Professor Dan Ben-David (Ph.D. in Economics, University of Chicago) heads the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research and is a senior faculty member in the Department of Public Policy at Tel-Aviv University.

In 2023, he received the “Knight of Quality Government Award” granted by the Movement for Quality Government “in recognition of his significant contribution to Israel’s academia and society; for providing evidence-based analyses to decision makers and the general public; and for his impact on the determination of policies at the national level.” Professor Dan Ben-David was also named ‘Person of the Year’ by Calcalist newspaper and included 3 times in the Haaretz-TheMarker newspaper’s annual list of Israel’s 100 most influential people. His academic research placed him among the ten most cited economists in Israel during the years 1990-2000. In addition, Ben-David has twice received Tel-Aviv University’s ‘Best Teacher Award.

Professor Ben-David is the past executive director of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies, a former Research Fellow at both the National Bureau for Economic Research (NBER) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) in London, and has also served as an advisor to the World Bank and the World Trade Organization.

Professor Ayal Kimhi is the Vice President and head of research at the Shoresh Institution. He is also the Sir Henry d'Avigdor Goldsmid Professor in Agricultural Economics, serving as the head of the Department of Environmental Economics and Management at the Hebrew University. He was previously the deputy director and head of research at the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies.

Professor Kimhi received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago. His research spans the fields of labor economics, family economics, applied econometrics, agricultural economics, and development economics. He has held visiting positions at the Universities of Maryland, Yale, Pennsylvania, Nagoya, Leuven, Sydney and at the Paris School of Economics, and has published more than 50 articles in refereed academic journals.

Cynthia Wroclawski is the Shoresh Institution’s Director-General and head of strategic partnerships. She served as Director of the Yad Vashem Shoah Victims' Names Recovery Project and deputy director of the Yad Vashem Archives Division. Specializing in marketing, communications, outreach, engagement and fundraising, Cynthia draws upon extensive professional experience in positions held in the private and non-profit sectors alongside her volunteer leadership role as chair of the steering committee of the Yoav – Lehigh Valley (PA) Partnership2Gether (Jewish Agency program) from 2012-2018.

Cynthia received her B.A. from New York University where she was a dean’s list student, with a double major in Judaic Studies and Journalism. She graduated with honors from the Hebrew University, receiving an M.A. in Communications and Journalism. Cynthia also holds a certificate in Advanced Modern Marketing from the Department for Executive Education in Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Management. An American born Israeli who moved to Israel in the late 1980’s, Cynthia lives in Kibbutz Revadim.

Researcher at the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research and economics lecturer at Tel-Aviv University and Sapir College. Sagit holds a Ph.D. in public policy from Tel-Aviv University and completed her post-doctoral fellowship at UCLA. She held research positions with Professors Dan Ben-David and Ayal Kimhi, first at the Taub Center, and then moving with them to establish Shoresh. Sagit has served as vice president of strategy and external relations as well as senior researcher at the Institute for Structural Reforms. She is a recipient of the Tel-Aviv University Chancellor's Award for excellence in teaching.

Researcher at the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research and lecturer at Ben-Gurion University and Sapir Academic College. Yael has worked as a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute and at Pareto Group. She holds a PhD in economics from Ben-Gurion University, receiving several scholarships and awards for academic excellence. Yael's research focuses on employment in the high-tech industries; comparison of Israel with developed countries within the context of the United Nations' sustainable development indicators; Covid’s impact on Israel’s economy and society; and the relationship between entrepreneurship, innovation and human capital.

Researcher at the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research and a PhD candidate in the Department of Environmental Economics and Management at the Hebrew University. Yael holds a bachelor's degree in economics, a bachelor's degree in philosophy and life sciences, an MBA from Tel-Aviv University, and a master's degree in environmental economics from the Hebrew University. After years of work in the capital market, Yael returned to academia and research. At Shoresh, she works on housing prices, Arab women’s engagement in the labor market, and intergenerational mobility.

Researcher at the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research. Yoav holds a masters degree from the Berglas School of Economics at Tel-Aviv University in a joint economics program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research in Shoresh focuses on the comparison of higher education and labor market outcomes among different demographic groups, and on consumption inequality. In the past, he was part of a “social movement” team and extensively involved in youth and children’s education.

Researcher at the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research. Tomer holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics from the Technion, and a master’s degree in economics from Ben-Gurion University, graduating with honors in both. He previously served as a senior analyst in the Prime Minister's Office, where he was part of an interdisciplinary think tank focused on developing and implementing innovative methodologies for national intelligence. At Shoresh, Tomer’s research focuses on the employment and income of the older population and the quality of human capital in the public sector.

Researcher at the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research. Ariela holds a masters degree from the Berglas School of Economics at Tel-Aviv University in a joint economics program with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a bachelor's degree in economics from Tel-Aviv University, and summa cum laude honors in a multidisciplinary bachelor's degree program in Social Sciences from Bar-Ilan University. Ariela’s thesis and studies at the Shoresh Institution focus on the economics of education.

Deborah Berman is Marketing and Communications Director at the Shoresh Institution. She leads the marketing team in crafting campaigns that amplify the institution’s mission, expand its reach, and foster deeper community engagement. Deborah studied communications and political science at Queens College. A former journalist and high-tech marketing writer, Deborah brings over 20 years of experience in strategic marketing and digital storytelling. She led global campaigns at Yad Vashem, engaging audiences across digital, video, and print platforms, and shaped content strategies at the Arison Family Foundation.

Gili Levinson is a digital marketing content and design specialist at the Shoresh Institution. Her role is to strengthen Shoresh’s digital presence and support its mission through strategic content and design. Gili holds a BFA in Film Studies from Tel-Aviv University. She has over a decade of professional experience in digital marketing, creative production, and content design for businesses and non-profit organizations. In these capacities, Gili has leveraged digital tools and analytics to enhance brand visibility and ROI while creating content, developing brand strategy, and driving SEO initiatives.

Mina joined Shoresh soon after its establishment as its administrative manager. Today, she is responsible for preparation of the annual reports to the Government Registrar, including supervision and coordination with accounting in the preparation of the financial report. Mina has a BA in economics, an MBA (specialization in finance), an MA in public policy (graduating summa cum laude) and a PhD in labor studies – all from Tel-Aviv University. She was an internal auditor at Bank Leumi, a researcher in the Bank's economic research department, and a financial analyst and an auditor at Bank Leumi in Chicago. Mina has taught economics, finance and statistics at universities in Israel and the United States.

Rachel Zaken is responsible for human resources and finance at the Shoresh Institution for Socioeconomic Research. Rachel holds a master's degree with honors in public policy from Tel-Aviv University and a master's degree in environmental economics and management from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She worked as a statistician and economist at the Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics, at the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure and as a researcher at Shoresh.