Tuesday, January 23 at 7:00 PM
(in-person at GJC and on Zoom)
Sigal Kanotopsky has covered an unusual and impressive distance in both her personal and professional journeys. Born in a small village in Ethiopia’s rural north, she made aliya at the age of five, having walked for weeks to meet the flight that took her to Israel. Today, Sigal is Northeast Regional Director for The Jewish Agency for Israel. Based in Philadelphia, she is responsible for building relationships between the programs and professionals. Sigal also oversees the Shlichim (Israeli emissaries) to the region. She has been recognized as a leader in social change, including receiving the Rappaport Prize for women leading breakthroughs, was selected as one of the 50 most socially influential leaders by the Yediot Aharonot newspaper in 2018, and was also featured in JPost’s 50 Most Influential Jews of 2022. She has a B.A. in International Relations from the Hebrew University and an M.A. in Dispute Resolution and Management from Tel Aviv University.
Sigal will speak about her personal and professional journey, including her current work with the Jewish Agency in Israel in the wake of the Oct 7th terrorist attacks.
Sigal Kanotopsky joined The Jewish Agency for Israel in 2021 as a Regional Director of the Northeast Region. Based in Philadelphia, Sigal is responsible for building lasting partnerships and cultivating meaningful relationships between professionals and programs of The Jewish Agency. Sigal also oversees the engagement of the Shlichim, Israeli emissaries, to the region.
Before joining The Jewish Agency, Sigal served as VP of Resource Development at MAOZ. The organization’s core mission is to foster a network of collaboration between Israel’s national and local governmental leaders with the education and healthcare sectors to effectively lead social change, and ultimately, strengthen Israel’ssocio-economic resilience. Before MAOZ, Sigal served as CEO of Olim Be’yachad, an NGO acting to change perceptions and eliminate racism within Israeli society through employment and media. With Sigal’s leadership, the organization received many awards and accolades. Sigal herself was recognized as a leader in social change –including receiving the Rappaport Prize for women leading breakthroughs, being selected as one of the 50 most socially influential leaders by the Yediot Aharonotnational newspaper for 2018, and being featured in JPost’s 50 Most Influential Jews of 2022.
Sigal has significant public speaking experience, especially in Israel and Jewish communities around the world. She holds an MA in Conflict Management from Tel-Aviv University, is certified as an arbitrator, and holds a BA in International Relations from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Sigal is a member of the International Women’s Forum (IWF), and a member of the Center for Ethiopian Jewry Heritage, and has experience in serving on the boards of several NGOs and foundations. Sigal is married to David and mother to Shachar, Harel, Maor, and Matan.
GJC extends thanks and gratitude to the Stern /Gafni Endowment for Israel Engagement for their generous support and to the Wolfe Family Foundation for their support in all GJC programming.
RSVP to attend IN-PERSON below:
Sorry. This form is no longer available.