• Deputy Director of pre-IDF Program

Debbie Perla

Michal Shochat is the Deputy Director of the Hannaton Educational Center’s pre-IDF Mechina program. She is an experienced educator in the field of informal education with a focus on education for sustainable development, and has worked extensively with special needs populations. Michal grew up in the Masorti/Conservative movement in Israel, attended a TALI school, and was an active member of NOAM, the Conservative youth movement of Israel. Following high school, Michal joined the NOAM Garin Nahal, an infantry brigade in the IDF. After the army, she became a certified tour guide and received her bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She then held a number of positions including the Scholarship Program Director for Israeli and North American students at Shatil, as an educator at the Society for the Protection of Nature, and in various roles supporting the development and empowerment of people with special needs. She has lived on Kibbutz Hannaton since 2016 with her husband and two children.