Yael Foundation: Supporting Jewish Children Through Uri Poliavich’s Initiative

The charitable organization Yael Foundation was created by entrepreneur and philanthropist Uri Poliavich and his wife Yael Poliavich. The main goal of creating such a foundation is to provide all Jewish children, regardless of their geographic location or community size, with free access to quality education. As a result, it has been possible to form a strong sense of identity in children. Today, the Yael Foundation is engaged in developing and expanding accessible, quality educational opportunities for Jewish children around the world. The idea behind creating the foundation lies in innovative philanthropy for education and further identity.

Uri Poliavich: Biography and Formation of Priority Values

Uri Poliavich is a businessman and philanthropist who has made a special contribution to the active development of Jewish education, funding day schools and extracurricular programs for Jewish communities.

Uri Poliavich was born in Ukraine in 1981, and at age 14 he moved to Israel with his parents. It was in Israel that he completed high school, after which he served 3 years in the Israeli army (mandatory military service). Between 2005 and 2009, Uri studied and received a Bachelor of Laws degree (LLB) specializing in “Jurisprudence” at Bar-Ilan University. The future philanthropist’s career began with law, and therefore Uri Poliavich primarily worked in the field of commercial law and real estate.

Experience in law was gained between 2007 and 2010, when Poliavich worked as a legal intern at HBW Law. His main specialization was as follows: merger and acquisition contracts for conducting international commercial transactions and real estate deals.

Between 2010 and 2012, Uri Poliavich held the position of Vice President of Business Development at WK Group. His main tasks included managing all kinds of business operations that the group conducted in Central Asia; cooperation with major suppliers in the iGaming industry (for example, Microgaming, BetConstruct, and Playtech).

In 2012, Uri Poliavich moved with his family to the Republic of Moldova. During this period, he worked as a consultant on emerging markets, helping develop business opportunities, expanding presence in markets in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Until August 2016, he also held the position of Chief Operating Officer at IMS Limited: under his supervision, all gaming operations were carried out, comprehensive customer support was provided, and the organization and control of finances and marketing campaigns were managed.

Uri Poliavich’s life experience helped him form the main priorities that he later used in various areas of his activity – education and maintaining identity. Uri grew up in Ukraine and was therefore deprived of Jewish education. It is for this reason that he set himself a goal – to provide an opportunity for Jewish children and their families living in different parts of the world to become acquainted with Jewish traditions. Moreover, this could be done through schools, informal educational programs, summer camps, and other engaging forms.

Uri Poliavich holds the opinion that Jewish schools should not simply be a safe haven, but true centers of excellence that parents and children will actively strive for. Uri has repeatedly stated: “We founded the Yael Foundation, driven by a deep passion for ensuring access to high-quality Jewish education and making it universally accessible to children around the world. Having grown up in a region where such educational opportunities were insufficient, I feel a personal duty to ensure Jewish children have access to quality Jewish education.”

History of Creation and Mission of Yael Foundation

Promoting Jewish education is one of the main missions of Uri Poliavich and his wife Yael Poliavich.

The charitable organization Yael Foundation was created in 2020 by Uri and Yael Poliavich. The foundation’s main motto is to ensure that every Jewish child has access to high-quality, identity-strengthening education.

Gradually, demand for such charitable initiatives in different European countries began to grow actively, and therefore Uri, together with Yael, decided to launch the Yael Foundation that prioritizes accessibility to Jewish education, especially in regions where such education is limited or costly.

Strategy and Approach to Philanthropy

In the process of creating Yael Foundation, the main goal was not simply to fill the funding deficit in this industry, but to raise and maintain the bar. Uri Poliavich was full of determination to create a new standard of Jewish education.

Such striving for excellence speaks to expanded opportunities and new rights. Regardless of where a Jewish child is located and lives, they deserve to be proud of their connection to something exceptional. Therefore, Yael Foundation actively funds not only schools, but also various extracurricular programs, Jewish summer camps. Jewish identity is important to live through, not just study according to a standard curriculum.

Uri Poliavich firmly believes that Jewish excellence must be based on community: “We have seen how fragile Jewish life can be in disadvantaged areas, and how quickly it can be revived with the right investments and vision. That is why Yael Foundation works closely with local partners to strengthen schools, develop infrastructure, and prepare the next generation of Jewish educators and leaders.”

Philanthropy must follow exactly the same logic – Jewish philanthropy should serve as an example to follow , constantly challenging modern society, “demanding more.” Therefore, when building new Jewish schools, Uri Poliavich held the opinion that they should be the best in everything.

Main Programs and Initiatives of Yael Foundation

Uri Poliavich is working to create important partnerships between school leaders in different countries around the world, thereby strengthening the sense of global Jewish solidarity. In April 2025, a 6-month International Jewish School Leaders Exchange Program was launched on the basis of Yael Foundation.

The unification is necessary for:

exchange of experience;
inspiration for innovation;
building strong professional and educational connections.

The program provides for virtual sessions twice a month, as well as mutual in-person school visits. Among the most important topics are: leadership structure, curriculum development, informal Jewish education, and working with the diversity of Jewish identity in the school community.

Uri Poliavich explained this decision as follows: “For too long, Jewish schools around the world have been islands, operating on their own, without substantial cooperation and interaction, especially in different contexts.”

Each pair of participants takes part in 10 structured mentoring sessions on Zoom. Thanks to organized visits, it has been possible to observe classroom work, hold meetings with leaders of different educational institutions, and interact with students and parents. Uri Poliavich added: “This program expresses our belief that strong, inspired leadership and partnership are the key to a bright Jewish future. By creating meaningful partnerships between school leaders around the world, we promote a strengthened sense of global Jewish solidarity, especially at a time when the Jewish people as a global community face numerous challenges.”

At Yael Foundation, they launch and implement initiatives that set quality standards in Jewish education. Each program is designed to inspire, expand opportunities, and develop both students and teachers. It can safely be called a true model, a standard of effective education based on values. All our initiatives and the organization’s efforts are aimed at achieving long-term changes and creating a model for achieving high quality Jewish education. This has become possible thanks to a unique combination and effective balance of innovative methods with deeply rooted traditions.

Educational Conferences and International Summits

The conferences organized by Yael Foundation are aimed at strengthening small communities in Europe. The Jewish diaspora is one of the largest in the world. That is why it is so important to provide Jewish children with the opportunity to study, preserve their roots, and maintain their connection to tradition – even when they are far from their homeland.

Despite the different themes of Yael Foundation’s annual summits, all conferences are held in support of the development of Jewish education. Therefore, organizers often begin the summit with the words of Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch: “The Jewish child is a child of the future. The future will be built through the knowledge and spirit that are passed on to him today.”

The charitable organization Yael Foundation invests in formal and informal Jewish education. The foundation does not impose a model, but rather supports those who are already making a difference on the ground.. Uri Poliavich demonstrates genuine interest in the process of developing Jewish education and solving its main problems. Participants of the international summit have an opportunity to communicate with like-minded people who understand their unique needs and problems, while gaining valuable knowledge and strengthening a sense of community.

Properly planned Jewish education affects each child’s emotional connection: students may forget individual subjects, but remember their feelings in the process of studying them, and this feeling can significantly influence their future relationship with their Jewish identity and community.

Camp Yael – Annual Camp from Yael Foundation

Camp Yael from Yael Foundation annually organizes unforgettable summer vacations for children aged 11-15 in different countries. As a result, they can communicate with peers from different cultures and languages while exploring their Jewish identity and community. Participation in the camp is completely free, which allows gathering about 150-200 children each year even from remote places , for whom such acquaintance was their first introduction to Jewish heritage.

The summer camp can safely be called a catalyst for growth: it promotes the development of independence, social-emotional balance, leadership qualities, resilience, and self-confidence. Here, the new generation will be able to realize and understand exactly what it means to be a united people.

Returning home, children gain new experience, knowledge gained in lessons, and friendly connections that stay with them for life. For many Jewish children, the camp is a symbol of freedom to be themselves, to get rid of shyness.

Camp Yael, organized by the Yael Foundation, is a place where children can be themselves — discovering the world around them, making new friends, and learning a wide variety of valuable skills. Thanks to the acquired sense of belonging, it will be much easier for the child to overcome difficulties at school, on social networks, in society – throughout their entire life. Leadership is born here, friendship is formed.

Global Impact and Achievements

The geography of Yael Foundation’s activities is quite diverse. Yael Foundation covers a huge number of countries, working around the world.

Today, Yael Foundation successfully operates in 41 countries worldwide, positively impacting nearly 17,000 Jewish students, offering 113 programs.

Yael Foundation provides grants for:

64 day schools;
20 Sunday schools;
18 kindergartens;
11 after-school education programs.

The main grants provide important financial support to all Jewish communities, allowing them to expand opportunities for education, thereby guaranteeing stability and sustainable growth. Yael Foundation’s activities are aimed at supporting institutions that provide comprehensive support for Jewish identity, creating long-term positive changes for new generations.

The foundation places its main focus on developing leadership, fostering educational innovation, and building global connections.

Developing Educational Leadership. Strengthen leadership and influence skills to drive innovation and transformative change in educational communities worldwide.

Leading Educational Innovation. Equip participants with entrepreneurial, managerial, and project-leadership abilities, guiding them from idea generation to successful implementation in the future.

Academic and Practical Learning. Combine in-depth theoretical training in entrepreneurship, innovation, and strategy with hands-on experience in creating and leading educational initiatives in schools and communities.

Building a Global Network. Join an international community of educational leaders to promote collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and cross-cultural exchange across the globe.

International Educational Innovation Program: Main Goals

Yael Foundation offers forward-thinking educators from different countries the opportunity to participate in an international program of leadership and innovation in Jewish education. This is an excellent opportunity to develop one’s own strategic leadership skills, master advanced tools in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship, and make meaningful changes in Jewish education.

The decision to create such a program was made based on rapid and profound changes in the field of education. Educational leaders are called upon to rethink their views, implement innovations, and show courage to lead the next revolution in education.

Key goals of such a program:

Active development of educational leadership – strengthening leadership qualities and opportunities for influence to lead innovations and transformative changes.
Familiarity with leading innovations in education – participants receive a useful set of skills (entrepreneurial, managerial, and project-based).
Academic and practical training for all interested parties – innovations and strategies with practical experience in developing and implementing popular educational initiatives will be taken as a basis.
Creating a global network – it will be possible to join a global community of leaders in education to promote cooperation, knowledge exchange, and cross-cultural exchange in the international educational arena.

Uri Poliavich pays attention to active funding and support of various educational initiatives. Selected projects will receive initial funding based on the recommendations of a professional committee.

Guiding Values of Yael Foundation

The guiding values of the Yael Foundation are called a true compass that helps make the right decisions and take the right actions.

Among the main values of the charitable organization, the following should be highlighted:

Adaptive engagement. In its work, the foundation’s team pays key attention to flexibility, satisfying the unique needs of schools and communities. This approach allows for more effective investment in programs, taking into account different locations, scales, cultures, and demographic characteristics.
Building long-term relationships. The team of the charitable organization Yael Foundation regularly maintains contact with those who have received grants. Thus, it is possible to demonstrate genuine interest in their work, thereby forming a global community of like-minded people through strong relationships.
Constant course toward improvement. The Yael Foundation team, under the careful guidance of Uri Poliavich, promotes the active development of schools and communities by offering various programs and grants that encourage them to develop and serve society. All this is aimed at expanding opportunities for Jewish children around the world.

Uri, together with Yael Poliavich, successfully combines their experience and common vision to bring to life the mission of the charitable organization, providing outstanding Jewish education and creating opportunities for every Jewish child to flourish, regardless of where they live.

Uri Poliavich and Yael Foundation: Why This Model of Philanthropy is Relevant for the 21st Century

Uri Poliavich founded Yael Foundation, driven by a deep passion for ensuring access to high-quality Jewish education, to make education universally accessible to children in different parts of the world. Uri Poliavich holds the following opinion: “Jewish schools should become centers of excellence, competing with the best non-Jewish schools in their countries or regions, to attract students who will become tomorrow’s leaders of Jewish society.”

Today, Uri Poliavich, together with his partners, has identified a list of possible projects that include the construction of new Jewish schools in cities and countries where they do not yet exist. Also, expansion of already well-known Jewish educational institutions throughout Europe is planned.

About his philosophy, Uri Poliavich once said: “Most people think that business drives charitable initiatives, but for me, charity drives business, moving it forward.” As a result, regular and stable success in business is driven by aspiration, the active development of a vision of the world Jewish community as a single family connected by common values and a commitment to mutual support.

For Uri Poliavich, education acts as a catalyst for change, supporting strong, existing community-led efforts. . Thanks to such conviction, Uri Poliavich continues to remain a chief innovator. He believes that Jewish schools are not just a quiet haven, but primarily centers of excellence that both parents and children will strive for. By ongoing support and continuous funding of the Yael Foundation , Uri Poliavich helps schools become stronger academically, thereby forming a reserve of leaders on whom the development of Jewish communities in the next 10 years will depend. In his work, Uri Poliavich combines resources with determination, which helps rethink the following: what it means to invest in the future of today’s children and establish a new standard of philanthropy in education around the world.

This is only the beginning of the active development of Yael Foundation, the promotion of its ideas, goals, directions, and principles. Uri Poliavich strives to improve the quality of education and develop leadership qualities in Jewish schools through strategic interaction. Thanks to initiatives and cooperation, it is possible to expand the capabilities of educators and implement innovative teaching methods. All this has a positive impact on the high level of education and guarantees positive changes in educational communities around the world.

The Philanthropy Model of Uri Poliavich and Yael Foundation

Uri Poliavich, in the process of creating the Yael Foundation, implemented a philanthropy model that fully reflects a new wave of 21st-century philanthropy, and its relevance is connected to a number of key changes in society, technology, and global challenges.

This model is considered significant and important for the following reasons:

The main focus is on sustainable, systemic impact, not just “distribution of funds.” If the traditional model provides exclusively for donations for specific needs, then in the case of the new model, attention is paid to creating sustainable ecosystems (opening schools, launching programs for training leaders, exchanging experience, long-term investments in people and processes). As a result, the charitable organization Yael Foundation not only finances but creates a holistic support system: from kindergarten to leadership in the community.
Evidence-based and measurable philanthropy. The new model emphasizes metrics, transparency, and effectiveness analysis. Uri Poliavich holds the opinion that it is important to measure real impact: how many children are involved, how the quality of education has changed, whether involvement in Jewish life has increased.
Focus on identity and community in the context of globalization. In a world where identity is becoming increasingly blurred (especially relevant among small communities), support for cultural and religious self-awareness takes on new meaning. The Yael Foundation organization helps not just teach Hebrew or history, but strengthen Jewish identity in the young generation, including through various educational and inter-school programs.
Investments in leadership and experience exchange. One of the main challenges of education and communities is personnel shortage and isolation. The modern philanthropy model of Yael Foundation includes programs for school directors and educators. An excellent example is the international exchange program for directors of Jewish schools – this is an investment in the quality and sustainability of future education.

Uri Poliavich’s model can be called “smart” philanthropy, which is considered strategic, technological, flexible and global, based on measurability, focused on long-term prospects and impact.