Department: REUT USA STAFF

Gidi is the Founder of Reut Group and President of Reut USA. Gidi has been involved for many years in public policy and political affairs in Israel. Gidi played an important role in designing the Birthright Israel Program between 1995 and 1999, when he established and led the Israeli team that transformed the original vision into a model that is now the largest and most successful project in the Jewish World. From 1999-2001 Gidi served as the Secretary of the Israeli delegation to the Peace Negotiations with the PLO under Prime Minister Ehud Barak. He participated in the 2000 Camp David Summit and in the negotiations on the Clinton Ideas. Gidi’s first book Flexigidity: The Invisible Hand of Jewish Adaptability was published in 2013.

Edun is the CEO of Reut USA, overseeing operations worldwide. Prior to moving to the US, Edun was a Research Associate at the Reut Group and specialized in M&A and Corporate Law at one of Israel’s largest law firms, Meitar Liquornik Geva Leshem Tal, Law Offices. Earlier in his career, Edun worked at Israel’s Prime Minister’s Office and served as a commander in a counter-terrorism unit in the Israel Defense Forces. Edun holds a Master’s Degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and an LL.M. in Business Law (cum laude) and an LL.B. in Law and Government (cum laude) from the IDC Herzliya.

Gail joins TOM from the Jewish Agency where she served as President and CEO of International. She has extensive experience in cultivating and engaging donors and foundations and deep knowledge and understanding of nonprofit development.

Arielle is the U.S. Program Manager with TOM@University. Previously, Arielle worked at UJA-Federation of New York for 4.5 years in various capacities including fundraising, leadership development, and lobbying on behalf of human service nonprofits around New York City. Prior to her time at UJA, Arielle taught English and music in a Bedouin community outside of Haifa. At the same time, Arielle worked with Polyphony Education, a nonprofit dedicated to community building between Israelis and Palestinians through music. Arielle is also a dual degree masters student at NYU, working towards an MPA specializing in International Development and an MA in Hebrew & Judaic Studies. In her free time, Arielle likes to play music, go on hikes, and search for the best ice cream in New York City.

Maayan oversees all TOM activities in North America, including educational projects in universities and schools. Prior to joining the TOM Global team, Maayan was an Economic and Social adviser at the Permanent Mission of Israel to the UN, focusing on sustainable development, innovation and entrepreneurship. She also served as the executive assistant to Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Ron Prosor. Before joining the UN mission, Maayan worked as an English editor and translator for a leading news website in Israel. In her more distant past she was head fashion designer and creative director for a boutique women’s wear company in NYC. She holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Government (magna cum laude) from the Raphael Recanati International School at IDC Herzliya.

Mikhala (Mikhal) manages TOM’s strategic partnerships with foundations and government partners and leads monitoring and evaluation. Before joining, she was a communication specialist at NYU’s Office of the Provost and associate director of NYU’s Center for European and Mediterranean Studies.  Prior to this, Mikhala served as associate director of the Harvard Kennedy School’s Program on Southeast Europe, heading executive education and donor relationship management. Since 2022, she has been serving on the advisory team for the global program Humankind for Ukraine, securing partnerships to support its work in providing ethical relocation and documenting crimes against Humanity. She holds a Master in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) from Wellesley College.

Avida oversees TOM Global’s marketing and communications efforts. Prior to joining TOM, Avida worked as an independent communications and marketing consultant, Communications Director at the American Jewish Congress in New York, and worked for almost 10 years as a media advisor at the United States Embassy in Israel, focusing on diplomatic, political, social, economic, and cultural issues in the bilateral relationship between the US and Israel. Prior to his time at the US Embassy, Avida worked as a correspondent for Reuters in Jerusalem and various other English-language news outlets. Avida served as a combat support specialist in an elite IDF unit. He holds a BA in journalism from Rutgers University and an MA in political marketing from Reichman University (IDC Herzliya).

Hannah Landau is the Product Development Specialist at TOM:NYC, recently relocating from Israel after four years with the TOM Tel Aviv office. She specializes in mentoring makers through the design and documentation of impactful assistive technologies, ensuring projects are both technically sound and user-centered. Hannah works closely with Need Knower professionals—including occupational and physical therapists and rehabilitation specialists—to ensure all TOM solutions are safe, developmentally appropriate, and truly accessible for their intended users. Hannah holds a degree in User Experience Design with a focus on accessibility from the University of Michigan’s School of Information. Her passion for inclusive design began in high school through a four-year engineering and entrepreneurship program (now a TOM community) and deepened through years of volunteering with the Child Life team at her local Children’s Hospital. She has worked on a variety of accessibility-focused projects, including academic research on forum accessibility for the visually impaired and UX design for a DE&I-focused HR tech startup in Tel Aviv.

Amber is the TOM Technical Program Coordinator working alongside the Israel R&D team as well as the communities in the US to help design, develop, and deliver solutions to need knowers around the world. During college, Amber interned with our NYC based community, Adaptive Design Association (ADA), where she helped design and build equipment for kids with disabilities. She partnered with ADA during the summer of 2023 to document two of their most popular adaptations using TOM’s project editor. Amber started working with TOM full time in December 2023. She holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.