To sustain democracy, young people need opportunities to understand what it means, ask difficult questions and encounter people and perspectives different from their own. In today’s Israel, even this simple act has become increasingly difficult. 

Years of war and political division have narrowed the space for discussion in schools. Subjects connected to equality, human rights, Arab-Jewish partnership and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can quickly be labelled ‘partisan’, leaving educators uncertain about what they can teach. 

NIF supports educators and organisations helping young people think critically, recognise misinformation, understand different narratives and take responsibility for the society they want to live in. 

Liberal education in numbers 

• 250+ schools (thousands of students and educators) took part in Israeli Democracy Week, organised by NIF partners. 
• Over 400 educators were reached by our partner HaMigdalor in 2025. 
• 600+ young people from the Scouts youth movement took part in a conference on democratic education.  

Bringing democracy to hundreds of schools 

In January 2026, NIF partners launched the first Israeli Democracy Week. 

Thousands of students, educators and community members took part through more than 250 schools, pre-army programmes, youth movements and community groups. 

Led by dozens of our partners, the week included workshops, discussions, tours and performances exploring issues including equality, human rights, Arab-Jewish partnership, LGBTQ+ rights, gender equality and freedom. 

Helping educators to lead 

Teachers and school leaders are central to this work. Our partners develop educational materials and train people working in schools, youth movements, pre-army programmes and other settings. 

HaMigdalor is taking democratic education into some of Israel’s biggest youth institutions. Its work with the Scouts, Israel’s largest youth movement, is helping embed democracy into the values taught to thousands of young people from all across the country. 

In 2025, over 400 educators took part in HaMigdalor training, professional forums and tailored support. The results are already visible. One school principal began holding regular staff sessions on education for democracy while two others reshaped courses to include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and liberal democracy. 

Support educators under attack 

Supporting democratic education also means standing with educators when they come under attack. 

When school principal Eldad Porat suggested that teachers discuss reports of extremist settler violence with their students, he became the target of a public campaign demanding his resignation. 

NIF’s Civil Society Protection Hub and the State Education Guard responded quickly. Parents, educators and local leaders came together in support of the school. Twenty principals signed a letter backing Porat and the head of the regional council visited the school to defend the importance of open discussion. The pressure campaign did not succeed and Porat faced no disciplinary action. 

Our work matters beyond one school. Teachers need to know that encouraging thoughtful discussion on difficult subjects will not leave them standing alone.  

Many communities share democratic values 

There is no single model for liberal education and NIF partners work with organisations rooted in very different parts of Israeli society. Some work in secular schools. Others work with Jewish religious communities, Palestinian citizens, local authorities or youth movements.  

What connects them is the belief that young people should be able to engage seriously with questions of equality, freedom, human dignity and responsibility. 

This also allows democratic education to grow from within communities rather than being imposed from outside.  

Why NIF? 

Education shapes the values a society carries into its future. 

NIF works across schools, youth movements, local communities and educational institutions, supporting people who can bring democratic values into young Israelis’ everyday lives. 

We combine long-term investment with the ability to respond quickly when teachers, schools, or democratic education itself are under attack. The result is not simply more lessons about democracy. It is more young people equipped to ask questions, recognise racism and misinformation, understand people whose experiences differ from their own and take part constructively in public life. 

This Rosh Hashanah, help give the next generation the knowledge and confidence to shape a more democratic future. 

There is no democracy without civic education.
And there is no democracy without you.