Social Entrepreneur Yafa Tabaja Joins Gadi Eizenkot’s Yashar Party

Yafa Tabaja, a 35-year-old social entrepreneur and activist, has joined the political party Yashar, led by retired IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eizenkot. Tabaja, founder of the MTech Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center in Ashkelon, has been active in promoting social and geographic periphery development and integrating diverse populations into the high-tech industry and academia. She is expected to lead the party’s initiatives on growth engines in southern and northern Israel, expanding access to higher education, mental health, and excellence among Ethiopian Israelis.

Born and raised in Karmiel to a family of Ethiopian immigrants who arrived during Operation Moses in 1984, Tabaja holds a master’s degree in communication and a bachelor’s in criminology and governance. She began her public career in 2017 as chair of the student union at Ashkelon Academic College and as a representative in the national student union, advocating for first-generation students. Later, she established and managed MTech, connecting international tech companies with southern entrepreneurs and leading national programs to integrate people with disabilities and seniors into advanced employment, earning recognition as one of Globes magazine’s 40 promising young leaders.

Eizenkot praised Tabaja’s leadership, saying she brings vision and proven experience linking periphery, technology, and social leadership. He described her as a unifying voice representing Israel’s future public leadership. Tabaja stated her motivation to enter politics stems from Israel’s significant social and economic challenges and the need for leadership that creates real opportunities for the periphery. She views Eizenkot as a unifying, national leader with a deep commitment to providing vision and hope for all Israelis.

Tabaja’s joining follows a wave of prominent figures who recently joined Yashar, including former Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, former ministers Matan Kahana and Orit Farkash-Hacohen, senior economist Shaul Meridor, retired Major General Kamil Abu Rokon, and former CEO of Achrai Inbar Harush Giti.