About 1,000 teenagers from Israel’s social and geographic periphery took part in the country’s largest hackathon, developing technological initiatives to address bullying, social exclusion, loneliness and personal safety.
The event was held by the Nitzanim program of the Be’Netivei Udi nonprofit, which trains youth from northern Israel, the Negev and the Gaza border region in software and cyber professions. The program aims to help them enter elite technological units in the IDF and later join Israel’s high-tech industry.
Senior figures from Israel’s defense industry and high-tech sector took part in the event.
The winning project was developed by 10th grade students from Ramla in their first year of the Nitzanim excellence program. Hila, Lian, Lital and Agam created SafeWay, a smart personal safety tool designed to help users feel safer on their way home.
The system includes an “I’m on my way home” button that activates an intelligent chat assistant, which accompanies the user during the trip, offers reassurance and creates a sense of remote presence until they arrive safely.
The team also developed a smart emergency button that uses geolocation to identify the user’s live location and send an instant WhatsApp alert to a preselected emergency contact, including the active location and a request for help.
Another project focused on making schoolyards safer. Zoey Karobi, Dana Lakhtchin and Nicole Kabitelashvili, 11th grade students in their second year of the Nitzanim program in Ashdod, created an interactive computer game designed to combat bullying and loneliness among elementary school students.
Brig. Gen. (res.) Arnon Zu-Arets, co-founder of Be’Netivei Udi and former commander of the late Udi Elgrabli, opened the hackathon.
“This is a day of good news,” he said. “We are not complaining about the gaps. We are solving them together with our partners: business companies, local authorities, the IDF and government ministries. Without the belief and support of each and every one of you, this would not have happened.”
Keren Shtibel Katzir, head of sustainable business development and corporate responsibility at the National Digital Directorate, said technology can help shape a better future.
“Israeli technology, together with high-quality, leading and entrepreneurial people, can serve as an Iron Dome not only on the battlefield, but also in everyday life,” she said. “The real challenge is not only to respond, but to build the foundations for a smarter, fairer and more inclusive future.”
The Nitzanim program was founded by Be’Netivei Udi in partnership with the IDF’s C4I and Cyber Defense Directorate, the National Digital Directorate, the Economy Ministry and the Education Ministry. It seeks to identify and train promising youth from the Negev and Galilee for prestigious technological roles in the military.
The program also aims to build a local high-tech talent pipeline in the Negev and Galilee and narrow the gap between central Israel and the periphery.
Be’Netivei Udi was founded in memory of Lt. Udi Elgrabli, a communications officer in the Paratroopers Brigade who was killed in combat in Lebanon. The nonprofit was established by his parents, Mordechai and Georgette Elgrabli, together with Zu-Arets.
First published: 10:24, 05.04.26