EDI Staff

Sherwin Pomerantz, President

Ben Dansker, Vice President 

Seth J. Vogelman, Associate Director  

Rebecca Raab, Business Events Coordinator

Binyamin Tjong-Alvares, Project Manager 

Michael Platt, Business Development 

Jonathan Sternberg, Trade Specialist

Haneen Matar, Trade Specialist

Berat Pehlivanoglu, Istanbul Office Director

Tully Friedgut, Agricultural Consultant

Sherwin Pomerantz, President, immigrated to Israel in 1984 from Chicago, where he was president of Controls for Industry, Inc. Prior to founding Atid E.D.I., he served as vice president of Luz Industries Israel Ltd., where he had senior management responsibility for operations, policy development, public relations, administration and international relations. Sherwin currently serves as Chair of the American State Offices Association (ASOA) of Israel. He is a member of the Management Committee of the Israel-America Chamber of Commerce and the Israel Life Sciences Industry association.  He also serves as a member of the Board of the Committee for the Economic Growth of Israel. Born in New York, Sherwin earned a B.S. from New York University, an M.S. from the University of Illinois and an MBA from Northwestern University. Sherwin is fluent in English and Hebrew.

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Ben Dansker, Vice President, was born in Boston and worked in urban and strategic planning for U.S. health care and information systems sectors. After immigrating to Israel in 1984, he worked in business planning and financial analysis for a solar energy company. Ben's expertise includes project planning, strategic planning, economic analysis, organizational development, business plan preparation and business writing. He has extensive experience in all facets of managing small to mid-size organizations. Ben received a B.A. from Emory University and an M.A. in urban planning from Harvard University. Ben is fluent in English and Hebrew.

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Seth J. Vogelman, Associate Director, coordinates local office activities for the states of Pennsylvania, Oklahoma and New Mexico. He was instrumental in creating a national and regional marketing system for the promotion of American exports in Israel, Turkey, Jordan, Persian Gulf and the Palestinian Authority. A native of New York, Seth holds a B.A. from Montreal's McGill University. Seth is fluent in English, Hebrew, German & French, and has an excellent working knowledge of Arabic.

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Rebecca Raab, Business Events Coordinator, is responsible for organizing seminars and events, in addition to her Office Administration responsibilities. She is also the Director of Alumni Relations for the Merage Foundation for US-Israel Trade.A graduate of Touro College, N.Y., Rebecca moved to Israel from Florida in 1997. Rebecca is fluent in English and Hebrew.

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 Binyamin Tjong-Alvares, Project Manager, manages public relations and marketing communications for Israeli industries and recommends options for international trade promotion for private clients. Prior to Atid EDI, Binyamin worked as an International Business Consultant and Writer focusing on several industries, including, telecommunications, energy, educational software, financial services, diamonds, and contemporary trendy fashion. A Suriname native, Binyamin lived in the Netherlands and the United States for extensive periods and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese and Hebrew. He also has a good working knowledge of French and German. Binyamin got his MA in International Economics and International Relations from the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and his BA in International Politics & Economics and Chinese from Middlebury College. 

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 Michael Platt, Business Development, is responsible for trade, market and business analysis.  In this capacity, his primary tasks include targeting potential trade leads, writing feasibility studies, conducting market research and assessment, arranging strategic business meetings and facilitating communication between companies.  He also handles the firm's IT needs, including managing the internal database and website.  Michael holds a B.A. from Brandeis University with a major in political science and minors in Computer Science and Near Eastern & Judaic Studies.  In addition, he will soon complete the M.B.A. program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, focusing on Marketing and Urban Studies. He is particularly interested in advancing public policy and management.  Before joining EDI, Michael served the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) as a program analyst, policy consultant, and IT assistant.  Michael is fluent in English and Hebrew and has a working knowledge of Spanish.

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 Jonathan Sternberg, Trade Specialist, assists in the development of opportunities for EDI’s client states, as well as a myriad of special projects. His primary responsibilities include cultivating trade leads, organizing trade missions, developing export interests, as well as market research and communication facilitation. Jonathan is completing his BA at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, majoring in International Relations and Business Management, with a minor in Asian studies. Jonathan is also a recognized culinary and wine critic with over 80 articles published both in Israel and abroad. Before joining EDI, Jonathan spent a year traveling throughout South East Asia and India. Jonathan is fluent in English and Hebrew. 

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 Haneen Matar, Trade Specialist, works with our U.S Clients, focusing on Arabic speaking countries.  Haneen has recently completed her B.A. with honors in Business Management & Communications.  She is now working on her M.A. in Marketing and Finance at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  Once this is done, Haneen wishes to complete a doctorate in Marketing.  She is also a community volunteer coordinator with disadvantaged youth.  An avid reader, she also enjoys swimming and music.  Haneen is fluent in Arabic, Hebrew and English.

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 Berat Pehlivanoglu, Istanbul Office Director, principal of Pehlivanoglu Financial Services Ltd. of Istanbul. The former business development officer of a US investment bank in Istanbul and managing partner of Arend Industrial Consultants, Berat specializes in financial advisory services, mergers and acquisitions, corporate finance, project management and sales channel management. He holds degrees from Bogazici University (Roberts College), Istanbul, Turkey.    

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 Tully Friedgut, Agricultural Consultant, spent 15 years as the Senior Agricultural Specialist in the Office of Agricultural Affairs of the Foreign Agricultural Service at the US Embassy in Tel Aviv. He has over 30 years of experience in agricultural economics, foreign trade and trade policy as agricultural economist and foreign marketing specialist. He has vast experience in trade policy analysis, market development, international trade statistics management, agricultural sector development and planning, and project feasibility studies. His overseas experience in East, West and Southern Africa, the Far East and Central America makes him a valuable asset to the EDI team. A native of Canada, Tully holds a Doctorate in Economics from the University of Manitoba and a B.A. and Masters Degree in Agricultural Economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.