Naftali Aklum

Naftali Aklum serves as CEO of Yerus, an educational workshop and touring company focusing on the unique narrative and cultural gifts of the Ethiopian community of Israel. Naftali was born in Ethiopia in 1979, the youngest of 12 siblings, and reached Israel with his family in 1980, when he was just an infant. His family settled in Be’er Sheva, where Naftali was raised to see the diversity of Israel as a source of strength and pride. After completing his army service as a firefighter, he went on to study politics, government, history, and Middle Eastern studies at the Ben Gurion University of the Negev. He is a committed volunteer, helping children at risk in Be’er Sheva through the city’s Council for the Well Being of the Child, and is a mentor to Ethiopian-Israeli academics, helping them in their job placement efforts.