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Ami Dror

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Ami Dror
Ami Dror in 2022
Born
עמי דרור

(1973-03-05) 5 March 1973 (age 51)
Ashkelon, Israel
Occupations
  • high-tech entrepreneur
  • educator
  • lecturer
[1]
Known forSocial activism

Ami Dror (Hebrew: עמי דרור; born 5 March 1973[citation needed]) is an Israeli businessman, educator, activist, and a leader of the protests against the judicial reform[2][3] being promoted by the thirty-seventh government of Israel headed by Benjamin Netanyahu.[4][5][6][7][8][excessive citations]

Early life and education

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Ami Dror was born and raised in Ashkelon, on 5 March 1973[citation needed], to Aviva (Laskov) and Arie Dror. His father was a Holocaust survivor[9] from Romania, and his mother was born in Israel. As a member of a religious family, he was educated at the Sinai School in Ashkelon and was active in the Bnei Akiva movement.[10]

Career

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IDF and Shin Bet service

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He served as a tank commander in the Armored Corps.[11] After his release from the IDF, he attended an aircraft security course and the day after the assassination Yitzhak Rabin, he joined Shin Bet's Personal Security Unit,[12] in which he was in charge of securing Shimon Peres and was the commander of the security squad for Benjamin Netanyahu[13] and Ehud Barak.[9] After completing his service in the unit in 2000, he joined the Foreign Ministry and served in Dublin and Marseille, until 2003.

Entrepreneurship

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Ami Dror with the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, 4 November 2019
Ami Dror (Founder of LeapLearner) with Muhammad Yunus (Bangladeshi social entrepreneur & Nobel Peace Prize winner), 1 May 2022

In 2005, Dror founded the XpanD 3D company with Maria Costira, which developed technology for showing 3D movies, and served as its strategic manager.[12] Film director James Cameron presented the film Avatar using the company's technology in 2009.[14] As part of the company, Dror in collaboration with Panasonic, Samsung and Sony led the development of a unified standard for 3D televisions.[15]

In 2014, Dror founded the investment company Zaitoun Ventures with Forsan Hossein.[16] The company supported high-tech companies and required them to reach within three years a situation where at least 30% of their employees belong to one of the populations suffering from underrepresentation in the labor market.[17][18] That same year, Dror served as a judge in the innovation category of the Cannes Lions Festival.[19]

In 2016, Dror moved with his family to Shanghai to found LeapLearner with his Chinese partners Aaron Tien and Lao Zho.[20][21][22][23] LeapLearner developed programming-learning software for children.[8][24][1][25] In 2018, Dror was selected as one of the ten most brilliant entrepreneurs in China and won an award on behalf of Shanghai Media Group, the largest media corporation in China.[26] In 2019, as part of his work at LeapLearner, he initiated and was a partner in promoting technological education in African countries. In part, he helped establish programming schools for youth in Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Kenya.[27]

In 2022, Dror founded BriBooks[28] company, which allows children to write, publish, and sell books.[5][29][30][31][32][33][34] The idea to establish the company arose when Dror published a children's book and realized how complicated and expensive the process of publishing and selling a book is, and dedicated himself to making it accessible to every child. The company won the Red Herring Award as one of the 100 most promising technology companies in the world.[35]

Speaking engagements, philanthropy, and book

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In 2014, Dror was accepted as a fellow in the Henry Crown Fellowship of the Aspen Institute.[36] In 2018, he became a facilitator in the program and since then he has been conducting leadership programs in Aspen and Harvard University. He also gives lectures and other leadership workshops around the world.[37][38]

In 2019, Dror published a book in partnership with Jordan Huang, an expert in Chinese education, which deals with successful practices for educating children for innovation, based on the Jewish and Chinese cultures. The book was published in an English edition[39] and a Chinese edition.[40]

Dror is a board member of the American philanthropic organization Space for Humanity, which flies social entrepreneurs into space on private flights.[41]

Activism

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Leaders of the protest march to Jerusalem. From left to right; Ran Harnevo, Shikma Bressler, Moshe Radman, Dror. 22 July 2023.

In January 2023, after Justice Minister Yariv Levin announced the planned legislative measures, Dror became one of the protest movement's leaders[3][5][28][9][42] leading activists, and being interviewed by the media[28][43][42][44][9][45][46] and speaking at demonstrations across the country.[47][48][49]

On 18 July 2023, together with 3 other protest leaders (Shikma Bressler, Moshe Radman and Ran Harnevo), he initiated a mass foot march from Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as an act of protest against the coalition's intentions to approve in the second and third reading the law to reduce the reasonableness clause.[50][51]

On 6 June, Knesset member Zvi Sukkot threatened Dror that he would sue him for sharing truncated parts of his interview.[52] On 3 August, Dror together with other protest leaders filed a lawsuit against Likud activist Ronit Levy claiming that she published their phone numbers and called for harassment.[53]

On 1 August 2023, Dror was detained by the police in a demonstration in front of the Salme police in Tel Aviv, due to the use of a stun gun.[42][54]

Following the Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent outbreak of war between Hamas and Israel in October of 2023, Dror, along with other protest activists, repurposed his protest activity towards war-time aid and relief[3] by joining the efforts led by organizations such as Brothers and Sisters for Israel and Women Building an Alternative. In an interview, Dror stated that at times such as these people are looking for a calming figure in leadership and one whom they can rely on. In that sense, Dror claimed that the current government is "non-existent".[8]

Personal life

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Dror is a divorced father of three children and lives in Tel Aviv.[55]

Awards and recognition

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  • Yicai Brilliant prize (2018)[26]

Books

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  • Raising Future Innovators: Leveraging Jewish & Chinese Best Practices in Education. Ami Dror and Jordan Huang. 17 March 2019. ISBN 978-1-7337811-0-7.
  • Python The Super Hero. BriBooks. 6 June 2022. ISBN 978-93-94848-00-9.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ming, Cheang (24 April 2017). "This Chinese-Israeli start-up wants to change the way kids learn to code". CNBC. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ^ Arel, Segal; Wertheim, David; Douek, Amitay (24 December 2023). "Ami Dror, one of the leaders of the protest against the government, and a former member of the Shin Bet spoke with Arel Segal and David Wertheim on 103FM and told about the decision to go out and demonstrate last night, a demonstration under the slogan "impeach now"" (in Hebrew). Maariv. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c Meyer, Amit (16 October 2023). "In war, Israel protest movement morphs high-tech expertise into relief effort". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  4. ^ Kaplan Sommer, Allison (8 September 2023). "'We Are the Only Thing Stopping Netanyahu's Coup': These Are the Leaders of the Israeli Pro-democracy Protests". Haaretz. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  5. ^ a b c Maltz, Judy (8 June 2023). "Meet the Hard-core Protesters Putting Their Lives on Pause to Defend Democracy". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2023-06-08. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  6. ^ "Everytime they reach the red line, the protest will escalate" (in Hebrew). Radio Haifa 107.5 FM. 30 June 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  7. ^ Breiner, Josh (2 August 2023). "Tel Aviv Police Chief to Pro-democracy Protest Leaders: Some Measures Used Against Protesters Were 'Unnecessary'". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  8. ^ a b c Menle, Mayan (13 October 2023). ""Leadership at this time is knowing how to channel the destruction, the feeling of helplessness and sorrow into a place of action"" (in Hebrew). Calcalist. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d ""In recent years, Netanyahu has been acting for his own benefit"" (in Hebrew). 104.5FM. 8 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  10. ^ Hason, Ayala (21 May 2023). "Ami Dror, a former religious, and the initiators of the attack - There were signs that read "traitorous leftists". Barashi: there was no such sign" (in Hebrew). Kan 11. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  11. ^ Dror, Ami (25 May 2023). ""The Man In The Tank Will Win"". Twitter. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  12. ^ a b Grimland, Guy (18 August 2010). "הרבה יותר מאווטאר" [Much More Than Avatar] (in Hebrew). Haaretz. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  13. ^ Keller-Lynn, Carrie (21 May 2023). "Rallying against looming budget, anti-overhaul protesters may be overreaching". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  14. ^ ""A High-Tech Movie Battle: Which 3-D Glasses Are Best?". The New York Times. 28 December 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  15. ^ Reisinger, Don (8 August 2011). "Panasonic, Samsung focus on 3D glasses standard". CNET. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  16. ^ WEINGLASS, SIMONA (31 January 2016). "Why Jewish and Arab cofounders are good for business". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  17. ^ Kilian, Gil (1 June 2016). "We're Always Asked If We Know Any Arab Programmers" (in Hebrew). Calcalist. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  18. ^ Press, Viva Sarah (5 May 2016). "AN INVESTMENT FIRM WITH A JEWISH-ARAB SOUL". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  19. ^ Ben-Israel, Dori (19 April 2014). "Israeli entrepreneur Ami Dror will judge in the innovation category of the 2014 Cannes Festival" (in Hebrew). mizbala.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  20. ^ Sullivan, Jay (8 February 2018). "Three Steps To Developing An Innovative Instinct -- And The Questions To Ask Yourself To Get There". Forbes. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  21. ^ "Uncomfortable Learning - Educational technology entrepreneur Ami Dror on humans integrating into the world of machines". The Times of Israel. 11 November 2021. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  22. ^ Yang, Xia (12 July 2019). "Analytic entrepreneur relishes a problem". Shine News. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  23. ^ Dor, Ofir (20 October 2017). "The Israeli high-tech entrepreneur who teaches the Chinese children to think outside of the box" (in Hebrew). Calcalist. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  24. ^ "Robotish, Language of the Future - Ami Dror - TEDxCaohejingParkSalon". TED. 31 May 2017. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  25. ^ Klein Leichman, Abigail (2 August 2017). "CHINESE-ISRAELI ED-TECH STARTUP TEACHES KIDS TO CODE". ISRAEL21c. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  26. ^ a b JIAYAN, NING (18 May 2018). "Yicai Announces 2018 Brilliant 10 Award Winners". Yicai Global. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  27. ^ "How every African child can learn to code". Africa In The World. 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  28. ^ a b c Butcher, Mike (4 April 2023). "Israel's political crisis has activated its apolitical tech industry — and there's no turning back". TechCrunch. Retrieved 9 May 2024.
  29. ^ "BriBooks completes USD 1.5M in pre-seed funding to launch the first AI Powered writing platform for children". Business Standard. 15 July 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  30. ^ "BriBooks and Education World Partner to Launch World's Largest Book Writing Summer Camp With Top Global Authors And 10,000+ Participating Schools". The Times of India. 2 May 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  31. ^ Parakala, Vangmayi (21 August 2023). "Thinking big and fast: Ami Dror, CEO of BriBooks". Mint. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  32. ^ "BriBooks and Education World host National Young Authors Fair to give young writers a platform to showcase their creativity". The Tribune. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
  33. ^ "BriBooks and Gulf News partner to launch the UAE National Young Authors Fair". Gulf News. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  34. ^ "Bribooks And Education World Host National Young Authors Fair To Give Young Writers A Platform To Showcase Their Creativity". Mid-Day. 27 March 2023. Retrieved 5 September 2023.
  35. ^ "BriBooks wins the 2022 Red Herring Top 100 Global Award". Business Standard. 3 November 2022. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  36. ^ "Ami Dror - Aspen Institute". Aspen Institute. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  37. ^ "Ami Dror - Africa In The World". Africa In The World. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  38. ^ "Ami Dror - College of Management". College of Management. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  39. ^ Raising Future Innovators: Leveraging Jewish & Chinese Best Practices in Education. Ami Dror and Jordan Huang. 17 March 2019. ISBN 978-1-7337811-0-7.
  40. ^ 犹太教育叩启中国大门 |《养育下一代创新者》新书发布会在沪举行 (in Chinese). Ami Dror and Jordan Huang. 9 August 2023. ISBN 978-1-7337811-0-7.
  41. ^ "Ami Dror - Space for Humanity". Space for Humanity. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  42. ^ a b c ""Ridiculous situation": the arrested anti-reform protester recreates and criticizes the police" (in Hebrew). Maariv Online. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  43. ^ ""There are unusual cases of violence that need to be investigated"". 103FM. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  44. ^ "The truth behind the photo of the baby on the road is revealed: "Don't fall for the spin"" (in Hebrew). ICE. 11 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  45. ^ Koriel, Ilana (8 August 2023). ""Democracy march" from Be'er Sheva to Ben Gurion's tomb: "In the Negev the people of Israel will be tested"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  46. ^ Hason, Ayala (19 May 2023). "The Looting Protest". Kan 11. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  47. ^ "Week 27 at "Democracy Crossroads" - a report from the growing Ness Ziona protest". nessziona.net. 8 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  48. ^ "Ami Dror, one of the leaders of the protest, in a speech in Rishon Lezion". molapa j - davy. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  49. ^ "Shin Bet officer in Horev: "We stopped being polite, we will obliterate the Kahanist racists"" (in Hebrew). 1075FM Haifa Radio. 5 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  50. ^ Sela, Ori (18 July 2023). "Hundreds of protesters march on foot from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem: "We will rebuild the nation"" (in Hebrew). Walla!. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  51. ^ "The journey to the Knesset continues - a special broadcast to cover the great protest campaign against the coup d'état". DemocraTV. 19 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  52. ^ Gotlieb, Jonathan (6 June 2023). "Zvi Sukkot to a left-wing activist: "Zero from zero, get ready for a lawsuit"" (in Hebrew). Arutz Sheva. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  53. ^ "The protest leaders are suing for libel" (in Hebrew). the7eye.org.il. 3 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  54. ^ "Ami Dror from the high-tech protest was arrested" (in Hebrew). Israel Hayom. 1 August 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  55. ^ Kra Oz, Geva (May 2023). "Ami Dror - Restart Israel" (in Hebrew). restart-israel.co.il. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
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