At its annual commencement ceremony this past June 30, 2026, Zefat Academic College (ZAC) conferred the title of honorary fellow on two individuals in recognition of their longstanding contribution to advancing higher education in Israel, strengthening the Galilee, and supporting ZAC: Eyal Ostrinsky, chairman of Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael–Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF), and Zvi Noé, chairman of the United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA).
Ostrinsky, the youngest chairman to lead his organization, previously served as the director of Israel-Diaspora relations for the World Zionist Organization and as a senior advisor to the former minister of Economy and Industry. In his current role, he has pledged to focus on rebuilding conflict-affected border regions in Israel’s South and the Galilee.
Noé is a founder and principal of the real estate firm the Noé Group and a founding partner at Capreon. A passionate Zionist and Israel philanthropist, Noé began his tenure of the UJIA after October 7, 2023, leading efforts to increase the organization’s annual emergency and community giving significantly.
In the context of their support for ZAC, both KKL-JNF and UJIA have helped advance academic projects, support students through scholarships, and deepen ties between the college and the Galilee’s communities.
“I salute our longstanding partnership with KKL-JNF and UJIA, which rests on a shared commitment to academic excellence and to the future of the Galilee,” said ZAC President Prof. Yechezkel Taler at the ceremony, attended by more than 400 graduates and their families. Graduates received degrees in the health sciences, social work, law, and the humanities. “This is a partnership of values, grounded in a shared belief in the power of higher education to bring about real change.
“ZAC cannot do this alone,” he continued, “and our friends and partners in Israel and around the world are an inseparable part of this work. By training hundreds of graduates every year, we are able to strengthen the social, health, and economic resilience of the North, and for that we wish to express our deepest appreciation.”
