To be a graduate of Boys Town Jerusalem is to be part of a diverse community that has been growing in Israel for more than 67 years. More than 7,000 alumni have remained in Israel following their IDF service and their post-secondary education and have taken up key positions in a wide variety of fields. Some have taken up positions in major cities around the world, mainly contributing to the medical and high tech domains.
Boys Town Jerusalem alumni use their talent to make a meaningful difference. They are leaders in their communities; advocates for social justice; rabbis and teachers in a variety of schools. They are business executives, engineers, Jewish educators, and high tech-entrepreneurs. They are public servants, physicians, attorneys, scientists, authors, and artists. One is a producer of Israeli films.
So let us introduce you to a few of our alumni!
Dr. Moshe Suissa – Graduate of the College of Applied Engineering, Faculty of Electronics, 1978. In the IDF, Moshe served as a medical officer. Today, Dr. Suissa is a senior cardiologist at the Heart Institute, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovoth, and is affiliated with the Department of Medicine of the Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikvah. He received his medical degrees from Ben Gurion University and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and carried out research at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles. Dr. Suissa has published extensively on his cardiac research in international medical journals. He is married with six children and resides in Nof Ayalon.
Judge Baruch Azoulai – A graduate of the Boys Town Academic program in 1963, Judge Azoulai today is a distinguished judge. Born in Morocco, Azoulai was living in a makeshift immigrant camp in Beershava in 1959, with his parents and 11 siblings, when a Boys Town Jerusalem rabbi selected him to enroll at the school. He went on to become a high ranking officer in the IDF. Following his university studies, he held several positions in the Israeli court system, capped by his current post as deputy president of Israel’s Southern District Court. Azoulai is married with two children and grandchildren and lives in Beersheva.
Raphael Ouzan – Graduate of the Comprehensive Interdisciplinary Technology (CIT) track in 2008, 15-year old Raphael left his family in France to come to live and study at Boys Town Jerusalem. He learned Hebrew and took a keen interest in computer studies, under the tutelage of BTJ instructor, Shmuel Uziel. In 2005, Raphael won first prize in the Intel-Israel’s Young Scientist Competition for his Boys Town Jerusalem- built computer-based video surveillance system. He went on to represent Israel in the 2006 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Indianapolis, placing second in the world. Following graduation, Raphael became a decorated officer in the Israeli Army’s elite military programming and intelligence unit, earning him the President’s Award for Outstanding Achievement. To give back to the community, Raphael founded “Mission Intelligence” which brings talented students from around the world to an elite ‘boot camp’ in Israel, offering a top technology training program. In 2012, Raphael co-founded “BillGuard”, one of Israel’s top big-data start-ups as its CTO. He was recently invited to address world leaders at the World Economic Forum 2012 in Davos, all this before the age of 25.
Danny Abelson – 1984 graduate of the College of Applied Engineering, Faculty of Practical Mechanical Engineering, Danny served in the Air Force as a team leader servicing the Phantom jet. The young soldier initiated improvements to the equipment and training literature, meriting special citation by the Unit Commander. After earning his B.A., Danny began working as a safety engineer at Intel in 1989, where he continued to rise through the ranks. His 20+ years in the semiconductor industry, managing and supporting hi-tech equipment, enabled him to advance to a senior position. Today, Danny serves as a Safety Officer in Intel Fab 8, where he manages the safe operations of one of the largest semiconductors in the world.
Shlomo Saruk – 1976 graduate of BTJ’s Academic High School, majoring in computer sciences, Shlomo served in the paratroopers corps. Wounded during the first Lebanon War, he was hospitalized for a full year. In 1980, Shlomo returned to Boys Town as a tutor in computer studies. He advanced in all computer related fields and developed the BTJ nationally recognized computer department at the school, eventually becoming the coordinator of all computer studies at Boys Town. In 2000, Shlomo set a new milestone in Israel by ushering in the Cisco Networking Management Program, an intense two- year curriculum that enables students to train for the CISCO Certified Network Associate (CCNA) degree where they prepare for a career in building and maintaining sophisticated computer networks. It was a first for Boys Town and a first for Israel.
In 2011, Shlomo was instrumental in bringing the “Open Source Computer Operating System” (The Oracle Corporation’s “Open Solaris”), a computer networking program offered first in Israel and ONLY at Boys Town Jerusalem. Shlomo is married and the father of three children.
Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai – A 1982 Boys Town Jerusalem graduate, Mordechai began living and studying at BTJ at the age of 15, where he acquired the “discipline, tools for analyzing problems and devotion to study”, that have accompanied him throughout his thirty years in the IDF. Today, the Chief Spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, he is directly subordinate to the Chief of General Staff. Mordechai previously served as a combat soldier, in the Intelligence Directorate and as the chief of civilian administration in Judea and Samaria. Married with a young family, Brig. Gen. Mordechai lives in Modi’in.
Shai Dreizen – Graduate of the College of Applied Engineering, Faculty of Mechanics in 1986, Shai served as a technical instructor in the Israel Air Force. He completed his B.A. at the Technion and joined Orbit Communications Systems, where he became a senior manager. In 2007, Dreizen assumed the role of general manager of the Ashkelon Desalination Plant, the largest of its kind in the world. Under his leadership, the plant produces over 120 million cubic meters of desalinated water per year. This constitutes over 16% of Israel’s domestic consumer demand, at one of the world’s lowest prices for desalinated water. Shai, his wife and four children live in Petach Tikva.
Avraham Novogrocki – Graduate of the College of Applied Engineering, Faculty of Electronics in 1976 and the High School of Electronics in 1974, Avraham served in the Air Force and earned his B.A. in Economics and M.A. in Business Administration from Bar Ilan University. He became an executive at Scitex Corporation, where he began working in electronics. In 1998, he joined Africa-Israel Industries Limited advancing to the position of CEO. In July 2012, Novogrocki was appointed CEO of Africa Israel Investments Ltd., a company which trades on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. He also serves as chair of the economic committee of the Manufacturer’s Association of Israel. Novogrocki lives in Petach Tikvah with his wife, children and grandchildren.