Social Enterprise in the Negev: Employment, Empowerment and ...

In 2009, Itzik Zivan, a successful Israeli businessman from Caesarea, learned about a promising catering project providing jobs for Bedouin women (whose employment rates are less than 25%). Zivan joined the initiative and helped turn Al Sanabel Catering into one of Israel’s most successful social enterprises. Today, its employees (mostly single mothers) prepare 9000 meals a day for schools throughout the region. As a result, Al Sanabel is being scaled and studied for duplication in Israel and abroad, and Zivan is working with government and civil society partners to make social enterprise an integral part of a new large-scale Jewish-Arab industrial park in the Negev.

What made this social enterprise succeed in Bedouin society, Israel's the poorest and most conservative community? What does its success tell us about economic development efforts and prospects for a more shared Israeli society? 

 Itzik Zivan, Founder of Zivtex, philanthropist and social entrepreneur, spoke about why he is committed to advancing Jewish-Arab relations in Israel's southern region; how Al Sanabel is influencing government efforts to boost Arab women's employment elsewhere; and his vision for social enterprise in Israel.

Event Details:
Tuesday, September 12th - 8:45AM
New York City

About the speaker
Itzik Zivan is an Israeli businessman and philanthropist from Caesarea. After years in the textile industry, where he founded and headed an international company, he is dedicating all his time today to developing the Negev Bedouin community, Israel's poorest and weakest population. Focusing on closing socio-economic gaps between Bedouin and the larger Israeli society, he is involved in multiple projects such as "Al Sanabel: the Hura Women’s Catering Enterprise"; "Desert Stars", a program for young Bedouin leadership; and the Sapir Academic College program to enhance Bedouin access to higher education. Zivan holds a degree in computer science from the Technion and a Master's degree in textile management from Leicester Polytechnic. He is married and has four children.