2 Blaywais Reut
Dr. Reut Blaywais is a faculty member at the School of Economics. She completed her doctoral studies at Ben-Gurion University, during which she was awarded the title of Outstanding Doctoral Student. She also completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Ben-Gurion University with high distinction and was selected to participate in the Faculty of Management’s Excellence Program for Research. Her research focuses on behavioral economics and various aspects of decision-making.
Reut has extensive experience teaching in academia and beyond. In addition to being a lecturer at various educational institutions, she also delivers lectures and workshops to teenagers, prisoners, and other populations. Reut instills in her students that “it is not enough to dream, you also have to sweat” and that with will, determination, and perseverance, the sky is not the limit.
2 Segal Zef
Dr. Zef Segal explores the interrelations between communication systems, media networks, social and cultural perceptions, focusing on the historical study of journals and maps. In addition, he is a strong advocate of the emerging field of digital humanities and social sciences in Israel, having initiated the Digital Humanities track at the Open University and being among the initial faculty members in the first Israeli DH bachelor’s degree at the University of Haifa. His expertise lies in the study of social networks, mapping, and analysis of textual corpora. His current research delves into the Hebrew and American newspaper networks in the 19th century, using computational tools to identify and analyze textual and thematic connections between articles published at different times and in distant locations.
Dr. Segal holds a bachelor’s degree from the Open University in History and Philosophy, a bachelor’s degree from Tel Aviv University in Mathematics, two master’s degrees in Mathematics and Philosophy from Tel Aviv University, and a doctorate in History from Tel Aviv University. His doctoral dissertation examines the influence of communication networks and communication infrastructures on spatial and political perceptions in the German-speaking world in the 19th century.
In addition to his research, he has been teaching humanities, social, and exact sciences since his master’s degree, aiming to broaden the horizons of students and develop critical understanding of the world we live in. He has received numerous research grants, including from the Israel Science Foundation, Erfurt University, the German Historical Institute in Washington, and the DAAD. His research has been published in leading journals and books. In recent years, three of his books have been published: The Political Fragmentation of Germany by Palgrave Macmillan (2019), Motion in Maps, Maps in Motion by Amsterdam University Press (2020), and Die politische Zersplitterung Deutschlands by J.B. Metzler (2024). Two upcoming books, The Culture of the Enlightenment in the 18th Century: Restructuring the Private Space by the Open University of Israel and Computational Literacy for the Humanities by Routledge, are expected to be published in the near future.
2 Sarel-Mahlev Ella
Ella Sarel-Mahlev is a faculty member at the College of Management. Her work has focused on the promotion of social-emotional learning in teacher training in collaboration with the ‘Mofet’ Institute, developing content for pedagogical instructors and lecturers. In addition, she was part of the ‘Mofet’ Resilience Team, which examined ways in which the education system can be strengthened to enhance national resilience.
Her area of expertise is suicide prevention in education. She founded the Lobby for Suicide Prevention in Higher Education. Between 2015 and 2021, she was employed by the Ministry of Education as an instructor in the Unit for Coping with Emergencies, Crises, and Suicide Prevention. As part of her role, she wrote an educational program for suicide prevention entitled “Choosing Life, Speaking Directly with Adolescents” as well as the framework for its implementation, training, and research. In Israel, the program is part of the national suicide prevention program.
The Equality Lab for Suicide Prevention Research among Individuals with Autism was established by her. A grant from the Israeli National Academy of Sciences enabled her to lead two international conferences on suicide prevention in education and special education.
She specializes in developing resilience and promoting mental well-being using pedagogy and technology. She completed her doctoral studies at Bar Ilan University with honors in the field of family influence on risk behavior and mental well-being among adolescents.
2 Ben-Gal Dahan Anat
Dr. Anat Ben-Gal Dahan researches and teaches in the areas of learning and mental health, attachment, youth at risk and exclusion. Engages in making higher education accessible for students with learning, mental, sensory, and medical disabilities. A member of the Forum Centers for Support and Accessibility in Higher Education. She works as a therapist at the Resilience Center in the city of Sderot, and deals with emotional therapy for teenagers and adults who are coping with stress, anxiety, and trauma due to a security situation. Lectures at international professional conferences and has published articles in Israel and around the world.
1 Blondheim Menahem
Menahem Blondheim explores human communications from a variety of perspectives: Historical and technological, institutional and religious. His studies employ a variety of research methods, spanning close reading of ancient texts and data analysis of large digital corpora. Most generally, his work proposes new ways of linking the social sciences and the humanities, the past and the present, academia and the real world.
He received his BA degree from the Hebrew University, was a founding fellow of the Hartman Institute, and received his MA and PhD degrees from Harvard University. He won fellowships and grants from, among others, the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), the Smithsonian Institution, Library of Congress, the University of Pennsylvania, and the Israel Science Foundation. He was visiting professor and scholar at Columbia University, New York University, The University of Pennsylvania, Ca Foscari in Venice and Sapienza and LUMSA in Rome.
A former entrepreneur and executive in the communication technology sector of Israel’s high-tech industry and consultant to international corporations, he served in a series of administrative positions at the Hebrew University. They include heading its department of Communication and Journalism (currently ranked 15th in the world), the Smart Family Institute of Communications, HU’s Center for American Studies, and undergraduate studies at the Rothberg International School. His public activities included, among many others, serving as head of Israel National Library’s Advisory Committee on Digitization, chair of the academic committee of the Spielberg Jewish Film Archives, chair of Sokolov Prize committees, and analyst, commentator and contributor to a bunch of local and international media outlets.
3 Shmuel Shai
Shai Shmuel is a designer, who has completed his Bachelor degree in B.Design (interior) and Master degree in design, entrepreneurship, and innovation Graduated with honors from the school of design and innovation at the College of Management Academic Studies.
Shai’s connection to the field of planning and design began at the age of 16 when he studied architecture in high school and continued through a reserve program for an Architecture Practical Engineer degree. During his military service, he served as a project manager in the planning field.
After his studies, Shai founded a design studio for planning residential, office, and commercial environments. His studio specializes in design, consulting, and project managing for design and planning in the private sector and the business sector.
For many years, Shai has been lecturing in several schools and educational frameworks for design and architecture, on a wide range of subjects. Shai believes that “design is intended to provide us a powerful and empowering environment, which in first place comes to enrich our quality of life. Proper design combines functionality with aesthetics that can influence all areas of life. Design has the power to be a positive factor in our lives, with the designer’s role being the factor that combines all human needs into a designed, functional, and aesthetic space.”
3 Kirshenzvaig Shay Eliyahu
Shay Kirshenzvaig is a visual communication lecturer at the School of Design and Innovation since 2019. He is a graphic designer, with a bachelor’s degree with honors (B.DES) in the visual communication department at Shenker College and a master’s degree (M.DES) in the master’s degree program in design at Shenker College.
While teaching at COLMAN, Shay has been lecturing for years at design schools, specializing in visual communication. Shay is an independent designer with extensive experience working in design studios and advertising agencies, and specializes in branding, space design, exhibitions, posters, design for motion pictures, packaging, book and magazine design, advertising campaigns and more.
At the School of Design and Innovation, he teaches courses on typography, creating images, illustration, and more, emphasizing the development of conceptual and design thinking. In addition, Shay manages the In-house Studio of the School of Design and Innovation and is in charge of 4th year final projects. In academic research, Shay deals with the visual and design aspects of subjects that combine Israeli history and culture with local design.
2 Strauss Asher Y.
Dr. Asher Strauss is a licensed clinical psychologist and lecturer in the School of Behavioral Sciences & Psychology. Dr. Strauss completed his three degrees in psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research mainly focuses on expanding cognitive and behavioral models and interventions for anxiety and depression disorders and in particular obsessive-compulsive disorders. He completed his clinical internship at the Eitanim psychiatric hospital and at Cognetica – the Israeli center for cognitive behavioral therapy.
Dr. Strauss has a broad interest in measuring psychotherapy processes and results and implementing research-based interventions and measurements among the general public. His teaching areas in the psychology department include statistics, quantitative research methods and cognitive behavioral therapy. In a private clinic in Jerusalem, Dr. Strauss provides counseling and individualized research based treatment.
2 Atia Elad
Dr. Elad Etia, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pure Mathematics from Bar-Ilan University, a Master’s degree in Mathematics (with a research focus on Algebraic Topology) from Bar-Ilan University, and a Doctorate in Mathematics (with a research focus on Convex Geometry) from Bar-Ilan University.
An esteemed lecturer who teaches at various academic institutions, Dr. Atia primarily oversees the courses in Discrete Mathematics within the Faculty of Computer Science at the College.
2 Avrahami Gil
Dr. Avrahami is a high-tech entrepreneur, co-founder of a startup in the field of business intelligence and held senior management positions in software companies in Israel and abroad.
Gil’s doctoral research at Ben-Gurion University was in the field of developing machine learning methodologies for the early detection of cyber attacks.
Areas of expertise:
Data science, data mining, machine learning, business intelligence, information systems, cyber attacks detection.
