Staff
Jacob Sztokman
Founding Director
Jacob Sztokman is a hi-tech executive turned social-entrepreneur with a Masters degree in Community Development from Hebrew University. He 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 Modi’in, Israel with their four children.
Kenneth Dsouza
Director, India
Kenneth Dsouza worked as Program Development Officer and Project Director for REAP, working on Literacy, Women’s Empowerment, Training and Residential Learning, serving over 8000 beneficiaries within the city of Mumbai and the neighboring district of Thane. Kenneth has a background in business and in music, and previously ran his family’s business and worked as a musician, composer and conductor in Mumbai.
Thaiza Diaz
Programs Development
Coordinator
Thaiza is a Professional in the Social Development sector with two years’ of experience as Project Officer for a London based funding agency that involved monitoring and evaluation of projects in the areas of education, health, women empowerment and infrastructure in India. Thaiza is also worked for the Mumbai based Fair Trade Organization, which works in the area of women’s empowerment through livelihood generation.
Natalie Silverlieb
Operations Manager
Natalie has nearly a decade of experience in the humanitarian-
development nexus. She has worked in five continents developing and managing community based projects in WASH, education, MHPSS, and disaster response - with NGOs, government
ministries, and institutional partners such as the World Bank and World Health Organization. Natalie graduated Magna Cum Laude from the Hebrew University with a MA in International
Development from the Glocal program.
Tejas Dattatray Pawar
Kalwa Field Coordinator
Tejas, is from Mumbai, he graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Social work. Social work is his passion and he strives to work for those who need extra support, and GPM provides him with the opportunity to do this. Tejas loves working with the community and the hundreds of visitors who come each year to participate and engage in GPM's work.
Anil Jadhav
Rural Development Coordinator
Born and bred in the village of Ashte, Anil is the coordinator of all development programs run by GPM in the cluster of villages in the Dahanu district of Palghar. Anil coordinates all visitor groups to the area, is a great English teacher and a fantastic cricket player.
Lara Bloch
Donor Relations Officer
Originally from London, Lara worked in varied marketing and project coordinator roles in both the commercial and not-for-profit sectors before going on to complete her MA in International Development (Glocal) at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with a special focus on gender and development. With a passion for engaging in social action both at home and further afield, Lara has taken part in volunteer experiences in India and Ghana, as well as interning with a social enterprise in Rwanda for four months.
Vismita Rao
Human Resources and Organizational Governance
Vismita is a Commerce Graduate and has 7 years of experience as a Customer Service Executive with extensive experience in the Inbound & outbound processes. At Gabriel Project she looks after the Human Resources of the organization to manage, supervise policies/regulations, which are mandatory for every employee.
Nutan Jadhav
Assistant Programs Administrator
Meiron Avidan
Development and Volunteer Intern from JDC Entwine-Pears
Meiron graduated last summer from the University of Southampton with a BSc in Sociology and Social Policy. She loved her studies; they were challenging in all the right ways and helped her to realize that she wanted to work in the nonprofit sector. When deciding what to do after graduating Meiron knew that she wanted to leave the UK for meaningful work rather than travel.
Katya Rouzina
Social Media Engagement Consultant
Katya is a linguist and community leader. In 2008-2009, she co-founded and served as outreach coordinator for the English for Sudanese Refugees program in Jerusalem. She has her Master’s in Slavic Linguistics and taught Russian for 5 years at Ohio State in Columbus, where she worked with Holocaust survivors through project ARIEL. In 2019-2020, she served the Kharkiv community on the ground as the Roslyn Z. Wolf Jewish Service Corps Fellow. In her free time, she enjoys singing, travel, art, wine, and science fiction.
Julia Keizler
Social Media Intern
Julia is from Providence, Rhode Island and is currently pursuing her B.A in Government and Public Diplomacy at The Interdisciplinary Center of Herzliya in Israel. She found her passion for development and community outreach during her trip to India with GPM in February 2019. Julia hopes to pursue a career in preserving and enriching Jewish communities around the world while focusing on female empowerment and education. She has worked and volunteered for other Non-Profits such as BBYO, JCCA, and This is My Earth (TiME). She intends to help spread Gabriel Project Mumbai’s mission through social media by raising awareness of their work and highlighting their successes.
Tamar Arenson
Development Intern
Tamar has spent the last seven years advocating for anti-trafficking legislation and studying global development impacts on human trafficking prevalence. Tamar has worked in both Malawi and Rwanda doing educational development programs, particularly for women and girls and worked with NGOs such as the One Campaign on eradicating extreme poverty and preventable disease. Tamar graduated from Tulane University with her BA in Political Science and International Relations and is currently getting her MA in International Development at Hebrew University's Glocal program.
Katya Rouzina
Social Media Engagement Consultant
Katya is a linguist and community leader. In 2008-2009, she co-founded and served as outreach coordinator for the English for Sudanese Refugees program in Jerusalem. She has her Master’s in Slavic Linguistics and taught Russian for 5 years at Ohio State in Columbus, where she worked with Holocaust survivors through project ARIEL. In 2019-2020, she served the Kharkiv community on the ground as the Roslyn Z. Wolf Jewish Service Corps Fellow. In her free time, she enjoys singing, travel, art, wine, and science fiction.
Jacqueline Faerstain
Programs Intern
Jackie is a Psychology major with the goal of becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist and is currently studying in Los Angeles, California. She is enthusiastic about educating others on women’s issues and is part of the Period Movement, a global, non-profit that strives to end the stigma around periods and end period poverty. Through her volunteer experience with GPM in 2020 she grew a passion for sustainability and community development. Jackie is excited to work with the Women’s Empowerment Initiatives through the COVID-19 pandemic.