The Maccabee Task Force was created in 2015 to combat the disturbing spread of Antisemitism on college campuses. We believe the BDS movement is at the forefront of this troubling trend. We maintain that BDS is an Antisemitic movement that crosses the line from legitimate criticism of Israel into the dangerous demonization of Israel and its supporters. We are determined to help students combat this hate by bringing them the strategies and resources they need to tell the truth about Israel. These attacks on Israel and its supporters won’t be going away any time soon. Neither will we.
Senior Staff
David Brog is the executive director of the Maccabee Task Force, an effort launched in 2015 to combat the anti-Israel BDS movement. He previously sat on the Board of Directors of Christians United for Israel (CUFI), were he served as executive director for its first ten years. Before CUFI, Brog worked in the United States Senate for seven years, rising to be chief of staff to Senator Arlen Specter and staff director of the Senate Judiciary Committee. He has also worked as an executive at America Online and practiced corporate law in Tel Aviv, Israel and Philadelphia, PA.
Brog is the author of Standing with Israel: Why Christians Support the Jewish State (2006); In Defense of Faith: the Judeo-Christian Idea and the Struggle for Humanity (2010); and Reclaiming Israel’s History: Roots, Rights, and the Struggle for Peace (2017). In 2007, the Forward newspaper listed Brog in its “Forward 50” most influential Jews in America. He is a graduate of Princeton University and Harvard Law School.
Benjamin Sweetwood serves as National Campus Director for the Maccabee Task Force, where he helps lead MTF’s campus strategy across the country. In this role, he oversees national campus operations, supports regional staff, works closely with campus partners, and helps guide MTF’s efforts to build pro-Israel coalitions, activate student leaders, and respond to antisemitism on college campuses.
A graduate of Columbia University with a bachelor’s degree in political science, Ben has spent much of his academic and professional life involved in pro-Israel advocacy, with a particular focus on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, campus politics, and the role of student leadership in shaping public opinion. At MTF, he has helped expand student government initiatives, strengthen the national fellowship program, support Israel trip follow-up, and develop strategies for engaging influential non-Jewish student leaders.
Ben believes that even in a deeply polarized campus environment, meaningful persuasion is still possible. His work is grounded in the conviction that broad coalitions, honest education, and courageous student leadership can change campus culture and strengthen support for Israel and the Jewish people.
Shian Knuth-Hafeez graduated from the University of Florida with a bachelor’s degree in History, with a focus on Jewish Studies and Civil Rights. After beginning her career in marketing and public relations in New York City, she found her passion for nonprofit leadership and Israel advocacy when she joined the Maccabee Task Force in 2015.
Shian currently serves as MTF’s Mid-Atlantic Director and Co-Director of Student Engagement. In these roles, she works closely with students, campus professionals, and community partners to strengthen campus relationships, develop student leaders, oversee fellowship programming, and expand MTF’s impact across universities in the United States and abroad.
Shian is passionate about mentoring emerging leaders and believes that authentic relationships, open dialogue, and experiential education are essential to building stronger campus communities. Through her work, she helps empower students to combat antisemitism, build broad coalitions, and create lasting change on their campuses.
She and her husband, Kasim, live in her home state of Florida, and both proudly work to support and defend the Jewish people and Israel.
Sgula Dershowitz was born and raised in Tel Aviv where she served two years in the Israeli Air Force and graduated with a degree in economics and management from Tel Aviv Academic College. Immediately after graduation, Sgula moved to New York City and served as the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Baruch College.
For the past 3 years, Mrs. Dershowitz was the StandWithUs Director of Campus Programming for the Southwest. Sgula worked with more than 20 campuses and thousands of students to counter anti-Israel narratives and educate the students about Israel’s history, present and future.
Sgula met her husband, another activist for Israel, when they partnered on a project to support peace through art at Baruch College. Since then they have continued to work together on behalf of Israel and they are raising a dog and a baby boy in sunny LA.
She is excited to begin her newest adventure with the Maccabee Task Force as the Northwest Campus Director.
Originally from Oklahoma, Edaan Eidelbaum earned her bachelor’s degree in Hotel Management from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, before completing her master’s degree in Israel Education at George Washington University.
Since joining the Maccabee Task Force in 2018, Edaan has worked alongside dozens of campus partners and hundreds of student leaders across the country. Along with her position as East Coast Regional Director, she now serves as Co-Director of Student Engagement, where she helps lead MTF’s national fellowship program and oversees student-led programming on campuses throughout the United States.
Edaan is passionate about helping students deepen their connection to the Jewish community and Israel, navigate the challenges of rising antisemitism, and grow into confident leaders on their campuses and beyond. Building meaningful relationships and empowering the next generation of leaders is at the heart of everything she does.
Edaan lives in Maryland with her husband and their rescued pit bull, Chickpea.
Oti was born and raised in Ramat Gan, Israel until the age of eight, when her family relocated to Atlanta, Georgia. She remained deeply connected to her Israeli roots through active involvement in the local Jewish community and Israeli Scouts for over 10 years. At 17, Oti returned to Israel to serve in the Israel Defense Forces before earning her Bachelor’s degree in Political Communication and Marketing from Reichman University. During her senior year, she also participated in the Honors Public Diplomacy Program and completed an internship with Act.IL
Oti returned to Atlanta in 2020 and joined the Maccabee Task Force. She currently serves as the Southeast Regional Director and Development Officer, working alongside the Chief Development Officer to support fundraising and strategic partnerships while overseeing MTF’s work across the Southeast. Through both regional engagement and development, she is committed to strengthening support for Israel and empowering student leaders on campus.
Daniel Andresen was born and raised in Fresno, California. He attended California State University, Fresno, where he earned a degree in Finance and Business Administration. After college, he remained in California for five years, working as a Financial Software Consultant. In 2017, Daniel moved to Tampa, Florida, to serve as a Senior Financial Analyst focused primarily on the agriculture and fresh produce industry.
Daniel joined the Maccabee Task Force in 2019 as South Central Director. He now serves as Co-Director of Student Government Initiatives, where he helps lead MTF’s strategy for building pro-Israel influence within student government and other campus leadership institutions. In this role, he works with students and campus partners to identify, support, and elect principled leaders who can help protect Jewish students, strengthen campus coalitions, and ensure that student governments are fair, representative, and resistant to anti-Israel extremism.
Omri was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, where he developed a lifelong passion for Israel education and advocacy. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Israel Studies and Geography from Ben-Gurion University before serving as the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow at Tulane Hillel, turning his passion for Israel engagement into a career. He later earned a Master of Science in Organizational Leadership and Innovation from the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management.
As Director of Trips at the Maccabee Task Force, Omri oversees dozens of Fact Finder trips to Israel each year. In this role, he works closely with campus partners, MTF colleagues, educators, guides, and Israeli partners to create meaningful and impactful experiences for hundreds of non-Jewish student leaders from across North America.
Omri lives in Sanford, Florida, with his wife, Alexis, their daughter, Reut, and their dog, Milky.
Curt MacNeill was born in Bellingham, Washington, and moved to Fresno, California, when he was nine years old. Since then, he has lived in various cities throughout California’s Central Valley. He graduated from California State University, Fresno, with a B.S. in Biology.
Before joining the Maccabee Task Force, Curt spent seven years working in higher education at private junior colleges in California, first as a faculty member and later as an administrator. He joined MTF in March 2022 to pursue his passion for defending Israel, supporting Jewish students, and strengthening the values that make the campus an open and stimulating learning environment.
Curt’s responsibilities have since expanded to include overseeing organizational data synthesis, as well as serving as Co-Director of Student Government Initiatives, a role in which he helps students build influence in campus governance structures and ensures campus institutions remain fair, representative, and free of antisemitic bias.
Shmuel Avramov was born in the former Soviet Union and raised in Israel. He served for six years in the Israel Defense Forces as a combat officer, completing his service with the rank of Captain and serving as a Company Commander.
After his military service, Shmuel studied Mechanical Engineering at the Technion. Following graduation, he chose to pursue a career in Jewish and Israel engagement and served as a Jewish Agency Israel Fellow in North America, working closely with students and campus communities.
Today, Shmuel serves as the Northeast Regional Director for the Maccabee Task Force, where he works with students, campus leaders, and community partners to build meaningful alliances and strengthen support for Israel.
Shmuel lives in Durham, North Carolina with his wife, Lindsey, and their two sons, Lev and Emmett. He strongly believes in the power of personal relationships to build bridges between communities and create lasting impact.
Joshua Mellody-Pizzato serves as the Midwest Director at the Maccabee Task Force, where he oversees campus engagement across the region while leading MTFLI’s Rapid Response efforts to anti-Israel activity. He is also responsible for building and maintaining relationships with student government leaders and advising students on campus elections, leveraging years of political campaign experience to help develop the next generation of pro-Israel leadership.
Originally from Illinois and now based in San Diego, Joshua graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. Before entering the nonprofit sector, he worked on five political campaigns ranging from state legislative races to a gubernatorial campaign, developing expertise in campaign strategy, grassroots organizing, communications, and voter outreach.
Joshua began his career in the pro-Israel community at AIPAC, where he worked in Development for two years before joining the Israel on Campus Coalition. During his five years at ICC, he served as Western States Director.
Although not Jewish himself, Joshua, a member of the LGBT community, has dedicated his career to supporting Israel and combating antisemitism. He is passionate about empowering student leaders, strengthening campus communities, and ensuring that Jewish students have the resources and partnerships they need to thrive.
Kyle Conover joined the Maccabee Task Force in 2025 and brings nearly two decades of experience in fundraising and external relations. Kyle is passionate about combating antisemitism on campus through developing philanthropic support for programs, collaborative partnerships, and coalition-building.
Prior to MTF, Kyle spent eight years at Stanford University and also held advancement roles at UT Austin, the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the City of Bloomington, IN. He earned degrees in Public Policy from the UC San Diego and IU Bloomington, as well as an MBA from the University of Southern California. After spending formative years in Northern California and Boston, Kyle now lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two daughters, and rescue pit bull named Bagel.