The Day After the War should Focus on Education for Values

Two years after the traumatic events of October 7 and the long, painful war that followed, Israel’s education system stands at a decisive crossroads. The devastation and social division of recent years have made one truth undeniable: our future depends not only on military resilience, but on an educational renewal grounded in values, democracy, and innovation.

In his recent essay, Dr. Avraham Frank reflects on how Israeli society can rebuild itself through education. He cites Professors Aharon Ciechanover and Yosef M. Edri, who wrote in Haaretz: “The lack of worthy leadership, irrational collective thinking, ignorance, fake news, and blind loyalty to leaders — these are the symptoms of Israel’s public illness. The cure lies in what may sound like a cliché: everything begins with education.”

Dr. Frank emphasizes that Israel’s recovery must begin in the classroom — with education that cultivates responsibility, empathy, critical thinking, and shared humanity alongside scientific and technological excellence. Education, he argues, must once again become a national project: not only closing learning gaps, but restoring meaning, civic courage, and hope to a generation that has endured war and loss.

This vision deeply resonates with the path charted by the Amal Educational Network. With 50 high schools and 28,000 students across Israel, Amal is leading the way to become the country’s first state-democratic, scientific, and technological educational network — one that sees values-based learning as inseparable from academic excellence and professional readiness. Through its technological schools, democratic education programs, and strong community partnerships, Amal prepares young Israelis to take part in rebuilding the nation — socially, morally, and economically.

Today, as Israel seeks to heal and redefine itself, education must stand at the center of national recovery. Now is the time to invest in education for values — in schools that nurture thoughtful citizens, ethical innovators, and compassionate social leaders. The future of Israel will be built not only on what our students know, but on who they are, and on the values guiding their minds, hearts, and hands.