THE NIR SCHOOL OF THE HEART
Dr. Judith Richter
Founder and Chairwoman
In the summer of 1998, Dr. Judith Richter realized her vision when she founded the NIR School of the Heart.
Dr. Richter is an accomplished entrepreneur and among Israel’s most distinguished business leaders. In 1993, Dr. Richter co-founded Medinol, a global medical device company that acquired a significant international position in the interventional cardiology and stenting industry. She has served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer since the company’s founding.
Born in Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, the eldest daughter of Holocaust survivors Anna and Zvi Spiegel, Dr. Richter and her family immigrated to Israel when she was two years old. Dr. Richter served as an officer in the Israeli Air Force attaining the rank of Major, where she established the unit for leadership learning and developed the selection systems for flight academy trainees.
Dr. Judith Richter’s extensive business experience was preceded by a career in the academia. She served as a faculty member at Tel Aviv University’s Graduate School of Business, where she specialized in organizational behavior and structure, team building and corporate strategy. During her academic career, Dr. Richter published numerous articles in scientific publications and was widely recognized for her work.
Dr. Richter served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem from 2009-2016, and today she serves as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. In recognition for her exceptional contribution to Israel’s economic, industrial and technological development, Dr. Richter was awarded the Ramniceanu Prize in Economics by Tel-Aviv University in 2013. That year she was also the recipient of an Honorary Fellow distinction from the Hebrew University. She was also named an Honorary Fellow of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in 2018. Dr. Richter has served on the boards of several leading industrial Israeli companies, including Bezeq and Mobileye.
Dr. Judith Richter is also engaged in a variety of activities in the arts and humanities - among them: founding and sponsoring The Richter Quartet of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, sponsoring the Israeli Women’s National Volleyball Team, nurturing holocaust survivors living in Jerusalem and supporting the youth Israeli Scouts delegations to Auschwitz, for which she was an Honorary Scout.
A graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Dr. Richter holds a PhD from Boston University.
She is married to Dr. Jacob (Kobi) Richter and a proud mother of three children.
Dr. Richter is an accomplished entrepreneur and among Israel’s most distinguished business leaders. In 1993, Dr. Richter co-founded Medinol, a global medical device company that acquired a significant international position in the interventional cardiology and stenting industry. She has served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer since the company’s founding.
Born in Carlsbad, Czechoslovakia, the eldest daughter of Holocaust survivors Anna and Zvi Spiegel, Dr. Richter and her family immigrated to Israel when she was two years old. Dr. Richter served as an officer in the Israeli Air Force attaining the rank of Major, where she established the unit for leadership learning and developed the selection systems for flight academy trainees.
Dr. Judith Richter’s extensive business experience was preceded by a career in the academia. She served as a faculty member at Tel Aviv University’s Graduate School of Business, where she specialized in organizational behavior and structure, team building and corporate strategy. During her academic career, Dr. Richter published numerous articles in scientific publications and was widely recognized for her work.
Dr. Richter served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem from 2009-2016, and today she serves as a member of the University’s Board of Trustees. In recognition for her exceptional contribution to Israel’s economic, industrial and technological development, Dr. Richter was awarded the Ramniceanu Prize in Economics by Tel-Aviv University in 2013. That year she was also the recipient of an Honorary Fellow distinction from the Hebrew University. She was also named an Honorary Fellow of the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in 2018. Dr. Richter has served on the boards of several leading industrial Israeli companies, including Bezeq and Mobileye.
Dr. Judith Richter is also engaged in a variety of activities in the arts and humanities - among them: founding and sponsoring The Richter Quartet of the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra, sponsoring the Israeli Women’s National Volleyball Team, nurturing holocaust survivors living in Jerusalem and supporting the youth Israeli Scouts delegations to Auschwitz, for which she was an Honorary Scout.
A graduate of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Dr. Richter holds a PhD from Boston University.
She is married to Dr. Jacob (Kobi) Richter and a proud mother of three children.
Efi Haber-Naor
Director
Efi Haber Naor is leading Medinol’s human resources organization, as well as the company’s administration, logistics and procurement operations. She is also Director of the NIR School of the Heart, and heads the company’s community relations.
Prior to joining Medinol in 1999, Ms. Haber Naor worked at the Tel Aviv Municipality as Head of Community Services in the Northern District of Tel Aviv, where she was responsible for community projects in 13 Tel Aviv neighborhoods.
Ms. Haber-Naor holds a BA in Community and Clinical Social Work, with honors, from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an Executive MBA from Bar Ilan University. Ms. Haber-Naor is also a graduate of the program for training directors and officers in corporations and has undergone professional training in mediation and conflict resolution.
Uri Gopher
General Manager
Uri has been part of the NIR School staff during the program’s early formative years, and returned in Summer 2025 as its General Manager. He brings over 20 years of expertise in peacebuilding, research, conflict resolution, and educational initiatives promoting shared living.
His previous positions include serving as the Executive Director of the Applied Psychology of Social Change Center at IDC Herzliya (now "aChord" at Hebrew University) and as Executive Director of Hagar’s Arab-Jewish bilingual education in Be’er Sheva. He has also led advocacy efforts at key organizations such as Sikkuy, The Abraham Initiatives, and the Israel Democracy Institute. Uri is a registered Israeli Psychologist and a trained group facilitator with extensive experience conducting dialogue groups.
Beyond his professional achievements, Uri is an accomplished musician, passionate about long-distance running, and a certified Death Doula volunteering at Sheba Hospital hospice. He holds an MA in Public Administration from Harvard University (attended as an Israel Wexner Fellow), an MA in Social Psychology from Tel Aviv University, and a BA in Economics and Psychology from Haifa University.
Uri resides in Modi’in with his spouse and their three children
Dr. Yasmeen Abu Fraiha
Academic Advisor
Dr. Yasmeen Abu Fraiha is a medical doctor specializing in internal medicine, currently completing a critical care fellowship at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, alongside a research fellowship at Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative. Her research focuses on healthcare policy and politics that influence disparities affecting underserved communities.
She previously served as the Health Policy Director at the Task Force for Health Promotion and Equity within the Arab Society at the Israeli Ministry of Health, leading initiatives addressing health inequalities between Jews and Arabs in Israel. Yasmeen co-founded two NGOs aimed at socio-economic development within the Bedouin community, emphasizing health, education, women’s employment, and community empowerment.
Her accolades include the 2007 Ramon Award for excellence and leadership, selection to Forbes’ “30 Under 30,” and recognition as one of Israel’s 50 most influential women by Globes Magazine in 2023. She holds a BSc and MD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School.
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