The people building hope in Gaza.

Dr. Hasan is a neurosurgeon and scientist with extensive expertise in cerebrovascular and skull base diseases, treating more than 3,000 brain aneurysms and authoring over 300 peer-reviewed publications.

He has received multiple NIH grants and serves on editorial boards of leading medical journals.

Since October 7, he has focused on humanitarian aid for Gaza, completing multiple medical missions and helping deliver millions of dollars in medicine, food, equipment, and critical supplies. He also organized the only international NGO coalition dedicated to Gaza’s relief efforts.

Dr. Hasan now leads the creation of The Gaza Children Village, a multi-campus ecosystem that will provide shelter, education, healthcare, and rehabilitation for up to 20,000 children.

He is also the co-founder of Lumiflies, a platform fostering connection and hope between Palestinians and Israelis.

Sharon Brous is an American rabbi best known as the founding and senior rabbi of IKAR, a Jewish congregation in Los Angeles established in 2004. She has been recognized as one of the most influential rabbis in the United States, especially for her work in building a dynamic and engaged spiritual community.

Brous has served on the faculty of several Jewish leadership programs and serves in advisory roles with organizations such as the New Israel Fund and the American Jewish World Service. She received her rabbinic ordination and a master’s in human rights from Columbia University.

She also helped launch the Jewish Emergent Network, a collaborative of innovative Jewish communities across the U.S., and released a book in 2024 titled The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World.

Rabbi Nava Hefetz is an Israeli Reform rabbi and human rights educator active in social justice and peace initiatives. She serves as Director of Education for Rabbis for Human Rights – Israel, where she leads programs that combine Jewish tradition with human rights advocacy and education. In this role, she works with communities to raise awareness about the effects of occupation and to promote justice from both Jewish and universal perspectives.

Hefetz is also involved in grassroots efforts such as Miklat Israel, a movement she co-founded with other rabbis to protect and shelter asylum seekers in Israel.

She lives in Jerusalem and is known for her leadership in interfaith dialogue and efforts toward equality and dignity for marginalized groups.

Leana Katz currently serves on the boards of Center for Peace Communications, Horizons of Greater Washington, Middleburg Film Festival and Halcyon Accelerator. Leana previously served on the boards of SCAN of Northern Virginia, the Wolftrap Foundation, and Venture Philanthropy Partners. She was also a member of 100 Women Strong in Leesburg, Virginia from 2012 to 2025.

Passionate about Israelis and Palestinians building positive relationships and empathy toward one another, Leana supported Halcyon’s Middle East North Africa incubator cohort from 2022 to 2024. She is also a donor to the Palestinian Internship Program and has supported Women Wage Peace, Women of the Sun, the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, Peaceworks on Campus, and the Alliance for Middle East Peace.

Prior to her more recent efforts supporting cross-border work, Leana volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate in abuse and neglect cases from 2007 to 2017. In 2016, she received the Cleary Award from SCAN of Northern Virginia for her vision and commitment to making a positive difference for children.

Locally, Leana is involved with the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. She earned her BA in Anthropology and Sociology from Smith College in 2000.

Azzam Shawwa is a Palestinian economist, banker, and public official who served as Governor and Chairman of the Palestine Monetary Authority from November 2015 to January 2021, leading the country’s central banking institution and helping maintain financial stability and regulatory development in the Palestinian banking sector.

Born in Kuwait in 1963, Shawwa moved with his family to Gaza and later earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the University of Memphis in the United States.

Before heading the PMA, he had a long career in banking, including roles at the Bank of Palestine, the Arab Bank in Gaza, and as General Manager of Al-Quds Bank. Shawwa also served as Minister of Energy in the Palestinian National Authority in 2003 and chaired the Association of Banks in Palestine.

He has participated in various boards and foundations, including the Palestine Investment Fund, and received the Golden Union Medal of Achievement from the Union of Arab Banks for his work supporting Palestinian banking.

Reem Younis is an Arab-Israeli entrepreneur and engineer from Nazareth. She holds a B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

In 1993, she co-founded Alpha Omega Ltd. with her husband, Imad Younis. The company became an international leader in neurosurgical and neuroscience technologies, positioning her as a pioneering Arab woman in Israel’s high-tech and medical technology sectors.

Beyond business, Younis is active in social leadership and has served as Co-Chair of Hand in Hand, a network of bilingual Jewish-Arab schools promoting shared society and coexistence.

Marcie Zelikow is a community leader and philanthropist particularly active in the Jewish nonprofit sector. She spent much of her early career as an executive recruiter and sales professional before retiring in 2001 to focus on nonprofit work.

She has held leadership and board roles with organizations including Jewish Family Service, the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, and the Jewish Home for the Aging. She has also served on the board and chaired various committees at Temple Emanuel of Beverly Hills.

Together with her husband Howard, she has been a major supporter and donor of the School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, where she serves on the Board of Governors. The couple’s contribution helped expand the school’s endowment and programs.