Social Entrepreneur

Neta is an Advisor of the YIL Fellowship and member of board of Hutzpa Innovations. For 7 years, she was a criminal prosecutor in the Israeli Ministry of Justice. While working as a lawyer she happened to visit Jisr a Zarqa, the most poor Israeli Arab village -a fishing village located on a beautiful beach. She thought Jisr would be a perfect destination for travelers in Israel looking for an off-the-beaten-path experience and saw the positive impact that tourism could make on the local economy. It was a chance to re-write the story of her life and make a change. She went door to door in Jisr searching for a local Arab  partner until she met Ahmad Juha. After a successful crowdfunding campaign the two jewish & Arab visionaries opened Juha’s Guesthouse, which has since been selected as the “Best Social Business 2015” in a competition sponsored by Bank Hapoalim and Yediot Aharonot . IVN and the Jewish Federation of San Francisco have invested in it as well. For travelers from across the world, the hostel provides an authentic experience and volunteering opportunities, and is a locus for initiating a variety of social projects. Juha’s Guesthouse has injected hope and energy into the local economy. Some residents are now giving handicrafts workshops; some are hosting traditional meals; others are establishing new shops. Another project established by Neta is Young Leaders,which empower local Arab youth and provides training for local Arab youth to serve as guides for Birthright groups ( Jewish youth from around the world). The guides share their personal stories and take the groups on a tour of the city, enabling a meaningful and more intimate encounter. Neta was  one of the 3 final winners of the “Rappaport prize for women generating change 2015 ” During the last 3 years Neta was also consulting to social business entrepreneur/organisations, and went through a mentoring training by ROI and served as a Mentor in the ROI mentorship program. Neta is a keynote speaker- topics: Social Impact, Impact investment, sustainable tourism, decision making, crowdfunding, sustainable development.