaq served as Deputy Minister of the Palestinian Authority’s Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (1994–2003). He was appointed Ambassador of the Palestinian National Authority to Switzerland (2003–2009).
He co-founded the International Forum for Peace with Ofer Bronchtein in 2002, focusing on dialogue and development projects aimed at fostering understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, Europeans, and others in the Mediterranean.
Dr. Bishara Bahbah
Bishara Bahbah (بشارة بحبح; born 1958 in Jerusalem) is a Palestinian-American academic, businessman, and political activist. He has taught at universities including Brigham Young University, Harvard Kennedy School, Al-Quds University, and Bethlehem University. He has directed Palestinian advocacy, educational, and charitable organizations including United Palestinian Appeal, the National Association of Arab Americans, and the Center for Policy Analysis on Palestine. In the 1990s, Bahbah served as an adviser to Yasser Arafat, and was a Palestinian delegate in peace talks with Israel. In 2024, he established Arab Americans for Trump, which later rebranded to Arab Americans for Peace in February 2025. He also helped facilitate negotiations between Hamas and the Trump administration in 2025 & led to the release of one of the American- Israeli hostages.
Ofer Bronchtein
Ofer Bronchtein (born in Beersheba, Israel) is a French-Israeli peace activist, advisor, and co-founder of the Forum International for Peace.
Bronchtein grew up between Israel and France, returning to Israel as a young man, where he became active in peace, social justice, and reconciliation efforts between Israelis and Palestinians. He worked with leaders like Yitzhak Rabin and was part of the Israeli delegation during the Oslo Accords negotiations in 1993.
In 2002, he co-founded the Forum International for Peace with Anis al-Qaq — an organization dedicated to fostering dialogue, cooperation, and projects aimed at bridging divides and promoting peaceful coexistence in the Middle East and beyond.
Bronchtein later became a special adviser and envoy on Israeli-Palestinian affairs to French President Emmanuel Macron, working to encourage dialogue and contribute to diplomatic efforts, including support for recognition of a Palestinian state.
He has also been recognized for his unique approach to activism, holding Israeli, French, and Palestinian passports, reflecting his commitment to cross-community engagement and peacebuilding.
Sharon Brous
Sharon Brous is an American rabbi best known as the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a Jewish congregation in Los Angeles established in 2004. She has been recognized as one of the most influential rabbis in the United States, especially for her work in building a dynamic and engaged spiritual community.
Brous has served on the faculty of several Jewish leadership programs and serves in advisory roles with organizations such as the New Israel Fund and the American Jewish World Service. She received her rabbinic ordination and a master’s in human rights from Columbia University.
She also helped launch the Jewish Emergent Network, a collaborative of innovative Jewish communities across the U.S., and released a book in 2024 titled The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World.
Dr. David Hasan
Dr. Hasan is a neurosurgeon and scientist with extensive expertise in cerebrovascular and skull base diseases, treating more than 3,000 brain aneurysms and authoring over 300 peer-reviewed publications.
He has received multiple NIH grants and serves on editorial boards of leading medical journals.
Since October 7, he has focused on humanitarian aid for Gaza, completing multiple medical missions and helping deliver millions of dollars in medicine, food, equipment, and critical supplies. He also organized the only international NGO coalition dedicated to Gaza’s relief efforts.
Dr. Hasan now leads the creation of the Gaza Children’s Village, a multi-campus ecosystem that will provide shelter, education, healthcare, and rehabilitation for up to 20,000 children.
He is also the co-founder of Lumflies, a platform fostering connection and hope between Palestinians and Israelis.
Nava Hefetz
Rabbi Nava Hefetz is an Israeli Reform rabbi and human rights educator active in social justice and peace initiatives. She serves as Director of Education for Rabbis for Human Rights – Israel, where she leads programs that combine Jewish tradition with human rights advocacy and education. In this role, she works with communities to raise awareness about the effects of occupation and to promote justice from both Jewish and universal perspectives. Hefetz is also involved in grassroots efforts such as Miklat Israel, a movement she co-founded with other rabbis to protect and shelter asylum seekers in Israel. She lives in Jerusalem and is known for her leadership in interfaith dialogue and efforts toward equality and dignity for marginalized groups.
Azzam Shawwa
Azzam Shawwa is a Palestinian economist, banker, and public official who served as Governor and Chairman of the Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) from November 2015 to January 2021, leading the country’s central banking institution and helping maintain financial stability and regulatory development in the Palestinian banking sector.
Born in Kuwait in 1963, Shawwa moved with his family to Gaza and later earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Memphis in the United States.
Before heading the PMA, he had a long career in banking, including roles at the Bank of Palestine, the Arab Bank (Gaza Branch), and as General Manager of Al-Quds Bank. Shawwa also served as Minister of Energy in the Palestinian National Authority in 2003 and chaired the Association of Banks in Palestine.
He has participated in various boards and foundations, including the Palestine Investment Fund, and received the Golden Union Medal of Achievement from the Union of Arab Banks for his work in supporting Palestinian banking.
Reem Younis
Reem Younis is an Arab-Israeli entrepreneur and engineer from Nazareth. She holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.
In 1993, she co-founded Alpha Omega Ltd. with her husband, Imad Younis. The company became an international leader in neurosurgical and neuroscience technologies, positioning her as a pioneering Arab woman in Israel’s high-tech and medical technology sectors.
Beyond business, Younis is active in social leadership and has served as Co-Chair of Hand in Hand, a network of bilingual Jewish-Arab schools promoting shared society and coexistence.
Marcie Zelikow
Marcie Zelikow is a community leader and philanthropist particularly active in the Jewish nonprofit sector. She spent much of her early career as an executive recruiter and sales professional before retiring in 2001 to focus on nonprofit work.
She has held leadership and board roles with organizations including Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and the Jewish Home for the Aging. She has also served on the board and chaired various committees at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills.
Together with her husband Howard, she has been a major supporter and donor of the School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she serves on the Board of Governors. The couple’s contribution helped expand the school’s endowment and programs.
Advisory Board
Nava Hefetz, Chair
Sophia Abram
Thabet Abu Rass
Andre Aflalo
Arik Agassi
Raluca Ganea
Adam Goldstein
Rachel Hadari
Saad Laraqui
Haim Peeri
Yotam Pulitzer
Maya Savir
Sam Worthington
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