About Us

It's not about us

Israeli Flying Aid (IFA) is a non-profit organization (NGO), that delivers life-saving aid and relief to communities affected by natural disaster and human conflict.

IFA’s missions are focused on countries that lack diplomatic relations with Israel and countries that deny entry of critically-needed foreign aid following natural disasters and human conflicts.

IFA transcends differences, prejudice, race, nationality, religion and creed.

Bursting the bubble of hypocrisy

IFA was established in 2005 in order to save the unseen victims of Article 7 of the Rome Statute and Chapter 7 of the UN Charter. Article 7 outlines the United Nations’ definition for crimes against humanity, genocide, war crimes, and acts of aggression, while Chapter 7 details “action with respect to threats to peace and acts of aggression”.

According to these statues:

Aid can only enter a sovereign country with the approval of the local regime
The United Nations is obliged to pass all aid to the hands of the government or the regime only and is forbidden from giving aid to any third parties (unless the regime has been condemned by the UN Human Rights / Security Council)
Prevention of aid and selective delivery of aid is not considered to be a crime

Local regimes prevent distribution of aid to victims born to the “wrong” side of the political map. In Syria, all aid was delivered directly to Assad’s regime and his proxies, who withheld aid from innocent civilians in opposition held and sieged areas.

In response to these hypocritical and unjust regulations, IFA separates the needs of victims from political affiliations and delivers life-saving aid where it is needed, not necessarily where it’s “legal” or “allowed” by international law.

Humanitarian impact leverage model

Our impact is not measured by visibility, but by lives preserved. IFA’s Humanitarian Impact Leverage Model transforms limited financial resources into life-saving outcomes by identifying the most critical gaps in real time and delivering targeted aid directly to the point of greatest human need. Through long-standing partnerships, we secure high-value in-kind donations – medical equipment, medications, food, essential supplies – enabling an exponential donation model where every dollar mobilizes multiples of its value in aid delivered. Operating with precision, speed, and minimal overhead, our missions create cascading impact – stabilizing communities, restoring critical services, and saving lives where access is most limited.

“Devote yourself to justice, aid the wronged, uphold the rights of the orphan, defend the cause of the widow.”

Isaiah 1:16-17

Board of Directors

Yaron Zinger

Chairman of the Board

Dr. Yaron Zinger is a Director at the Center for Water Sensitive Cities in Israel and a research fellow at the Hebrew University and Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Orly Boiko

Board Member

Orly has 25 years experience in banking information systems analysis and project management. She is a personal-business trainer, and currently heads human resources at Intego Real Estate Funds.

Shivi Froman

Board Member

Married with five children, resides in Tekoa. CEO of a real estate marketing company, a captain in reserves, holds a Bachelors in Special Education. An educator and adviser to the former Minister of Education.

Sara Vino Elad

Board Member

An actress and social activist. Performed on stage at the Habima National Theater, Cameri Theater, Beit Lessin, Tzavta and more, stars in the series Red Alert.

Linoy Wolberg

Head of Medical Unit & Board Member

Pediatric intensive care nurse, holds a Masters in Emergency and Disaster Medicine, was responsible for home ventilated patients in the Sharon district at Maccabi Healthcare Services and project manager at the medical division of of Maccabi Healthcare Services headquarters. Married and mother of three.

Israel (Izzy) Kaplan

Board Member

Retired from the Israeli Ministry of Finance after 35 years of service. Served as Head of Staff at the National Budget Department, responsible for the budget of the Ministry of Education, Head of Staff at the Ministry of Housing Land Administration Authority. He was also a Senior Director at the OECD focusing on Multilateral Developing Banks.

Team

Gal Lusky

Founder & Co-CEO

Gal founded Israeli Flying Aid (IFA) in 2005. IFA’s operations have been praised over the years by both Israeli and foreign leaders and diplomats, and Gal has been recognized for her strategic impact worldwide. In May 2015, Gal was honored with lighting a torch at Israel’s national Independence Day ceremony in Jerusalem. In May 2019, Gal received the Georgian “Order of Honor” in recognition of IFA’s humanitarian mission in 2008 during the war between Georgia and Russia.

Maya Zuckerman

Co-CEO

Maya began volunteering with IFA in 2010 and has since led numerous humanitarian missions worldwide. Maya is a PhD candidate at Tel Aviv University, where she researches innovative ways to develop mathematical intuition in children with cerebral palsy. Previously, Maya managed Wivo, an analytics-driven digital marketing company. As a multidisciplinary social entrepreneur, she led the establishment of a national program to reduce hospital-acquired infections in Israel, developed scientific training platforms for a global oncology company, and initiated a therapeutic culinary project for at-risk teenage girls.