The Jerusalem Post presented its “50 Most Influential Jews” award to Uri Poliavich, co-founder of The Yael Foundation, for his support of Jewish education worldwide at the Jerusalem Post Miami Summit on Tuesday.
Accepting the award on behalf of Poliavich in a pre-recorded video message, Chaya Yosovich, the organization’s CEO, said that the Yael Foundation, which was founded by Uri Poliavich and his wife Yael in 2020, is guided by the belief that all Jewish children around the world, irrespective of their geographic location or community size, should have access to high-quality educational experiences. “Strengthening Jewish identity, leading change, and promoting excellence in Jewish education is at the heart of what we do at the Yael Foundation,” she said.
Poliavich, who grew up in Ukraine and made aliyah with his family at a young age, has set a goal of ensuring that Jewish children and families worldwide have the opportunity to connect to Jewish tradition through schools, informal educational programs, summer camps, and more.
In the coming year, the foundation plans to issue $26.6 million in grants at three different tiers to dozens of schools internationally.
The Yael Foundation is currently supporting 85 schools, kindergartens, Sunday schools, and Hebrew schools in 37 countries and impacting over 14,000 Jewish students daily. Yosovich added that the organization’s mission has become even more critical since October 7 and the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War. “A Jewish school should be more than just a safe space. It should be a center of excellence competing with the best local schools.”
The Yael Foundation sponsored a portion of the Jerusalem Post Annual Conference.