Conference Organizers

J. Rivkah Asoulin (ARI Founder & Executive Director), is also known as Wise Woman Fertility and the creator of JFAM (Jewish Fertility Awareness Method, combining Torah Observant Judaism with the sympto-thermal method of fertility awareness). J. Rivkah has been helping women of all ages with fertility and reproductive health for over 20 years. She began her professional career as a child actress and, later, theatre director before a serendipitous turn to herbalism to resolve her own endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome. She shares the fruits of that successful treatment, 7 precious children, with husband Yaron. Ancient Roots Israel sprung from the depths of a homeschooling mother’s dreams; to create quality herbal programming in Israel for an international audience. It is our great joy and honor to welcome you to Ancient Roots Israel!

Betina Thorball (ARI2020, ARI2023, ARI2024) is a clinical herbalist, graduate of David Winston’s Center for Herbal Studies (US), native of Austria and resident of Switzerland. She is co-founder and herbalist at Rigi Care, a holistic personal medicine service that merges traditional wisdom with the best of current science and medicine to advise each client according to their specific needs. Betina holds a PhD in Biotechnology / Molecular Biology and has worked many years in disciplines across the international life science sector (research and business). Frustrated with the limitations of current medical interventions and the resulting high number of people living in pain and with chronic ailments, without any meaningful solutions, she has turned to the old wisdom of herbs… and found her true calling. Privately Betina is a mother, piano player, scales mountains on the inside and outside, and guide for people on adventures in the mountains.

Gilla Weiss (ARI2020, ARI2023, ARI2024) is a Herbalist, Doula, certified massage therapist and a former LLL Leader who serves her local community in South Florida and women worldwide. Gilla is the mother of 8 naturally born babies, 6 of which were home births. Her passion for empowering women as they transition into motherhood has led her to create Sage and Honey, where she sells a line of herbal products specifically designed for expectant mothers, new mothers and their little bundles of joy. She also offers original workshops geared towards creating herbal products that benefit everyone in the family at all ages and stages. Gilla has led and continues to lead many women to tap into their ancestral feminine wisdom, and to gently encourage them to trust this innate intuition to help in healing themselves and their families.

Chava Dagan (ARI2023 and ARI2024) runs Nettles and Pins; a farm, website and folk school teaching skills she acquired, while serving in the Peace Corps in Sri Lanka. Chava holds a degree in psychology and is certified in natural health, colonic hydrotherapy and herbalism. She, together with her husband, have six boys and live in the SW Negev desert. She is the author of Mother’s Pearls: The Revival of Parenting, available in both English and Hebrew. Chava continues to write blogs about these and other various topics on her website, Telegram, and Signal.