Liron Shoham
Executive Director
Liron joined IATF as Communications Manager in 2012, became Associate Director in 2016, and Executive Director in 2019. Today, Liron oversees implementation of IATF vision, mission, and strategic expansion as it becomes a trusted professional resource center on Arab society in Israel for growing numbers of major North American Jewish organizations. Prior, Liron was Director of Operations for the Harold Grinspoon Foundation's (HGF) New York office. This was her second role as Jewish professional; the first with American Friends for the Weizmann Institute of Science as part of Major Gifts and Foundation Relations. Born in Israel, raised in the US, Liron has a lifelong interest in cross-cultural cooperation and learning. She holds an MA in Conflict Resolution from Bradford University in England, a BA in Anthropology and Arts-Semiotics from Brown University, and is part of the 7th cohort of Schusterman Fellows. Liron lives in Long Island with her husband and daughter. Contact: [email protected].
Ilan Fathi Amit
Israel Representative and Content Expert
Ilan joined the IATF as Israel Representative in 2020. Ilan has over a decade of experience in the field of socio-economic development as a department and program director in Arab-Jewish NGO's focusing on the Arab – Bedouin society of the Negev and the Southern West Bank Palestinian communities. Ilan has lifelong experience and commitment to Jews and Arabs' mutual existence through community development and the promotion of a shared society. Ilan holds a Ph.D. in Anthropology from The University of Amsterdam and an M.A. in Urban Planning from The Ben Gurion University in Israel. Ilan resided in the Netherlands during his academic work and travelled internationally for fieldwork, focusing on refugees and asylum seekers. Ilan is married with two lovely children and currently resides in Jerusalem. Contact: [email protected]
Shahira Shalaby
Content Expert and Field Representative
Shahira joined the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues (IATF) in 2022 as Content Expert and Field Representative. In this role, she serves as a bridge between the civil society field in Israel and American Jewish communities and brings educational content to funders, educators, and Jewish communal professionals. She comes with decades of dynamic experience as a civil society and community leader dedicated to improving the lives of Arab citizens of Israel. Shahira is on the Haifa City Council and previously served as Haifa’s Deputy Mayor. She has held several key managerial roles at numerous social service organizations, including helping establish the Hiwar School for Alternative Education in Haifa. Previously, Shahira directed Shatil’s Shared Society Department for ten years and she co-founded Kayan, the first Palestinian feminist organization in Israel. She was on the faculty of the Mandel Center for Leadership in the North and managed its local leadership programs. Shahira holds an M.A. in Religious Studies and a B.A. in Social Work. She is a trained organizational consultant, group facilitator, and trainer specializing in dialogue, conflict, and conflict resolution. Contact: [email protected]
Erica Shaps (she/her)
Educational Programs Manager
Erica Shaps is the Educational Programs Manager at the Inter-Agency Task Force on Israeli Arab Issues (IATF). In this capacity, she develops educational programs, trainings, and resources pertaining to Arab citizens of Israel and Jewish-Arab relations within Israel for American Jewish organizations. Erica has consulted, written, and conducted research for diverse organizations in Israel and abroad. She worked as a Middle East Program Coordinator for Encounter where she planned programs to cultivate more informed and constructive Jewish leadership on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Previously, as an Entwine Fellow at the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), Erica supported social mobility programs for underserved communities in Israel, including Arab citizens of Israel. Erica is a trained facilitator and mediator. She received her BA from Brandeis University in Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies and an MA from the Fletcher School at Tufts University in International Law and Diplomacy as a Wexner Fellow/Davidson Scholar. Contact: [email protected]
Miranda Hellmold Stone (they/xe/ze)
Programs and Operations Coordinator
Miranda joined IATF as Programs and Operations Coordinator in 2022. They were a 2022 Gilda-Slifka Intern at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, and the 2021 Summer Marketing Intern at Los Angeles Review of Books. Miranda attended Smith College, where they majored in Jewish Studies and minored in History. At Smith College, they completed a year-long special studies project on the history of agunot in the United States from the late nineteenth century to contemporary times. Their writing has been published in New Voices Magazine and Los Angeles Review of Books. Contact: [email protected]