JFN Speaker, Naftali Aklum

Naftali Aklum is the CEO of Yerus, an educational workshop and touring company that highlights the cultural heritage and narrative of Israel’s Ethiopian Jewish community.

Born in Ethiopia in 1979, he immigrated to Israel as an infant in 1980 with his family. He grew up in Be’er Sheva with a strong appreciation for Israel’s cultural diversity. After serving in the IDF as a firefighter, he studied politics, government, history, and Middle Eastern studies at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.