Under the Radar is a recurring feature where we talk to and learn about Mitzvah heroes, those amazing people who are changing the world, doing their part in Tikkun Olam and making the world a better place to be.
The Good Neighbor: Moran Shelly CEO of Shachen Tov
Written by Arnie Draiman
Moran Shelly is not your typical CEO. She is in her mid-30s, very modest, and her position as CEO is unpaid.
She was born in Mitzpe Ramon, in southern Israel. It is a small town of about 5,000 residents, and best known for its proximity to the Ramon Crater, a major tourist attraction. Her mother was a teacher and her father was in the army, keeping a Jewishly observant home. In high school, Moran went to a regional boarding school run by Bnei Akiva in Arad, also in the south.
In her senior year of high school, her father retired and the family moved to Ashkelon, while Moran finished her studies in Arad, and then joined the National Service program for two years. (National Service – Sherut Leumi – is the volunteer program run in parallel to the obligatory IDF service for those who still want to contribute to the country but not serve in the army).
Moran’s first year of National Service was working in an organization that does teacher training, and her second year was in Gush Katif (the former area of Israeli towns in the southern Gaza Strip evacuated in 2005) working in an elementary school and assisting with the local Bnei Akiva youth movement chapter. She was there the year prior to the evacuation, and though the community was celebrating its 20th anniversary, the residents were also beginning to see the signs that they would have to leave. It was a very emotional and tumultuous time in Israel and for Moran in particular.
After her National Service, Moran enrolled in her BA program, studying Economics and Business
Administration. Throughout her time at university, she volunteered with various organizations, including working with kids with Cystic Fibrosis. She was chosen to be on shlichut (an emissary) for Bnei Akiva and spent a year in Atlanta, GA working in the community there. Upon her return, Moran started her career, working in Intel while she was simultaneously volunteering with Ethiopian kids in Ashkelon. After a short while at Intel, she says that she “didn’t find herself” there, and was looking for something more meaningful.
Then the proverbial light bulb lit up for her. She hadn’t really understood that there was an entire sector for non-profits and that one could have a career there. She heard about a Master’s degree program in Non-Profit Management, enrolled, and switched from Intel to a non-profit in Ashkelon.
When asked what kept drawing her to volunteer and to even work in this field, Moran says that when she was growing up in Mitzpe Ramon, she was very active in the youth movement there, doing a lot of community service work, and that this just became a part of her. She continues, “I kept looking for opportunities to bring this part of me back to life.”
In her late 20s, and now in Jerusalem, she heard that Shachen Tov – the Good Neighbor Association – was looking for a volunteer CFO (Chief Financial Officer). She applied and was given the position, and thus began her “side job.” Shachen Tov primarily provides food to people
in need, feeding approximately 700 families weekly (and up to 2000 during holiday times) in nine cities throughout Israel. It is an all-volunteer run organization and has been since its inception in 1999, when it began helping just one family. It also runs mobile coffee hours for shut-ins, after school tutoring for kids in need, club rooms for teens at risk, and more.
The general policy of Shachen Tov is that families – who come to them via municipal social services – do not stay on their lists for long – they work to encourage families to get over the hump and find work and be able to provide for themselves. They use various incentives and ways to encourage them, and often bring the families in as volunteers themselves. There are currently over 700 volunteers in the organization, some of whom have been there for many years, and are responsible for running the local centers and projects.
Though Moran was the CFO, she also was sure to get out to the street and help package and deliver food, never being satisfied just sitting back and watching. About two years ago, Moran was asked to take over as CEO of Shachen Tov and she gladly accepted, feeling that she was ready to do more. Moran says that “Shachen Tov gives me a lot of motivation,” and in speaking with her you feel the energy and passion she has for her (volunteer) work.
If you are in Israel and want to volunteer (even for just one Friday morning delivery) be in touch via the website.
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