Uri Poliavich is a philanthropist whose charitable activities include supporting Jewish education and strengthening connections with Jewish culture and traditions among children living in different countries.
In 2020, Uri Poliavich established the Yael Foundation to support educational initiatives for Jewish children. The foundation works with schools, kindergartens, and informal education programs in dozens of countries, helping institutions develop educational environments that combine general studies with Jewish history, language, culture, and traditions.
Education occupies an important place in Uri Poliavich’s philanthropic work because regular access to learning provides children with an opportunity to understand their heritage and maintain a connection with their cultural background. His approach focuses primarily on supporting educational institutions and programs that can provide this experience over the long term.
The Personal Experience of Uri Poliavich
Uri Poliavich was born in 1981 and moved with his family to Israel at the age of fourteen. After arriving, he became more familiar with Jewish holidays, traditions, and practices that formed part of everyday life in his new environment.
This experience influenced his perspective on the role of education in maintaining cultural identity. Uri Poliavich came to see regular access to Jewish traditions and education as an important part of developing a connection with cultural heritage.
His later philanthropic work reflects this perspective. Uri Poliavich established the Yael Foundation with the aim of supporting educational opportunities that strengthen children’s connection to Jewish culture and community.
His role focuses on supporting and developing educational initiatives, while teaching and educational programs remain the responsibility of professional educators.
What a School Provides Outside a Large Community
For children living in smaller Jewish communities, access to Jewish education can be limited. In some locations, there may be few educational institutions offering structured programs focused on Jewish culture and traditions.
Schools can therefore play an important role in providing regular access to language, history, traditions, and community activities. Uri Poliavich directs support toward educational institutions in different countries, including those serving smaller communities.
These institutions can provide several elements:
- Language as part of regular education.
- History connected with Jewish culture and heritage.
- Traditions introduced throughout the academic year.
- Community through interaction with children from similar backgrounds.
- Continuity through regular access to cultural education.
Informal education also forms part of this work. Uri Poliavich supports Sunday programs, after-school activities, and summer camps alongside formal schooling, providing additional opportunities for children to participate in Jewish educational activities.
Summer programs supported by the foundation bring together young people from different locations and provide opportunities for education, communication, and shared cultural experiences.
These activities complement formal education and provide another setting in which children can learn about their heritage and interact with others from similar backgrounds.
Academic Strength Alongside Jewish Studies
Jewish studies form one part of the broader educational environment. Uri Poliavich supports an approach in which cultural education is combined with a strong general academic program.
The aim is for educational institutions to provide both Jewish studies and a broad curriculum that meets the academic needs of children and families.
Children supported through the foundation receive education covering arts, information technology, and other general subjects alongside programs connected with Jewish heritage.
Combining these areas helps schools provide a comprehensive educational environment and supports their long-term development.
The Role of Parents in the Educational Environment
Parents play an important role in choosing educational opportunities for their children. Uri Poliavich’s philanthropic work takes into account several practical factors that can influence access to education.
Cost can be one of these factors. Uri Poliavich supports tuition assistance intended to make educational opportunities available to more families. Academic quality and the condition of educational facilities are also considered important parts of the overall school environment.
Family participation can further support the development of educational institutions. Uri Poliavich supports programs that involve families in school activities and help strengthen connections between educational institutions and their communities.
The Vision of Uri Poliavich for Access
Access to education is one of the main principles behind Uri Poliavich’s philanthropic activities. His work focuses on expanding access to Jewish education in different locations, including smaller communities.
The scale of the Yael Foundation’s work includes:
- Operations in 48 countries, having started with one school in one location.
- Educational support reaching 29,000 children.
The foundation adapts its support according to the needs of individual educational institutions. A kindergarten and a secondary school may require different resources, programs, and forms of assistance.
The foundation’s activities also connect educational institutions operating in different countries, creating opportunities for schools to exchange experience and educational practices.
Education as Continuity Between Generations
Education can contribute to maintaining cultural knowledge and traditions between generations. Children who have regular access to Jewish education can develop a stronger understanding of their cultural background and heritage.
For Uri Poliavich, long-term educational support is an important part of this process. The focus extends beyond individual programs to the continued development of schools and other educational institutions.
This approach includes supporting institutions over longer periods and helping them create stable educational environments for the communities they serve.
Uri Poliavich’s philanthropic activities therefore focus on expanding access to Jewish education, supporting educational institutions, and creating opportunities for children to maintain a connection with Jewish culture and traditions.
