IsraelCast Episode 94

Some countries protect its borders through tanks or checkpoints, but is it possible to do it through activism? By volunteering in local communities, participants at Kedma Student Villages are doing just that. Tune in as Tirael Cohen, Kedma’s founder and CEO, joins host Steven Shalowitz on this week’s episode of IsraelCast to discuss how the young generation of Israel has found meaning and belonging through volunteering on Israel’s borders.

Tirael Cohen is the Founder and CEO of Kedma, an Israeli non-profit empowering Israel's frontier communities. Tirael founded Kedma when she was only 19 years old, during her time as a member of Israel's National Service. As a daughter to a family of French Jews who made Aliyah in the 1980s, Tirael continues her family's connection with Zionist ideals by deepening and strengthening the bond between Israelis and the most strategic locations along Israel's borderlands. Tirael has a MA in the Public Policy Honor's Program of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She also has a BA in the Arts and Humanities Honor's Program from Tel Aviv University. In addition, Tirael has a Diploma in Journalism from Tel Aviv University and a Diploma in Statesmanship, Identity and Leadership from the Jerusalem Jewish Statesmanship Center. Tirael is married to Idan Triki. They have one son, Aniam, born this January. They live together in Mechora, one of Kedma's newest partner communities.