Over the course of 18 months, 24 outstanding Jewish professionals will engage in a customized professional development journey as part of the Schusterman Fellowship. The Fellows come from across the U.S., Europe, Israel and Australia, and they work inside and outside of the Jewish sector.

Meet Shaked Rogovsky below!

Shaked Rogovsky is a military career officer in the IDF and has served over 17 years in several operational roles. In his current position, he is an HR Director focused on occupational guidance and direction for IDF retirees. Shaked assists these retirees to  develop and advance their next career. As an IDF representative, Shaked is responsible for building and fostering working relationships with CEOs and senior employees from the public and private sectors in Israel. Shaked sees the IDF and his experience serving in the Israeli melting pot as a platform to create real change in Israeli society.

Shaked believes in the strong connection between Israel and Jewish communities globally. Shaked and his wife Karin, whom he met through ROI Community, live in a small town outside Tel-Aviv with their three adorable children.

1. What are you most excited to gain from the Fellowship? What are you most looking forward to learning?

Unlike other fellowship programs, the Schusterman Fellowship provides me with highly-skilled and talented mentors to enrich my current working environment while providing me with the platform to develop and implement my vision. The fact that it is done both in the U.S. and with support in Israel over the course of 18 months means that I can continue to work in my current position while setting goals for my career development in the broader Jewish world.

During my personal journey, I have had an amazing experience meeting passionate and talented Fellows from all over the Jewish world. We have created a unique professional and social network to share new initiatives and opportunities with each other.

The Fellowship program has helped me to further develop my career path and direction. Indeed my next position will involve diplomacy, PR and Israeli advocacy.

2. "Leadership" is a popular term these days, used in a variety of contexts. Tell us, what does leadership mean to you?

To me, leadership is a commitment and loyalty to my heritage and the history of the Jewish people. It is the ability to create an opportunity when one doesn’t always exist. It is a combination of creativity, vision and determination. And the ability to implement. As an officer of the IDF, I am committed to protect its citizens, develop this beautiful country and stay true to its values. It is my personal commitment to find ways to continuously engage Jews abroad, who have this extra spark when they visit Israel or when they meet people like me. It is being a true ambassador for Israel.

Personal leadership is to connect to your skills, passion and values and make this place a better one.

3. What is the greatest piece of leadership advice you have received and do you use it?

One of my former commanders gave me 2 useful tips:
1. The cemeteries are full of people who thought they were irreplaceable.
2. It is important to die for your ideals but you should do it slowly because ideals change.

I ask myself often what mark I want to leave on this world while remaining true to my commitments and my values.

4. How does your Jewish identity affect your leadership?

I see myself as a part of story that began thousands of years ago.

My identity, the values I strongly believe in, all stem from my Jewish heritage, my love for the land and people of Israel and the Jewish world. Timidly, I once believed that all Jews need to live in Israel. Today, I understand that my role, my vision, my passion, is to find ways to bridge the gap between both worlds, and to show the beauty and the complexity of living here to other people.

5. If you were given a surprise day off, how would you spend it?

A quiet morning with my wife by the beautiful Mediterranean ocean, followed by an afternoon hike with my three adorable children and an evening with my best friends at my favorite wine bar in Tel Aviv. Given that my children don't give me much time to sleep these days, I'd love to fit a nap in somewhere.

The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation is proud to empower emerging leaders to explore their values, identity and new ways to strengthen their communities. We believe that as we work together to repair the world, it is important to share our diverse experiences and perspectives along the way. We encourage the expression of personal thoughts and reflections here on the Schusterman blog. Each post reflects solely the opinion of its author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Foundation, its partner organizations or all program participants.