“To educate a person to love others, love their people and love their country; to be a loyal citizen of the State of Israel; and to respect their parents and family, their heritage, cultural identity and language.”
— Israel’s State Education Law, 1953
There is a profound gap between the vision of Israel’s State Education Law and the reality of our education system today.
Yashar! is committed to restoring excellence and a shared sense of national responsibility to public education for every child in Israel, without exception.
The Challenge: An Education System That Deepens Divisions and Falls Short on Achievement
Israel’s education system is struggling to provide the educational, civic and social foundation needed to unite Israeli society and give every child a strong starting point for adult life.
Too many students graduate with significant gaps in knowledge and without the advanced thinking skills required to succeed in military and national service, higher education and the modern workforce.
The system has also failed to close the gaps between Israel’s center and its periphery and among different parts of Israeli society. In many cases, these gaps grow throughout a child’s years in school.
A young person’s ability to realize their potential should not depend on the socioeconomic circumstances into which they were born.
The challenges exist throughout the system.
Early-childhood education remains underfunded. Classrooms are overcrowded. Assessment methods too often reward memorization rather than understanding. Teachers operate under excessive workloads and centralized bureaucracy, with insufficient professional autonomy.
Alongside these challenges, Israel’s education system is struggling to create a common civic and values-based foundation.
Children study in separate educational systems, with too little shared content and too few opportunities to meet one another.
The result is a system that struggles to foster belonging, civic responsibility, mutual responsibility and an understanding of how we live together — values that are essential to maintaining a strong country.
The Yashar! Vision: The Israeli Graduate of 2048
We are looking ahead to Israel’s centennial and asking a fundamental question:
Who do we want the graduates of Israel’s education system to be in 2048?
We envision young Israelis with a strong national identity and deep roots in Judaism and Israel’s heritage, alongside a broad democratic and civic worldview grounded in the values of Israel’s Declaration of Independence.
Graduates of Israel’s education system should possess a strong democratic outlook, participate actively in shaping the public sphere, trust the institutions of the state and feel a deep commitment to its values.
They should have the resilience and skills required for a rapidly changing world.
They should be proficient in artificial intelligence, scientifically and technologically literate, capable of critical thinking and equipped to learn independently throughout their lives.
The graduate of 2048 should be a productive citizen who contributes to Israel’s economic prosperity and is committed to serving the country and protecting its security, guided by mutual responsibility and a sense of national purpose.
They should also understand Israel’s place in the wider world and contribute to strengthening unity at home and building regional and international partnerships that secure Israel’s future as a prosperous and leading society.
Values at the Center
Israel’s State Education Law must once again serve as the cornerstone of our education system.
A shared sense of national responsibility is what connects us. It transforms a collection of individuals and communities into a people with a shared destiny and purpose.
