Jacob 

Sztokman

Founding Director 

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Jacob is a hi-tech executive turned social-entrepreneur. On a visit to Mumbai in 2011, Jacob toured the city’s slums and was deeply moved to work on the issues of poverty and illiteracy among the children of India. Troubled by what he saw and motivated to help make a difference, Jacob consulted with grassroots Indian NGOs and together developed a model for combining long-term and short-term solutions by creating development programs in education, nutrition, hygiene and health care. This  formed the basis of the GPM program, which began operation in June 2012. Jacob was born in Melbourne Australia and immigrated to Israel in 1993.  Jacob’s professional life has been in the world of Sales and Marketing, and has worked for companies including SafeNet, IDT, and DSS. In 1998, after several years volunteering with food distribution to impoverished families in Jerusalem, he helped establish Shachen Tov, a volunteer organization that has since grown to provide food and empowering over 1000 families in over 15 cities around Israel.  Jacob has a MA in International Development  at Hebrew University, Jerusalem and a MSc in Non Profit Management at Gratz College, Philadelphia. Jacob brings to Gabriel Project Mumbai a unique combination of management experience and deep commitment to social justice. He is driven by the fundamental belief that we must take responsibility to help alleviate human suffering around the world. He and his wife, Elana Maryles Sztokman, live in Israel with their four children and twin grand-daughters. 

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