# Lili Ben Ami

> Lili Ben Ami is an Israeli educator, social entrepreneur and founder of the Michal Sela Forum, established in May 2020 after her sister’s murder. She brought technology developers, security specialists and people with lived experience together around prevention, startup development and protection programs. In August 2026 she joined Yisrael Beiteinu and stepped down as the forum’s CEO, continuing her involvement voluntarily.

- **Role:** Founder and volunteer supporter at Michal Sela Forum; Yisrael Beiteinu candidate for the 2026 Knesset election
- **Organizations:** Michal Sela Forum | MSF Global, Yisrael Beiteinu, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, CoLab, WIZO
- **From:** Beit Zayit, Israel
- **Nationality:** Israeli
- **Education:** Master’s degree in education, with distinction, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Revivim program graduate, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Computer programming certificate, ORT Jerusalem
- **Known for:** Founded the Michal Sela Forum in May 2020., Established Safe@Home hackathons and a development pathway including the Startup Academy and Rooftop Community., Rappaport Prize for Promising Groundbreaking Initiative, 2021.

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Completed programming studies at ORT Jerusalem and subsequently taught there, according to her Hebrew biography.
- **2000s** — Helped establish childcare facilities across four Hebrew University campuses and a gender and parenthood role in the student dean’s office.
- **2007 onward** — Worked as a teacher and campaigned for fair employment and direct hiring of teachers.
- **2010** — Co-founded Mitpakdot, an initiative promoting women’s political participation and gender equality.
- **2019** — Appeared on the Labor-Gesher election list; her sister Michal Sela was murdered in October.
- **2020** — Founded the Michal Sela Forum in May and launched the first Safe@Home hackathon on May 18.
- **2021** — Received the Rappaport Prize for Promising Groundbreaking Initiative and the Peres Center Medal of Distinction.
- **2022** — Participated in a Brazilian Senate seminar about preventing violence against women.
- **2024** — Commissioned an economic analysis of intimate partner violence and femicide with Social Finance Israel.
- **2025** — Led the forum through its sixth hackathon and the Startup Academy’s fifth-cohort graduation.
- **2026** — Joined Yisrael Beiteinu in August, stepped down as forum CEO and continued supporting the association voluntarily.

## Achievements

- Founded the Michal Sela Forum in May 2020.
- Established Safe@Home hackathons and a development pathway including the Startup Academy and Rooftop Community.
- Rappaport Prize for Promising Groundbreaking Initiative, 2021.
- Peres Center Medal of Distinction, 2021.
- Included in Forbes Israel’s 50 Powerwomen list in 2022.
- Helped establish university childcare facilities across four Hebrew University campuses.
- Developed protection initiatives including Michal’s Watch and Michal Sela Canines through the forum.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Named eleventh on Yisrael Beiteinu’s list for the 2026 Knesset election.
- **2026-08** — Ended her role as Michal Sela Forum CEO; a statement reproduced by CHW says she will continue accompanying the association voluntarily.
- **2026-08** — Announced that she was joining Yisrael Beiteinu.
- **2025-06** — Coverage of the sixth Safe@Home hackathon described 31 semi-finalist ventures and seven finalists.
- **2025-03** — Participated in the fifth Startup Academy cohort’s graduation at Google Campus Tel Aviv.

## Links

- Website: https://www.msf-global.org/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lili-ben-ami-4838032a/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/LiliBenAmi
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lilisela

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/lili-ben-ami
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23