About The People Behind the Foundation
Shaul Goldstein
Mayor Gush Etzion Regional Council
As Mayor of Gush Etzion, Shaul Goldstein,
46, is spearheading the regions economic development. In the years since he
took up office, the population of Gush Etzion has grown from 25,000 to
50,000. Four hundred houses are under construction, new schools have been
built, and tourist attractions have been added. A technology park providing
jobs, and new industries is now open.
Before becoming Mayor in May 1999, he ran
his own construction company, building private homes all over Gush Etzion
and beyond. He ran for mayor only after hundreds of his peers convinced him
that the region needed the leadership, drive and vision for which he stands.
He is now in the middle of his second term.
He has lived in Neve Daniel, one of 15
communities in Gush Etzion, for 18 years. He has a deep personal connection
to the place: “My father fought in this region during the War of
Independence,” he recalls. “He was the radio operator of the convoy that
brought supplies to the besieged settlements of Gush Etzion of Gush Etzion
in 1948. Many of his comrades were killed or wounded just a stone’s throw
from where I live now.
Shaul grew up in Beersheva where he attended
the prestigious Reali high school. Always a leader, he was the president of
his school council and represented the entire Negev on the National Student
Council. He studied engineering at Ben Gurion University before joining the
Air Force, where he served in an elite technology unit which he went on to
command. He left the Air Force with the rank of major at the age of 31.
Shaul is deeply committed to promoting
understanding and tolerance between orthodox and non orthodox Israelis, both
in Gush Etzion and throughout the country.
He himself became religious at the age of
twenty- five, while his family and part of his siblings remain staunchly
secular. “Having grown up in a totally irreligious environment,” he says “ I
can truly understand the issues involved.
Although a newcomer to politics, the mayor
has learned fast how to promote Gush Etzion, attracting investment from both
government and private sources.
He has big plans for the area. “Within five
years,” he says, “Gush Etzion will be home to 60,000 people, a hi-tech
powerhouse and a center of educational excellence.
Truly the heartland of Israel.”!
Mayor Shaul
Goldstein has transformed the region of Gush Etzion into a hotbed of
industry and economic growth. His aggressive and innovative campaign to
cultivate business in all sectors such as hi-tech and environmental
startups, tourism, education and small business has turned Gush Etzion into
a profitable and prosperous zone.
Mayor Shaul
Goldstein is not affiliated with any political party yet he maintains a
close, working relationship with many members of the Knesset, from all
political branches, and has an excellent association with the media.
Over the years,
Mayor Goldstein has developed a very strong relationship with many United
States senators and congressman. The New York City Mayor’s office
maintains an especially close relationship with him, which began under Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani and continues today under Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
As a leader, Mayor
Goldstein insists on being fair and open minded. He is extremely tolerant
and respectful of all political views, left or right, but will not lose
sight of what he believes in.
Shani Abrams Simkowitz
Director
Shani Abrams
Simkowitz is the Director of the Gush Etzion Foundation, a division of the
Regional Council of Gush Etzion which is responsible for public relations
and fundraising for the communities and residents of this area.
Ms. Simkowitz has a
long and distinguished career in communications, public relations,
fundraising and education. Her devotion to the State of Israel is the
motivating force behind all of her efforts.
Born in Brooklyn,
New York, Shani moved to Israel at the age of sixteen. After graduating
high school, she enlisted in the Israel Defense Force, three weeks before
the outbreak of the Yom Kippur War.
Following the
completion of her army service, Shani studied at the Kibbutz Teacher’s
College in Tel Aviv where she earned a degree in Early Childhood Education.
She then went on to receive a BA in Creative Theater from Empire State
College and an MA from Touro College in Jewish Education with an emphasis on
Holocaust studies for young children.
From 1979 to 1995
Shani was the Regional Supervisor of Early Childhood Education for the
Regional Council of Gush Etzion. She oversaw thirty five kindergartens,
fifteen daycare centers and a teacher’s resource center.
In 1995, the Gush
Etzion Foundation was established and Shani became its leader. The
Foundation was created to provide supplemental funding for health,
education, social, cultural and security services for the residents of Gush
Etzion. Shani’s innovative and resourceful method of management is the
reason for the Foundation’s success.
Shani Abrams
Simkowitz, along with Mayor Shaul Goldstein, is an English speaking
spokesperson for Gush Etzion. Her tireless efforts to promote Gush Etzion
have pioneered a public awareness worldwide.
Shani is the mother
of five children and lives in the Gush Etzion community, Tekoa, where she
has been a resident since 1981.