The Jerusalem Center for Children with Visual Impairments and Multiple Disabilities

Ornit Stein is the principal of Keren Or, a position she has held since 2019.  Prior to her promotion to principal, Ornit was the Assistant Principal at Keren Or for 3 years.  Throughout her tenure, Ornit has demonstrated a unique talent for managing staff and a profound understanding of our population.  

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Ornit has a B.Ed. in special education, with a focus on complex disabilities, from David Yellin College, and a Masters Degree in educational counseling.  She has worked in a range of special educational settings, including Aleh, the Rehabilitative Kindergarten in Jerusalem, and the Ma’ayan School, among others. 

 

Ornit combines this wealth of experience with immense patience and creativity, and an uncompromising level of professionalism to ensure that every Keren Or student receives the individualized care that (s)he requires.

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Yifat Bar-Yuda is the inaugural Director of Volunteer Services at Keren Or, a position that she has held since its creation in 2017. Yifat holds a BA and a Master’s Degree in educational administration from the Hebrew University, and has extensive experience teaching and managing a wide range of educational projects.

 

Under Yifat’s capable leadership, Keren Or’s volunteer department has blossomed.  In addition to one-time volunteers and special projects, Yifat welcomes 70 weekly volunteers who spend 2-3 meaningful hours with our students on an ongoing basis. 

 

Yifat recruits the volunteers, coordinates their training, and ensures that the experience is successful and enjoyable for both the students and the volunteers.

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Nava Gelkopf is the Director of Rehabilitation Services at Keren Or.  Nava is a neurodevelopmental physical therapist, a licensed accessibility specialist, and an expert in vision and mobility assessments for children with CVI. 

 

Nava has more than 25 years of experience caring for children with complex disabilities, coordinating services, and training staff in various rehabilitative and developmental frameworks.  She delivers workshops and lectures widely in Israel on developmental issues, preventative interventions and evaluation, and she has presented at conferences in Israel, Europe and the United States.

Nava is a graduate of Tel Aviv University, and has a Masters of Physical Therapy with a specialization in neuropediatric therapy from University College London. 

Gili Gan-Or is the Director of our Afternoon Program.

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Gili has a Bachelor's Degree in Special education and is a certified

Hydrotherapy instructor. Before his degree he worked in group tours and national tourism through Keren Kayemet L'Yisrael.

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Gili feels very lucky to be working in Keren Or and feel the endless reward of working with our unique population.

Ariella Berg is a licensed clinical social worker and an integral part of the supportive therapeutic team at Keren Or.  Ariella is passionate about supporting our students and their families, and enjoys connecting with the families and staff around each student’s unique needs.

 

Ariella has extensive experience working with families in crisis.  During her military service, she worked as a casualty officer, accompanying bereaved families as well as soldiers who were disabled during their service, and their families.  

A graduate of Ariel University’s social work program, Ariella has worked with patients and families at Ichilov Hospital, in the Ministry of Welfare’s youth services department with adolescents with mental health issues.

Eliana Buiumsohn holds a Bachelor's degree in Childhood Education for children with complex disabilities from David Yallin College and is currently finishing her Master's in Educational Counseling at the College for Management.

Eliana has been at Keren Or since 2013, starting as a classroom teacher for six years. In 2019, she established the vocational training program which gives our young adult students opportunities for productive and meaningful tasks and prepares them for future employment. 

Eliana has received extensive training from The Perkins School for the Blind, and in other frameworks, to deepen and expand her knowledge in the field of vision, blindness, and cortical visual impairments, and working with students who have visual impairments and multiple disabilities (MDVI).