As Jewish communities worldwide navigate questions of continuity, confidence, and belonging, education remains a central arena where identity is shaped. The 2026 Yael Awards, held this month in Vienna, offered a window into how Jewish educators across the Diaspora are approaching that task, highlighting schools and programs that are building Jewish life with intention, standards, and a forward-looking sense of purpose.
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Agam Berger receives the Voice of Jewish Identity Award at the 2026 Yael Awards. Photographed with Chaya Yosovich, CEO, Yael Foundation and Max Portelli, CFO of Soft2Bet
(Photo: Gadi Sierra)
What the Yael Awards signal about Jewish identity today
Educators from across the Jewish world gathered this month in Vienna for the 2026 Yael Awards, a global program dedicated exclusively to Jewish education. The gathering brought together school leaders, educators, and community figures from dozens of countries, all focused on a shared question of how Jewish identity is being built today.
The Yael Awards recognize excellence across the full spectrum of Jewish education. Categories span academic rigor, innovation, community impact, youth engagement, and early childhood education. This year’s winners represented ten countries, reflecting the diversity of Jewish life outside Israel.
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Uri Poliavich, co-founder of the Yael Foundation, speaks about the Foundation's 2026 focus at the Awards Gala
(Photo: Gadi Sierra)
The organization behind the awards
The awards are convened by the Yael Foundation, a global philanthropic organization focused on strengthening Jewish identity through education. Founded by Uri and Yael Poliavich, the Foundation works with 130 schools and educational programs across 45 countries, supporting communities that often lack access to sustained educational investment.
Its approach emphasizes long-term partnership, high standards, and direct engagement with educators on the ground.
In recent years, the Foundation has expanded from supporting existing institutions to building full-scale Yael Schools designed as models of excellence and sustainability. A new Jewish school is currently under construction in Limassol, Cyprus, with another planned in Lisbon, Portugal, the country’s first Jewish school in centuries. Beyond individual projects, the Foundation operates as a global network, connecting educators across regions to share ideas, reduce isolation, and raise standards.
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Yael Poliavich, co-founder of the Yael Foundation, presents the Yael Award for Academic Excellence to Madrid’s Ibn Gabirol School. Receiving the award, Ms. Estrella Bengio, President of the Jewish Community of Madrid and Luna Alfón Coriat, Director of the Ibn Gabirol School
(Photo: Gadi Sierra)
A conference focused on capacity, not reaction
This year’s awards took place during a broader conference that addressed leadership, resilience, and responsibility in Jewish education. While antisemitism was part of the conversation, it was not the dominant frame. Speakers and participants focused on long-term capacity rather than short-term reaction.
The conference theme, Own Your Flame, reflected that outlook. The focus was on confident leadership, clarity of purpose, and the responsibility educators carry in shaping identity. The message reinforced the idea that Jewish education is not defensive work, but an act of conviction.
More than 13,300 parents participated in the voting process this year. Final selections combined parent input with evaluation by an international judging panel that included figures from Jewish education, public life, and media. The process was designed to reflect both community trust and professional standards.
What winning means for local schools
The award recipients reflected the breadth of Jewish education today, spanning formal schools, community programs, and initiatives operating under very different local conditions.
Madrid’s Ibn Gabirol School received the Academic Excellence Award for combining strong academics with a pluralistic Jewish environment. Simcha School in Kyiv was recognized for innovation under extreme conditions. Sephardic Community Afterschool in Vienna was honored for youth engagement in a complex local context. Maimónides School in Tucumán, Argentina received the Community Impact Award for its role in sustaining Jewish life and education in a small and geographically isolated community.
For local schools, the recognition carries weight beyond the ceremony itself. In Madrid, leaders at Ibn Gabirol School described the award as an affirmation of daily work that often goes unseen. International recognition strengthened confidence among educators, reinforced trust with parents, and signaled that high standards in Jewish education are visible beyond the local community.
Each award includes a financial prize. For many communities, the recognition carried added significance. Leaders spoke about the impact of international validation on local confidence and sustainability.
A network built on shared standards
Yael Foundation co-founder Uri Poliavich framed the Foundation’s role in practical terms.
“What matters to us is building strong, self-sustaining Jewish schools with the right leadership, structure, and educational talent in place,” Poliavich said.
That focus on structure and standards appeared throughout the conference. Sessions explored ethical leadership, recovery after stress, and the responsibilities educators carry beyond the classroom. The emphasis remained on daily practice, shared challenges, and the exchange of ideas across communities.
For many participants, this exchange was central. The Yael Foundation’s global network connects schools and programs across regions that often work in isolation. Educators from Helsinki and Riga, Tucumán and Milan, regional France and New Zealand described the value of learning from peers facing different realities but similar questions.
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Chaya Yosovich, CEO of the Yael Foundation, speaks about Igniting Excellence in the Next Generation
(Photo: Gadi Sierra)
Closing the circle
The ceremony was hosted by Israeli mentalist Lior Suchard, whose presence added energy and moments of shared attention. His role complemented the evening’s focus on education, reflecting a shared interest in shaping mindset, influence, and how young people connect to meaning and identity.
Taken together, the Yael Awards offered a snapshot of Jewish communities building with confidence. Schools and educators across the Diaspora are investing in identity, leadership, and standards as foundations of strength. The work reflects a Jewish world moving forward with purpose and pride.