At the festive opening of the Druze High-Tech Empowerment Center (DTEC) on May 5, renowned philanthropist Dr. Miriam Adelson, an Israeli American physician and the publisher of Israel Hayom, was presented with the Druze Community Honorary Award for her contributions to the security of Israel and to the Druze community.
The technological innovation and entrepreneurship center was designed to promote and strengthen entrepreneurship among young men and women from Druze society, in cooperation and close connection with the Israeli high-tech industry.
Located in the Druze-majority village of Usfiya in the Haifa area, the center was named in honor of Sheikh Amin Tarif, the late spiritual leader of the community.
For many years, activist Koftan Halabi, chairman and founder of the Druze Veterans Association, has been working to empower young people in the community, particularly active-duty soldiers, veterans, and reservists.
The Druze in Israel constitute a unique minority, currently numbering approximately 153,000 among a population of close to 9.5 million. Their language is Arabic, although the younger generation is becoming more integrated with the general population, Halabi told JNS.
Thousands of them are members of Druze Zionist movements, and close to 90 percent of the young men enlist in the IDF, the highest percentage among all Israeli communities. Indeed, 13 Druze soldiers have fallen since Oct. 7, 2023.
Halabi told JNS that the Druze have progressed more slowly in these fields than the general population due to a lack of connections and fewer opportunities. A fierce Zionist who fights against the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, he stressed that it was “not due to discrimination. Israel is not a racist state.”
The new center was designed to provide young men and women from the community with practical tools, high-level technological training, and a direct connection to jobs, ventures, and initiatives in local and global high-tech.
“This is the beginning of a new entrepreneurial community, with support from the leading players in Israeli high-tech,” Halabi told the audience. “We are presenting a program at the new center to encourage and nurture technological entrepreneurship in its ranks, along with a direct connection to senior figures from the high-tech industry.”
He said the DTEC Innovation Center would enable “open dialogue” with entrepreneurs and senior representatives from the industry.
“The new center is suitable for young men and women from Druze and Jewish society with an entrepreneurial idea, for startups in their early stages or for anyone who wants to grow from the heart of the community to high-tech executives,” he said.
Upon receiving her reward, Adelson expressed gratitude to Halabi for involving her in the project, although she quipped that, at first, he was a “first-class nudnik.”
However, she added, “I thank Koftan, who persisted and didn’t give up on me. Gradually, I connected more and more with this place and witnessed something truly wonderful being established here. Thank you for bringing me to such a meaningful place. It’s deeply moving to be a partner in this endeavor.”
‘The Jewish people in Israel and worldwide support and help us’
Another subject on the minds of the audience was the dire situation of the Druze in Syria.
“These days in Syria, our Druze brothers are being slaughtered by the disturbed Islamic extremists of [Syrian President] Abu Mohammad al-Juliani, who disguises himself as a friendly Westerner. I call on everyone not to stand idly by,” said former prime minister Naftali Bennett.
“This is the moral course of action and serves the security interests of the State of Israel. To keep these extremist fanatics away from our border, we need to help our brothers by providing assistance and equipment, and taking action from above, below, and wherever necessary,” he added.
Sheikh Tarif, the spiritual leader of the Druze community, said, “Due to the ongoing events in Syria and the disturbing images coming from there, where Druze villages around Damascus have been attacked, hundreds murdered, and hundreds of thousands forced to flee their homes, we are reminded of a dark period in history.”
He called on the international community to do “everything possible to assist.” However, he noted, “The Jewish people in Israel and worldwide support and help us. Who better than the Jewish people can understand the feeling of helplessness when your people are under attack?”
Prominent high-tech entrepreneurs who partnered in the initiative and attended the celebratory event, hosted by TV personality Danny Kushmaro, included Dr. Danny Gold, inventor of the Iron Dome; Shlomo Gradman, chairman of the High-Tech CEO Forum; Billy Harboiya, CEO of Amazon Israel; and Professor Nava Zisapel, owner of Bynet Communications.
President Isaac Herzog, who included Halabi among a dozen recipients of the 2023 Volunteer Award, sent a warm video greeting.