Just ahead of the start of the new school year, a relatively new foundation this summer launched a new leadership program for principals of Jewish schools.
The move followed an upsurge in registration for Jewish schools around the world that was triggered in large part by the rising antisemitism since October 7th.
Founded by Uri and Yael Poliavich in 2020, the Yael Foundation is a leading philanthropic initiative currently working in 35 countries impacting 13,000 Jewish students.
Those behind the new International Leadership Program said it is vital that new tools are created to assure that the recent rise in interest among Jewish students.
The program prioritized improving standards and innovative educational methods to ensure 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 innovative in impactful ways,” said Uri Poliavich, co-founder of the Yael Foundation.
“This program is a direct and lasting investment in a strong and enduring future for Jewish education around the world. It has always been important for Jewish students to receive a high-quality Jewish education, but especially with the upsurge of interest in Jewish schools, it is absolutely essential.”
International academic research has shown that investing in school principals is one of the most effective ways to improve education.
The Yael Foundation is working to lead in this area by utilizing innovative concepts and methodologies tailored to the challenges of the current era.
“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 anti-Semitic intimidation and fear,” said CEO Chaya Yosovich.
“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.”
After a successful pilot program, eighteen principals from schools in Argentina, Brazil, Spain, France, Austria and Ukraine, among others, were selected among dozens of applicants to attend the foundation’s one-year program run in conjunction with Reichman University.
During this program the participants learned in a special summer semester from top experts in the fields of education and innovation.
“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, the foundation’s deputy director.
While in Israel on the foundation’s one-week intensive study program, the participating principals visited the Peres Center for Innovation. They also received presentations from senior faculty at the Adelson School of Entrepreneurship at Reichman University, where they learned applied innovation, creative thinking for innovative management and multidisciplinary innovation in action, change and systemic management and entrepreneurship.
