The Team

Featured

Rami is the Founding Director of The Jerusalem Biennale.

After earning his BA (summa cum laude) in Philosophy, Political Science and Economics (PPE) and an MA in Economics, both from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rami worked for a few years as an economist. At the age of 30 he decided to make a change in his life and signed up to the Fine Arts department of the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Four years later Rami introduced The Jerusalem Biennale - a platform dedicated to Contemporary Jewish Art.

Rami initiated, directed and produced more than a hundred exhibitions, mostly in Jerusalem but also in NYC, LA, Miami, San Diego and Tel Aviv. He combines in his work entrepreneurship, curation, management, and writing. In 2023 Rami was listed by The Jerusalem Post as one of 10 Iconic Israelis Who Call Jeruasalem Home. See HERE.

Rami lives with his wife Amy and their five children in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem.

Hadas Kidron, CEO

Hadas Kidron is an expert at managing teams and timelines in all aspects of creative productions, from the visionary to the technical. With strong roots in both arts and administration, her unique personality gives her a rare ability to effectively guide artists through the practical challenges of production.

Hadas has directed and produced critically acclaimed cultural events and festivals across Israel. She has broad experience managing events for well-respected literary, poetic, dance and other cultural institutions, including Mashiv HaRuach, the Hebrew Writers Association, Between Heaven and Earth, as well as many others.

As a consultant to the deputy director general at Israel’s Ministry for Social Equality and Pensioners, Hadas anchored her commitment to making an impact on important social issues, and has since focused her relentless creative efforts and logistical talents towards promoting meaningful cultural and social development.

Hadas has substantial experience working with academics and with institutions of higher learning, such as Shalem College, in a range of management capacities that includes high-level recruitment, event planning, budget administration, and employee welfare.

Hadas holds undergraduate degrees from the Hebrew University in theater arts and East Asian studies, and is certified by the Technion and Azrieli College of Engineering in human resource management.

Hadas is also a poet, writer, and podcaster. She lives in Jerusalem with her family.

Altea Steinherz, Assistant Director

Altea is an artist, writer, psychotherapist, and forensic private investigator living in Jerusalem, closely engaged with the city’s cultural and social development.

Altea has worked as a researcher and buyer with Sotheby’s, Kedem, and the Valmadonna Trust Library, now on display at the National Library of Israel. She has written monographs for valuable Judaica, collaborating with Dr. Shalom Sabar.

She serves as an art acquisitions advisor for foundations and individuals, drawing on close relationships with recognized and emerging Israeli artists. She has commissioned and produced ambitious projects with respected artists in Israel and abroad.

As an artist, Altea is interested in figurative drawing and painting, with work in private collections.

“In scraping down to what lies beneath, the artist, psychotherapist, and investigator all risk finding out. In my experience of these ways of knowing the world, it is the artist that knows most deeply, truthfully, completely, and with open-hearted immediacy.”

Altea holds a BS in psychology from Adelphi University, CASAC from Hazelden/Betty Ford Clinic and studied DBT with Marsha Linehan. She is certified in forensic psychology by Reichman University/IDC, and licensed by Israel Ministry of Justice as a private investigator.

Altea’s wish for the Jerusalem Biennale is that it contribute in a meaningful way to unify, to heal, and to restore to Jerusalem that rarified spirit of peace and beauty inherent in her name.

Lydia Weitzman, PR

Lydia was part of the founding team of The Jerusalem Biennale. She is passionate about Israel and has worked for many years with the international media, promoting tourism, culture, and lifestyle in the country. Lydia is proud to represent The Jerusalem Biennale, the largest platform in the world for contemporary Jewish and Israeli art.

Eitam Tubul, Branding Design

Eitam is the founder and partner in Grotesca Studio, which specializes in design and branding for the cultural sector.

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in general literature and philosophy at the Hebrew University, Eitam graduated from Hadassah College’s Department of Visual Communication.

Eitam is an image-making enthusiast, an expert at branding strategy processes, and loves strumming the strings of his bass guitar. At night he dreams of design interfaces.

Eitan is also the initiator and designer of the "Amulets Authority," a project that was displayed at the Israel Museum, in municipal galleries, and on the streets of Jerusalem.

He is the director and designer of "City Tale” and jointly curated the exhibitions "Bad Design", "Manipulation", “Without Words" and many others.

He is always thinking about his next project.

Eliza C. Altabef, Website Designer

Eliza is a website designer, specializing in websites for artists and galleries. Her work was shown at the national matriculation exhibition in the Underground Prisoners Museum in Jerusalem.

Eliza has worked with Neil Folberg’s Vision Gallery in Jerusalem, assisting with exhibition layout design and gallery operation.

Eliza was awarded a scholarship for Tefillot Holon-Religious Art Education Institute at the National Religious High School Seniors Arts Exhibition, Jerusalem, 2018.

Eliza is currently studying Visual Communications at Bezalel Academy of Arts. She has a passion for the arts and is excited to be part of The Jerusalem Biennale team.

Amos Fried, Adv. Legal Counsel

Advocate Amos Fried serves as legal advisor to The Jerusalem Biennale.

He is a licensed member of both the Israel and New York State Bar Associations and has been practicing law in Jerusalem for over 30 years. Amos specializes in civil litigation, commercial law, and criminal representation.

Happily married to the consummate Jerusalemite artist, Avigail Fried, Amos has been a lover of the arts since early childhood, enjoying hours with his father in the Art Institute in his native Chicago.

Advisory Committee

Committee Members

Emily Bilski

Curator and Scholar

Emily D. Bilski is an expert on nineteenth- and twentieth-century art and cultural history, contemporary art, and art and Jewish culture. Bilski has published widely on contemporary art, modernism, and on the interface between art, cultural history, and the Jewish experience.

She has served as curator and consultant to museums and cultural institutions in the United States, Europe, and Israel, and has taught at the Hebrew University’s Helmut Kohl Center for European Studies and in the MA/MFA program at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem. A graduate of Harvard University, she is the winner of two National Jewish Book Awards.

Sharon Weiser-Ferguson

Curator of Jewish Art and Life, The Israel Museum Jerusalem

Weiser-Ferguson curated many shows and has published books and articles, among them: "Divine Image: depicting God in Jewish and Israeli Art" (2006), "Forging Ahead: Wolpert and Gumbel, Israeli Silversmiths for the Modern Age" (2012), and "Pointing the Way: Women Design Ceremonial Objects" (2013).

Uri Rosenbach

Founder and Owner, Rosenbach Contemporary, Jerusalem

Rosenbach served as the CEO and main auctioneer (licensed in New York) of a leading auction house in Israel. His understanding of the makeup and potential of the U.S. market led to the establishment of Stein Rose Fine Art in New York. Rosenbach decided to concentrate his efforts on strengthening the conversation surrounding contemporary Israeli art in Jerusalem and established Rosenbach Contemporary on King David St., one of the only private galleries in Jerusalem to exhibit and promote contemporary Israeli art.

Dr. David Sperber

Art Historian, Curator, Art Critic

Dr. David Sperber is an art historian, curator, and art critic. In the past, he served as a Postdoctoral Associate at the Institute of Sacred Music, Yale University; a David Hartman Center for Intellectual Leadership research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem, and as head of the Curatorial Studies Program at the Schechter Institutes, Jerusalem. Currently, he is a student in the Israeli Rabbinical Program at the Hebrew Union College, Jerusalem. In 2012, he co-curated the international exhibition “Matronita: Jewish Feminist Art” at the Mishkan Museum of Art, Ein Harod, in Israel. Sperber’s book Devoted Resistance: Jewish Feminist Art in the United States and Israel was published by the Hebrew University Magnes Press in 2021.

Nava Disenchik

Senior Consultant for Arts and Culture, Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat

Dissenchik served as the CEO of Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center and a personal Consultant of Tel Aviv's Mayor Shlomo Lahat. After she had successfully completed a few major arts and culture projects in Tel Aviv, Dissenchik was hired by Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.

Dr. Ido Noy

For bio, read above.

Judy Cardozo

Independent Curator and writer

Cardozo, who grew up in New York City as a member of the Spanish & Portuguese Synagogue community, has curated shows for the Bronx Museum of Art, the Yeshiva University Museum and more. As Curator of the Cecil Roth Collection at the Beth Tzedec Museum in Toronto, she helped to create the Judaica gallery at the Royal Ontario Museum. She is one of the founders of Toronto's Ashkenaz Festival of New Jewish Culture, that showcases the work of leading contemporary artists from Canada and around the world working in music, film, theatre, dance, literature, craft and visual arts.

Ram Ozeri

Founder and Director, The Jerusalem Biennale

For bio, read above.

Board Members

Board

Bracha Zuriel, Chairperson

Bracha has extensive experience in growing organizations, working with lay leadership, fundraising and connecting Americans and Israelis. She is a Founding Partner at E.B. Zuriel Solutions, Inc, serving Israeli and US organizations as well as Jewish federations and non-profits in project management, creating cross cultural connections, improving their fund raising, volunteer development, strategic visioning, etc.

Shaike El-Ami, Member

Shaike El Ami was born in July 1959 on the religious kibbutz Sa’ad. He is married with four children. He has a BA in History and Jewish Philosophy from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and an MA in Jewish Philosophy from Schechter Institute. He is a retired Lieutenant Colonel from the IDF. He has been the Director of a Community Council since 1998, and of Ginot Ha’ir Community Council since 2001.

Dani Danieli, Member

Dani has been the director of BEIT AVI CHAI in Jerusalem for 7 years and previously- deputy director of AVI CHAI Israel. Dani is married and the father of three. He has a B.A. and an M.A. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and has studied at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem. Dani worked for many years as a consultant for educational systems and as a group facilitator. The positions he has held include: director of a central educational unit and personnel development and training officer at Melitz; director of educational planning in the Jerusalem municipal education department; team leader at the Association for the Advancement of Community Education; and coordinator of educational projects for the Jerusalem Foundation.

Dov Abramson, Member

Dov Abramson is Jerusalem-based designer and artist whose work explores the tensions in contemporary Jewish and Israeli identity and culture. A graduate of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design, he was awarded the Felheim Typography Award for his attempt to re-design the classic Talmud page. Dov's work can be found in the collections of the Israel Museum, the Jewish Museum in New York, and The Ein Harod Art Museum. He lives in the Katamonim neighborhood with his wife Sarit and their three daughters.