Social gaps

The future of Israel depends on its tier of excellence, which positions the country at the forefront of science and technology and enables it to survive and prosper. At present, Israeli excellence faces an extraordinary technological opportunity on the horizon. However, there is concern that when Israel will raise the bar of excellence ahead of the new technological era, society’s large gaps will widen even further. This fear is rising in the wake of the Swords of Iron War.

In light of this reality, the Trump Foundation is asking itself whether, within the coming decade, excellence can serve as a springboard for equality of opportunity, and how the foundation can provide equal access to excellence regardless of social, sectoral, gender, or geographic differences. How is it possible to upgrade and expand Israel’s echelon of excellence without leaving any group or community behind, enabling anyone willing to take on the challenge to become part of the Israeli success story?

Looking through the “excellence lens,” it seems that it is indeed possible to close the gender gap. While the gender gap has widened over the past two years, there is proof of concept (female students comprised the majority of high school graduates with five units of mathematics in 2022) and the potential for success is huge. In contrast, when looking at excellence rates, the socioeconomic gap between the center and the periphery, as well as the sectoral gap between Jews and Arabs, are very large.