Meet the Team
Joseph Shulam
Founder
Joseph Shulam was born in Sofia, Bulgaria on March 24, 1946 to a Sephardic Jewish Family. In 1948 his family immigrated to Israel just before the establishment of the State. While in high school he was introduced to the New Testament and immediately identified with the person of Yeshua. In 1981 Joseph and the small fellowship that was started in his house established one of the first official non-profit organizations of Jewish Disciples of Yeshua in Israel – Netivyah Bible Instruction Ministry. Joseph has lectured extensively and has assisted in encouraging disciples around the world. He and his wife Marcia have two children and two grandchildren.
Yehuda Bachana
Director
Yehuda was born in Jerusalem in 1979, into a believing family and was born into the community of Netivyah. He served in the army as a sniper in the paratroopers, and after his release and some odd jobs, he began working in Netivyah as a youth counselor and overseer for the soup kitchen / food distribution project. He currently serves as deputy director of Netivyah and one of the elders of the “Ro'eh Israel” congregation. He is married to Lydia, and they have three children.
Daniel Stern
Office Manager
Daniel was born in Israel in 1981 to parents who were founders in the Messianic movement. His military service was with the Israel Police. After his military service, he studied political science and sociology at the Hebrew University. He has four amazing children.
Nir Miller
Media Director
Nir serves as our Media and Communications Manager. He grew up in the Jordan Valley of Israel and served in an elite combat unit in the IDF. After his release from the army, he pursued a degree in business administration with a focus in marketing and advertising, married Naomi, and they now have one child. Nir loves to learn new things, cook, play the guitar, and travel to places he's never been.
Moshe DaCosta
Project Coordinator
Moshe is a servant, a husband, a father, and a member of Roeh Israel congregation. Has a professional background in Advertising, Marketing, and Business consulting but always felt the calling to the Ministry. As a Messianic Jew, he found that his unusual talents and interests and a special love for Jewish tradition were his particular way of following and serving the Messiah Yeshua. A self-taught Hazan, trained Sofer STaM and certified Mohel, Moshe has been serving Israeli Messianics for several years since their Aliyah. He joined Netivyah´s team with one dream in mind: to build a bridge of communication and mutual support between observant and non-observant believers in Israel.
Nancy Hook
Content Writer and Editor
Nancy was born and raised in Los Angeles in a secular Jewish home. She met her husband, Don, and married in 1970. They have a daughter,three sons and 11 grandchildren. She came to faith in Yeshua in 1973 when her children were grown, and made Aliyah in 2004. She lives in a beautiful home in Har Gilo and has worked for Netivyah since 2005. She says, “I am so blessed and grateful to be a part of the fulfillment of prophecy, and the Netivyah community and all that God is using us to do here in our beloved Israel.”
Lydia Bachana
Content Writer and Editor
Lydia (1984) was born to founders in the Messianic movement. Lydia has a Literature & Linguistics degree at the Hebrew University and is active in editing, content writing, translation and more. She serves at Roeh Israel as the children coordinator and translator for over 19 years and serves where needed. She is married to Yehuda, and they have three children.
Sophia Mengistu
Assistant Accountant
Sophia comes from an Ethiopian Jewish family of four children from Gondar, Ethiopia. One year after Operation Solomon (when most Ethiopian Jews came to Israel), her father decided to make Aliyah with her family in 1992. In July 2017 she moved to live in Jerusalem.She works as the in-house accountant for Netivyah.
Jai Narsai-Rubens
Jai was born in Durban, South Africa in 1949, and worked as a secretary from a young age on, learning everything on the job. After her accounting studies, she started her own accounting company. Jai retired to get married and immigrated to Israel in 2006. She has been a vital part of Netivyah since 2009, serving weekly at Hamotzi and hosting her own monthly food group at the Roeh Israel congregation. She is a tremendous blessing through her cooking for the Biblical feasts, and also blesses everyone around her with her cakes for special occasions.