Outstanding Educators Healing Israeli Society Through Education

Amal Educational Network’s annual “Outstanding Educators 2025” ceremony, held earlier today in Cinema City of Ramat Hasharon, turned into a powerful tribute to the quiet heroism of teachers and educational staff who consistently go far beyond what their role requires. Before the ceremony, the laureates arrived with their family and peers to a special reception where they met with other school principals and the pedagogical leaders of Amal network. An hour later the ceremony started with Karen Tal and Tamar Peled Amir who congratulated and emphasized the critical role of teachers in rebuilding Israeli society after the war.

Adi Schwartz Hadad from the Yigal Alon School in Ramla was honored not only for her classroom teaching, but for the many initiatives she has led that enrich school life and create new opportunities for her students. Miri Rosenthal from Amal Hadera, a biology teacher who also leads the school’s excellence track, was recognized for awakening curiosity and engagement in her students, including through educational delegations she has led to Poland that deepen both knowledge and values.

Standing alongside them was Shalom Sasson from Amal Alef in Petach Tikva, a mentor to many of the school’s most challenging students, whose dedication continues even after his formal retirement. Each day he still crosses significant distances to arrive at school and give his all to the children who depend on him. From Tel Aviv, David Frucht of Amal Holtz, a cyber studies teacher, was celebrated for developing a unique application that teaches Python through AI, opening a creative, up-to-date path into the world of programming for his students.

The ceremony also shone a spotlight on educators from Arab and Druze communities whose work is reshaping the future of their students. Sawssan Abud from Amal in Kisra-Smia, a chemistry teacher, succeeded in significantly increasing the number of students who chose to move from 3 to 5 units in chemistry for their bagrut, becoming a role model for other teachers in the Druze village.

Ilana Attili, a Hebrew literature teacher at Amal Tira, was recognized for devoting extensive personal time to building close relationships and tutoring students who are struggling, ensuring that no one is left behind. Innas Jabara from Amal Taibeh, an English teacher, was honored for leading her students to improved achievement in English through the Access program, opening doors to global communication and future studies.

Alongside the teachers, the network also saluted leaders who quietly sustain entire institutions and systems: Motti Mazliach from Amal Max Fein in Tel Aviv, who for a decade has run the college as a side job without reward; Tammer Karaeen from Amal Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem, who teaches sports and serves as a central figure for his students; and Haled Baransi from the Amal headquarters, who leads the engineering department that manages renovation projects across the network’s schools.

What unites this diverse group—Jewish, Arab and Druze; classroom teachers, mentors and system leaders—is a deep, personal dedication that touches students’ lives and leaves a lasting impact. Watching each of them walk onto the stage to the applause of colleagues and family members offered a rare moment of hope that, through such educators, Amal can help heal the fractures in Israeli society and rebuild it through education.