Omer El Ad is a CEO of the Gila Project for Trans Empowerment, an NGO that acts to improve the lives of trans community members through individual empowerment, community building, and advocacy. Before that, Omer founded and directed Ma’avarim’s Trans Social Work Team, the only social work solution in Israel for transgender people (funded by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Security). Omer is a social worker and social activist, holding a BFA in the visual arts from the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, and an MSW, with honors, from Simmons University in Boston. For over a decade Omer worked with the homeless in the USA, focusing on the connection between homelessness and mental health, before moving up into management roles and becoming involved with equity and diversity processes in various NPOs. Omer also makes a point of volunteering, helping in a range of projects including fundraising for social justice NGOs, running an extensive mutual aid initiative during COVID, and volunteering at animal shelters. Lives in Tel Aviv.
CoLab was established in 2015 by UJA-Federation of New York in order to promote social cohesion in Israel through collaborative.
CoLab is a Laboratory for Collaborations, where social influencers from diverse backgrounds get to know each other, explore identities, deepen relationships, embrace difference, and experiment with connections in order to advance collaborative work and promote a better society, together.
CoLab consists of an annual fellowship, the CoLab Doctoroff Fellowship, in honor of the visionary leadership of Alisa and Dan Doctoroff, who have dedicated themselves to fostering a more vibrant and inclusive Israeli society. It also includes an active alumni community and offers a variety of specialized programs designed for organizations.