Aharon Botzer is the founder and CEO of Livnot U’Lehibanot, which he established in Tzfat in 1980 together with his wife, Miriam. Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Aharon graduated from Ohio University with a degree in Education before spending six months traveling through South America. That journey eventually led him to Israel in the 1970s, where he worked on a secular kibbutz, served in the IDF, and began a personal spiritual path that would shape the vision behind Livnot.

For more than four decades, Aharon has helped build Livnot into a unique educational and volunteer organization that combines hands-on rebuilding projects, hiking, spirituality, community, and open Jewish exploration. Under his leadership, Livnot has restored historic sites in Tzfat, including the Beit HaKahal complex and underground tunnels, while welcoming tens of thousands of young Jewish adults from around the world for meaningful experiences rooted in service, connection, and personal growth.

In the wake of October 7th and the war that followed, Aharon helped lead Livnot’s large-scale rebuilding efforts across Israel’s northern and southern border communities, mobilizing professionals and volunteers to restore homes, shelters, schools, and communal spaces. More than forty years after founding Livnot, Aharon continues to believe that building, walking, and exploring the land together in community remains one of the most powerful ways to strengthen Jewish identity and deepen the connection between Israel and the Diaspora.