Sondra Oster Baras was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio in an Orthodox Jewish home. She was educated at the Hebrew Academy of Cleveland, Jerusalem College for Women in Israel, completed her B.A. in History and English at Barnard College in New York and obtained her J.D. at Columbia University’s School of Law.

Sondra became an active member of the governing board of the North American Orthodox Jews and moved into the new neighborhood in 1987. Since Ms. Baras became drawn into activities advocating for the settlement movement, she has been an active spokesperson for the communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza.

Baras maintained contact with CFOIC Heartland since its inception in 1996, and in 1998, she opened the Israel office in an effort to enhance the organization’s activities in support of the communities of Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Since then, Sondra has been the director of the Israel office, coordinating much of CFOIC Heartland’s community support programs world-wide.

CFOIC Heartland is the only Christian organization to focus exclusively on the communities in the heartland of Biblical Israel. CFOIC Heartland raises funds for the communities and encourages tourism to biblical sites in these areas as well.