Ben Gurion Award of statehood, democracy and life in partnership

About the Award

The Ben-Gurion Award for Statemanship, Democracy, and Shared Living was launched and implemented for the first time in the Hebrew year 5783 (2022-2023). The award is the result of a collaboration between the Ben-Gurion House in Tel Aviv, the Lautman Fund, and the Nadav Fund. These organizations joined forces to cultivate, encourage, and honor educational excellence that promotes the values of statemanship, democracy, and shared living.
On October 7th, 2023, the face of the State of Israel changed. From a nation preoccupied with debates over its democratic character and the authority of the judicial system, the country became a nation at war. A nation that closely follows the safety of its soldiers, the return of abducted citizens, the restoration of an entire region, and the care for hundreds of thousands of displaced persons. In fact, the state has become one primarily occupied with containing pain and waiting for the end of the war. The war will eventually end, and Israel will change its face. Israeli society will need not only to heal its wounds but also, and primarily, to build for itself a new and different future. The Ben-Gurion Award aims to be the moral lighthouse for the "day after." Even then, when the battles subside, the building blocks of Israeli society must include statemanship, democracy, and shared living. These will serve as a firm and common foundation for all of Israeli society.

עוד על השותפות

A word about Ben-Gurion, statemanship, democracy, and sherd living

According to Ben-Gurion’s legacy, Mamlachtiyut (Statemanship) is the ability to develop a shared civic consciousness among all residents of the State of Israel. This consciousness binds different communities together and calls upon them to become a civil society living in a sovereign, democratic state. This vision of Ben-Gurion’s is needed today more than ever, and the Ben-Gurion Award plays a vital role in healing Israeli society and emerging from the disaster. Only a democratic, life-affirming society—one with a shared civic consciousness that prioritizes the common good—is a resilient society. Such a society possesses the strength to practice mutual responsibility, act with social solidarity, and withstand the challenges that lie ahead.

the purposes of the award

By giving the award, we aim to encourage educational activities:

which works to heal Israeli society in all its aspects and fosters the sense of partnership, mutual understanding and respect.
which promotes the value of statehood as conceived and understood by Ben-Gurion - promotion of a common civic consciousness.
which reinforces the State of Israel's being a Jewish and democratic state that promotes values of human dignity, freedom and equality.
which encourages social involvement whose main purpose is promoting the values of democracy.
which promotes the acquisition of civic skills, which are the heart of the ability to be a citizen in a democratic society.

We wish to generate public resonance and visibility for the educational work and the men and women of education who initiate this work precisely in these difficult days.

Keren Tsv'uny - an Israeli foundation founded in 2021 and focused on providing assistance and support for community and social needs in Israel in the fields of education, culture, leadership, higher education, welfare, health, art and more. As part of the foundation's activities, it supports initiatives that combine leadership development alongside welfare, culture and more.

לאתר הקרן

The Lautman Fund – A family foundation established in 2008 that focuses on two primary areas: promoting formal and informal education, and advancing partnership and equality among the diverse populations in Israeli society. The Fund invests in NGOs, high-quality educational programs, and the development of new content and services to create significant and sustainable change in its fields of activity. Furthermore, the Fund creates collaborations with government bodies, local authorities, and civil society organizations across all its areas of operation.

לאתר הקרן

The Ben-Gurion House in Tel Aviv – The private home of Paula and David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister and Minister of Defense of the State of Israel. In his will, Ben-Gurion bequeathed his home to the State of Israel, requesting that it be turned into an "institution for reading, study, and research." Today, the house serves as an educational and cultural center dedicated to promoting the study of Ben-Gurion's leadership and his vision of Mamlachtiyut (Statemanship), while constantly examining their relevance to our lives today.

the award committee

The initiatives will be examined by a committee made up of representatives of the foundations that support the letter and educators.

1
Reading all the nominations in relation to the same educational stream and the same age group and choosing the Olim for the final
2
Viewing the presentations of the finalists
3
Selection of winners

The winning schools

The winning schools are selected from hundreds of schools that apply. To encourage the action and create a learning community of schools that promote statehood, democracy and life in partnership, we invite you to learn about the actions of the winning schools every year.