keevoon - Management

"Getting People to Listen"

Mitchell Barak

Mitchell Barak is the founder of KEEVOON Research Strategy & Communications, a leading research and political communications firm in Israel. He regularly appears in the media to discuss the political and diplomatic situation in Israel. Until recently he was the international media adviser and foreign spokesman for the office of Israeli President Shimon Peres. KEEVOON's clients have included leading politicians, media organizations, NGOs, and corporations.

Called “one of Israel’s savviest pollsters in Israel” by The Washington Times, Mitchell is pioneering the survey research field in Israel by introducing Perception Analyzer instant response technology into Israeli focus groups. The focus groups he conducted for Israel’s Channel 10 News on the Kadima Party primary received considerable media attention. KEEVOON published the first Exit Poll of the 2008 U.S. Presidential Elections – a poll of American voters in Israel. He has collaborated in Israel with U.S. political consultants Dr. Frank Luntz and Arthur J. Finkelstein, conducting both focus groups and benchmark surveys. Mitchell has survey research experience in a variety of countries and languages.

KEEVOON’s surveys or opinions have been widely quoted in many of the leading media outlets including TIME, Newsweek, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, FOX News, FOX News Special Report, The Telegraph, MSNBC, CNN, LA Times, POLITICO, The Boston Globe, The Washington Times, The Independent, The Weekly Standard, NPR Radio, Christian Science Monitor, BILD, Forward, JTA, UPI, VOA, UPI and Al Jazeera. In Israel their surveys have been quoted in Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post, YNET-Yediot Ahronot, NRG-Maariv, Israel Television, Channel 2, Channel 10, Knesset TV and on Israel Radio.

As a former Managing Director and co-founder of Kidron Strategies, he serviced clients in Israel and Europe in areas of messaging, public relations and survey research.

As a Communications Assistant and Speechwriter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (2001-2003), Mitchell wrote hundreds of speeches for the PM. He was a member of the Communications Delegation to the Aqaba Peace Summit (June 2003) and also served on the Prime Minister’s transition team in February 2001.

As an Adviser to Ministers of Finance Yaacov Neeman and Dan Meridor (1997-99) he wrote speeches, talking points, and regularly briefed the foreign media.

Additionally he worked as an aide to Benjamin Netanyahu in the Foreign Ministry, Prime Minister's Office, Knesset and Likud Party from 1991-1995.

Mitchell was a guest commentator on the semi-final episode of the popular reality television show ‘The Ambassador’. He was also a featured guest on the award winning interview show, ‘Cross Israel’. He is often interviewed by foreign journalists in Israel about political and diplomatic developments, and is a regular commentator on Israel Broadcasting Authority (IBA) news, the Knesset TV channel and global news network Russia Today.

A New York native, Mitchell holds a BA degree in Political Science and Psychology from George Washington University in Washington, DC (1990). After graduation he worked on Capitol Hill before moving to Israel in January 1991. He lives with his wife and their five children in Jerusalem.