At a time when antisemitism is rising globally – and Jewish communities are facing unprecedented scrutiny, pressure, and hostility – the instinct to retreat can be powerful. Nevertheless, history has shown that Jewish continuity is not secured through fear or defensiveness: It is secured through confidence, clarity, and leadership.
That is the philosophy at the heart of the Yael Awards, and of this year’s theme, Own Your Flame.
The Yael Awards are held annually by the Yael Foundation, a philanthropic investor in the Jewish future, driven by the belief that all Jewish children should have access to high-quality Jewish and general education. The Foundation works in 45 countries and 130 schools, impacting over 20,000 students.
The only truly global awards for Jewish education and educators, they were created with a clear purpose: to spotlight excellence in Jewish education worldwide and to elevate those who are setting the highest standards for the next generation.
The 2025 Yael Awards winners included schools like David Wolfsohn College in Argentina, Chneor-Avenir in Paris and Or Menachem in Ukraine for educational excellence.
More than a celebration, the awards are a statement of values. They assert that the most effective response to a challenging moment is not retreat, but excellence; not silence, but strength and leadership rooted in identity.
At a moment when Jewish schools, educators, and institutions are often asked to justify their existence, the Yael Awards do something quietly radical: they place Jewish education at the center of the conversation, not as a defensive necessity, but as a proactive force shaping the future of Jewish life.
A stake in the ground
This year’s gala, taking place in Europe this February, is not for celebration alone but an instrument for advancing the field of Jewish education and placing it at the forefront of the global Jewish agenda.
At its core, the awards recognize educators and institutions that are shaping identity, cultivating leadership, and strengthening Jewish continuity in meaningful, measurable ways. They honor professionals whose influence extends far beyond the classroom, educators who are building confidence, purpose, and belonging in young Jews navigating an increasingly complex world.
“The Yael Awards are a stake in the ground,” said Chaya Yosovich, CEO of the Yael Foundation. “They set standards rather than chase approval. They signal what excellence looks like and why it matters.”
In doing so, the awards reframe Jewish education not as a defensive project, but as a strategic one aimed at securing a strong and robust Jewish future.
Education, engine of Jewish confidence
Jewish education has always been the backbone of Jewish survival, but in today’s climate, its role has become even more pronounced.
Education is where identity is formed, not as a reaction to hostility, but as a source of inner strength. It is where young Jews learn what they are part of, and most importantly, why it matters. And it is where confidence is built long before it is tested.
As former Soviet dissident and Jewish leader Natan Sharansky emphasized: “Excellence in Jewish education is the best way to strengthen your Jewish identity. Strengthening Jewish identity gives young people the power to influence the world while remaining grounded in their heritage.”
This idea sits at the heart of the Yael Awards. Strong identity enables engagement, not isolation. It produces leaders who act with clarity rather than fear, who contribute to society while remaining anchored in their values.
‘Own your flame’: A mindset shift
The theme of the 2026 Yael Awards, Own Your Flame, reflects a deliberate mindset shift.
“Own Your Flame speaks to leadership, ownership, and confidence,” says Yosovich. “Jewish education shapes identity, builds connection, and equips the next generation to engage with the world from a place of strength and purpose.”
At its core, the idea recognizes something educators understand well. Every educator brings a distinct set of strengths into the classroom. Intellectual rigor, creativity, warmth, discipline, or vision. These qualities are personal, and they matter, shaping how students learn and how values are transmitted.
Owning one’s flame is an affirmation of that reality. Excellence in Jewish education does not come from uniform models: it comes from educators who understand their unique impact and teach with clarity and confidence.
The metaphor extends to students. Each child carries a flame that exists even before it is visible. Like a pilot light, it waits for the fuel that allows it to grow. Jewish education provides that fuel through language, story, values, and belonging.
In this framing, Own Your Flame is a statement of trust. It reflects confidence in educators, in students, and in Jewish education itself as a force that activates what is already present.
Defining excellence: The judges
The seriousness of the Yael Awards is reflected in the caliber of its judging panel, a group that embodies leadership across education, public life, and global Jewish affairs.
Among the judges are Natan Sharansky, human rights activist and former chairman of the Jewish Agency; Robert Singer, former CEO and executive vice president of the World Jewish Congress; Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt, writer and Jewish thought leader; and Max Neuberger, founder and publisher of The Circuit, Jewish Insider, and eJewish Philanthropy and director for the Middle East at 25Madison, a venture studio building startups in health, supply chain and AI.
Together, they bring a wide lens to what excellence truly means: impact, sustainability, vision, and values. Their role is not simply to select winners, but to articulate standards, to ask which initiatives are shaping the future rather than responding to the present.
The vision behind the foundation
The Yael Foundation, founded by Uri and Yael Poliavich in 2020, operates on a simple but powerful belief: that the strongest investment in Jewish life is education.
In the five years since its founding, the foundation has become a major force in global Jewish education, supporting schools and initiatives across continents, strengthening infrastructure, and helping communities build sustainable educational ecosystems.
While working with many of the established education philanthropies across the globe, what distinguishes the foundation is its hands-on approach. Rather than offering one-off grants, it partners with institutions, focusing on long-term growth, leadership development, and measurable impact.
The Yael Awards are a natural extension of that philosophy. They reflect a commitment to both to recognize and cultivate excellence.
By elevating best practices and celebrating those who lead with vision, the Yael Foundation helps create a ripple effect across the global Jewish educational landscape and creates partnerships in different environments.
From recognition to momentum
One of the defining features of the Yael Awards is that they do not end when the ceremony does.
Recognition creates momentum and inspires other educators to raise their standards, to innovate, and to believe that excellence is both possible and valued.
In this way, the awards function as more than an honor: they are a catalyst. They encourage schools and educators to see themselves as part of a global movement shaping Jewish life for the next generation.
As one education leader put it, “When excellence is celebrated publicly, it becomes contagious.”
Blazing ahead with purpose
At a time when antisemitism seeks to intimidate and silence, the Yael Awards offer a different response: clarity, confidence, and commitment.
They honor educators who refuse to shrink, who invest in the future, and who understand that leadership begins with identity. And they send a clear message: that the future of Jewish life belongs to those willing to lead it with purpose.
In choosing the name “Own Your Flame,” the Yael Awards are not reacting to the moment. They are shaping what comes next.
This article was written in cooperation with the Yael Foundation.