After a surge in registration for Jewish schools worldwide, largely due to rising antisemitism since the Oct. 7 Hamas onslaught on Israel, and just ahead of the new school year, the Yael Foundation has launched an innovation leadership program for principals of Jewish schools globally.
The program aims to ensure that the recent rise in interest among Jewish students is met with improving standards and innovative educational methods and that Jewish schools become the educational institutions of choice for young Jews and their parents.
“Principals are the directors of their schools; everything derives from their ability to educate and innovate in impactful ways,” said Uri Poliavich, co-founder of the Cyprus-based Yael Foundation.
“This program is a direct and lasting investment in a strong and enduring future for Jewish education around the world. Jewish students receiving high-quality Jewish education has always been important, but especially now, with the upsurge of interest in Jewish schools, it is absolutely essential.
Yael Foundation CEO Chaya Yosovich added, “We are seeing a surge of interest in applications for Jewish schools around the world, and we know that much of this interest is driven by antisemitic intimidation and fear.
“The challenge for those involved in Jewish education is ensuring that Jewish schools need to be more than just a haven from threats or abuse, they should be centers of excellence, competing with the best non-Jewish schools in their countries or regions. We want parents and prospective students to run towards our schools and not run away from other schools.
“To meet this goal, we are building a global cadre of principals who are innovators and leaders, who will challenge their students, help spread excellence and ensure that Jewish schools remain the preferred choice for Jewish students even when antisemitism does eventually become less of an issue,” Yosovich said.
The one-year program includes a semester program and a one week intensive study program in Israel.
After a successful pilot program, 18 principals from schools in Argentina, Austria, Brazil, France, Spain and Ukraine, among others, were selected among dozens of applicants to attend the one-year program run in conjunction with Herzliya’s Reichman University. The participants studied concepts from the Israeli invention and innovation scene and how they can be used in the classroom.
“Our aim is to create a network of ‘start-up classrooms,’ so there is no better place than to have our principals come and learn from those who built and are integrated into the ‘Start-Up Nation’,” said Naomi Kovitz, deputy director of the foundation.
“The foundation places a premium on strong leadership for educators as the cornerstone of every vibrant Jewish community. It transcends traditional teachings and demands innovation and a visionary outlook, and that is what this unique program is about.”
While in Israel on the one-week intensive study program, they visited the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation in Jaffa and received presentations from senior faculty at the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship at Reichman University, where the principals learned about such disciplines as applied innovation, creative thinking for innovative management and multidisciplinary innovation in action, change and systemic management and entrepreneurship.
Founded by Uri and Yael Poliavich in 2020, the foundation is a leading philanthropic initiative working in 35 countries impacting 13,000 Jewish students, and leading change to promote excellence in Jewish education.
