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The staff

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari

Founding Head of the Rackman Center

Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari is head of the Rackman Center, which she founded in 2001. Prof. Halperin-Kaddari holds the rank of a full professor at the Faculty of Law at Bar-Ilan University and, from 2007 through the end of 2018, she served as a member and Vice President of the Expert Committee of the UN Committee on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). While serving on the Committee, in 2013, she initiated and led General Recommendation Number 29 regarding the economic consequences of marriage, family relations and their dissolution (Read); and in 2017, conducted CEDAW’s official investigation of the prohibition against abortions in Northern Ireland, which led to a legislative change in July 2019.

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Adv. Shelly Blat Zak

CEO

Holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) degree from Tel Aviv University and a Master of Laws (LL.M) degree in Law (Mediation, Negotiation and Dispute Resolution) from Bar-Ilan University. Shelly joined the center as CEO after an extensive legal career of approximately 20 years in corporate and securities law, and after serving as a senior partner at Shibolet, where she also established and managed the Impact and Social Responsibility department.

Adv. Shir Wullman

Head of the Legal Aid Clinic

Shir obtained her LL.B in Law and Psychology from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During her academic studies, she actively engaged in the field of family law and personal status. Shir gained practical experience by completing her legal internship at the Civil Department within the Office of the State Attorney. She furthered her expertise by working at private law firms and the Legal Aid department under the Ministry of Justice, consistently focusing on matters related to family law and personal status.

 

Adv. Galia Golender Shoofan

Director of the Legal Aid Helpline

Galia holds an LL.M. and an LL.B. (with honors) from Bar Ilan University. Since being certified as a member of the Israeli Bar Association in 2013, she has worked in the field of family law. Galia has participated in a number of courses and received various certifications, including on the subjects of mediation, family mediation, durable power of attorney and consulting for couples and families. In the framework of her work at the Rackman Center, Galia provides legal advice to women who call the Help Line and represents select cases before the civil and religious courts in Israel.

 

Adv. Shay Zilberberg

Head of Rabbinical Court Field

Shay Zilberberg earned his LL.B. and LL.M. (with honors) in the thesis track. Both degrees were conferred by Bar-Ilan University.

In 2019, he began working on his doctoral dissertation in the Faculty of Law, under Prof. Amihai Radzyner, on the interface between civil law and the rabbinical courts.

He works in family law and personal status, representing clients in both the civil courts and rabbinical courts, with specialization in Jewish law and Hebrew law relevant to these fields.

Adv. Vered Barr

Head of the Bruce and Ruth Rappaport Advocacy and Legislation Unit

Vered holds a Bachelor of Laws degree (LL.B) from the Hebrew University and a distinguished Master of Laws degree (LL.M) from the University of Haifa. Her thesis focused on the topic of violence against women on social media. Vered has worked for several years in private law firms, specializing in civil and administrative litigation. Afterwards, she transitioned to working for organizations dedicated to promoting human rights.

Adv. Sari Krapes Cohen

Attorney at the Legal Aid Unit

 Shari holds an LL.B. in Law and Government from Reichman University. Served for approximately a decade as a judicial assistant at the Tel Aviv District Court, practicing in the areas of family and juvenile law, civil law, and administrative law. Subsequently worked as an attorney in the private sector specializing in family law, following her legal internship at the Tel Aviv Family Court. Certified in mediation and in the drafting of Enduring Powers of Attorney.

Adv. Ariella Justman Wald

Attorney at the Legal Aid Unit, Director of the Clinic for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Holds an LL.B. in Law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an LL.M. from Bar-Ilan University. Completed her legal internship in the Economic Department of the State Attorney’s Office.
Previously served for approximately 14 years in a variety of positions at the Israel Competition Authority, including Deputy Head of the Investigations Department and Legal Advisor to the department. Ariela chose to make a career transition into the field of personal status law out of a desire to make a meaningful impact on individuals’ lives and to assist women during complex and challenging periods. She joined the Center in 2024 after practicing in this field as an attorney in private law firms. As part of her role at the Center, she provides legal representation and legal counseling to women.

לאה גפנר לוי

Leah Goeppinger-Levy

Head of External Relations

Leah holds an LLB from the Hertizlya Interdisciplinary Institute, a BA in History from Smith College and is currently studying for a Master’s Degree in Gender Studies at Bar Ilan University. She joined the Rackman Center staff in 2020 but has worked with the Center on various projects since 2015. Leah has been a professional writer and consultant in the not-for-profit sector since 2001 and has worked for a number of Israeli organizations in various fields, including youth/young adults at risk, women’s rights, education, Jewish renaissance and pluralism, shared society, health and more. She strongly believes in the importance of transparent and close partnerships between organizations, the government and donors and their role in building a strong society in Israel.

Gilit Inbar-Kimchi

Project Manager and Head of the Emotional Support

Gilit Inbar-Kimchi holds a B.A. in behavioral sciences with majors in management and economics, and an MBA from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. She is a graduate of the Group Facilitation Graduate Program at Bar-Ilan University. For many years, she worked to strengthen and empower women and took part in setting up volunteer networks for new mothers as part of the national program, Mother to Mother in the Community, from Oranim College.

Sherry Fireberger

Office Manager

Sherry holds a bachelor’s degree in general history and art history from Tel Aviv University. She held various roles in account management and collection and customer relations.

Einat Offer

Spokesperson and Content Manager

Einat Offer earned her B.A. in English Literature and Information Science and M.A. (Cum Laude) in Gender Studies from Bar-Ilan University. She held account management and marketing positions at international consulting and market research firms. She is also a Certified communication coach (CLDCC, CCIL) and has developed, facilitated and led women empowerment workshops and women in business clubs.

 Beeri Gafni

Legal Aid Clinic Coordinator

Beeri is an undergraduate law student and the chair of the Student Council of Law at Bar-Ilan University.
She served in national service as a support person for welfare families of new immigrants.

Oswa Hebe

Conference, Event and Publications Coordinator

Oswa is a Law student at Bar-Ilan University. 
Former Media and Marketing Coordinator at Xtreme Psychometric Institute.

Shani Brownstein

The Law and Its Decisor (HaDin Ve’haDayan) Coordinator

Shani is a Law student at Bar-Ilan University.                                                                                                                                She served in the IDF as a commander in one of the reserve units.

Shachar Ratzabi

Legal Aid Helpline Coordinator

shachar is a Law student at Bar-Ilan University and a graduate of a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering and Management from Tel Aviv University.
Served as an Infantry Operations Sergeant in the IDF Central Command.

Sapir Cohen

Legal Aid Helpline Coordinator

Law and Economics student.
Officer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

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