Board Members
Omer Pines
Chairman of the Board
“Midburn has changed my life in so many ways. I understand its infinite potential for the individual and the community. I bring to this position, total transparency, a toolbox of radicalism and an honorary degree in firefighting. Most of all, I come with an open heart and immense energy, to sustain our warm and loving community.”
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Omer Pines, father of two (Rif aged six and Souf aged three), attended Burning Man for the first time in 2013 and hasn’t looked back since.
On his return to Israel, Omer joined the Midburn Association as Technology Department Head, to manage the IT/TECH team, which became a giant startup comprised of programmers, quality assurance, designers, and product managers. Together, they successfully built and deployed the Midburn website, apps, games, gallery, profiling system, ticketing system and Playa tech infrastructure.
Omer, is currently a member of Plan B camp and has served on the Board three times since 2014, this will be his fourth tenure. He was previously Radio Camp leader and helped establish the Handicamp.
Omer has directed a long list of additional initiatives, including the ‘Bambi project’ (Midburn house Bat-Yam), the ‘Permanent City’ project in Dimona and the notorious ‘Midburn Games’ project, in which he played a record 35 times!
Subsequently, in 2022, combining his passion for burn and bees, Omer created an installation in the center camp (Living Room) called ‘Houses for Bees’. You can see him working on it in the photograph.
Eran Fox
Board Member
“I am here for change. I am here because of the people. I am here because of the culture. I am here to help the Midburn Association enable community dreams, joint creation, and individual development.”
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Eran Fox, a Burner since 2016, is currently a member of the Moonwalk camp, launching Burners to the moon. He participated in the construction of the ‘Komorabi’ installation in 2017 and at the end of construction, overwhelmed with emotion, stood in front of it and cried. He claims that those who didn't see the burning of ‘Komorabi’ have yet to see a Burn fire like this in their lifetime!
Eran has been a member of the Board since 2019. This is the third time he has been elected for tenure and is particularly excited to have been given another opportunity to continue supporting Burn creativity.
Rachel Kirshen
Board Member
“I feel that we as a community are moving away from the initial magic that attracted me to the Burn. I aspire to make an impact in the two areas that I believe are most significant:
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Passing on the knowledge and awareness of the Burn culture before the gates are opened.
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Expanding the boundaries of thought towards the concept of ‘participation’ and where it meets all the Playa residents.”
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Rachel Kirshen came to Midburn in 2018 as a tourist and was amazed by what she experienced. Rachel searched for a way to become more deeply involved, inspired by what she learned from the community, ‘if you see a job, it's yours’, she joined the Board soon after.
Rachel is a member of the Department of Public Works (DPW). ‘Work hard, play harder’, is a motto she adopted from the DPW team. In her repertoire, she is sometimes responsible for the volunteers, sometimes for content and sometimes for knocking T-posts into the ground.
Iris Ronelli Riklis
Board Member
“Because the time has come, because Midburn is a mental bird, because it is potential, because it expands the mind and soul, because there is a lot more to do and be.”
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Iris Ronelli Riklis is a Tel Avivian, addicted to Pilates and high-quality coffee, a lover of Excel tables, living with Arthur the chubby cat.
She is a dedicated advocate of cultural education and creativity development, serves as CEO of the Forum of Culture and Art Institutions in Israel, and teaches Culture and Art Management at Tel Aviv University.
Iris came to Midburn for the first time in 2016 as a guest on a three-hour strategic tour, soon after her departure she felt she’d been cast out of heaven. She returned out of curiosity and stayed because she was inspired by the openness, the acceptance, the people, the art, the passion for action and leaving her comfort zone.
In 2017 Iris volunteered in the Department of Strategy and from the end of 2017-2019 fulfilled her dream by working as part of the Dream Team.
In Addition, Iris has led complex strategic processes including, managing relations with government and regulatory bodies, developing, and expanding the ‘City Meets the Amazing Desert’ project (transfer of Burner art to the public space in Israel), generating grants, field exploration processes, resource development and so much more.
Iris enjoys every moment of her involvement in Midburn, which has given her the opportunity for personal development and growth. Midburn is now an inseparable part of her being.
Ido Zaken
Board Member
“I believe that the Burn culture can be deepened within our community, with increased awareness of the Midburn Association's vision, to be an organizational compass that brings us back home to our origins.
I truly love Burn and this community. I am blessed to have found my home.”
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Ido Zaken lives in Tel Aviv, is a businessman and entrepreneur.
Ido came to Midburn for the first time in 2017 as a member of the Control Room Department and that same year joined the leading team of ContraBurn.
Since then, Ido has been privileged to assist in setting up a camp in the USA, participate in Love Burn, Florida and headed many departments and community events in Israel.
Ido emphasizes how Burn culture totally transformed him on a personal level. He found a place that taught him true acceptance of others, which in turn imbued him with a deep acceptance of himself. In the desert he found his friends, his wife, his community, and every day he chooses to express what he learned, in both his personal and business life.
The person closest to Ido once told him "Burn is your biggest hobby", he emphasizes that Burn “is his way of life”.
Ido’s gift at events is handing out water throughout the Playa spaces, late into the night!
