Michael B. Naftali

Michael (Mike) Naftali, Ph.D., "is a Fellow Researcher at the Tel Aviv University Interdisciplinary Center for Children and Youth Studies, serves as Chairperson of Topaz – for the Well Being of Children and Youth, and of"Brit Olam" – the International Israeli – Jewish Volunteer Movement", and until recently served as the Chairperson of the National Council for Voluntarism in Israel.

"Between the years 1984 – 2002 Dr. Naftali served as C.E.O.of Elem - Youth in Distress in Israel – the largest N.P.O. attending Youth at Risk in Israel. For over 30 years he has also been involved in numerous endeavors within the Voluntary - Third Sector, in initiating and developing programs focusing on unique needs of youth at risk, disadvantaged, neglected and delinquent youth. He has been director of a number of organizations in the private industry and N.G.O.s, including first director of “Enosh”- the Israel Mental Health Association. Dr. Naftali has been involved as an active board member in many voluntary organizations and, for over 25 years an active volunteer in a "Big Brothers" Project of Enosh, supporting Schizophrenic patients.

"Dr. Naftali has written over a dozen articles and numerous working papers on various issues in the areas of voluntarism, community and local involvement, lobbying and public awareness, youth in distress and delinquency, immigration and children at risk, youth work and youth policies. For the last decade he has also been teaching these topics and other subjects including courses (both graduate and post graduate courses) on civil society studies, social entrepreneurship, voluntarism and volunteer management, practice and theory of public boards and fundraising. He has been teaching these topics both in Israeli academic institutes (Tel Aviv University, The Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Askelon Academic College, Beit Berl College and others) and in various international institutes both in Israel (MASHAV) and abroad (in Africa, South East Asia including in the Philippines, Thailand and India and in Mediterranean countries).

"Dr. Naftali is a Social Worker by profession, and received his Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University School of Social Work. His dissertation metatopic was on “Professionalism and Altruism: Why, When and How do Professionals Volunteer”?.

"Michael Naftali is married to Dr. Timna Naftali - a specialist in Internal Medicine and in Gastroenterology."

• Co-chair, Israeli Coalition for the Refugees of Darfur and Sudan