Naomi Perl
Director of Leadership Development, Inclusion and Diversity Programs
Mandel Foundation Israel / The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Jerusalem | Israel
I am a sociologist of education, leadership educator, musician, and community builder from Jerusalem, Israel.
For more than forty years, I have worked in education, leadership development, and community engagement, guided by a deep belief in the human capacity for growth, meaning, and contribution.
Throughout my journey, I have served as a teacher, school principal, founder of educational initiatives, developer of academic programs, and leader of social change and leadership programs. I have led schools for students with special needs, founded music education initiatives, and helped create academic and leadership programs in music, sustainability, Jewish-humanistic education, and civic leadership.
Today, I lead leadership, diversity, and social integration initiatives at the Mandel Foundation Israel. Much of my work focuses on supporting leadership development, academic education, and civic engagement within Israel’s Haredi community, while building bridges across social, cultural, and ideological divides.
My doctoral research explored processes of identity formation, social change, and access to higher education among Haredi academics in Israel. I became fascinated by the question of how individuals and communities navigate profound transformation while remaining connected to their deepest values and traditions.
Growing up as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor shaped my awareness of both human vulnerability and human resilience. Later in life, the loss of my husband deepened my exploration of grief, renewal, and the human capacity to begin again.
These experiences continue to inform my work and my questions.
As a musician and educator, I have come to believe that listening is not only a skill, but a way of being in the world. This belief continues to shape both my work and my relationships.
I am deeply rooted in Jewish wisdom traditions and, at the same time, deeply committed to our shared humanity. I am passionate about creating spaces where people from different communities, cultures, and worldviews can listen deeply, cultivate compassion, and imagine a shared future together.
In recent years, I have become increasingly interested in regeneration — of people, communities, societies, and our relationship with the living world. I am especially curious about how spiritual wisdom, compassionate leadership, and systems awareness can contribute to healing, belonging, and collective flourishing.