At a time when Israel’s resilience is being tested on every front — military, economic, social, and technological — organizations that invest in the future of the Startup Nation have never been more essential.
Few organizations embody that responsibility more powerfully than American Friends of Afeka, the U.S.-based non-profit organization dedicated to supporting Afeka Academic College of Engineering in Tel Aviv, one of Israel’s leading engines of technological talent, innovation, and national strength.
From educating the next generation of engineers who power Israel’s high-tech and defense sectors, to supporting student IDF reservists returning from extended military service, to helping build Afeka College’s transformative new engineering campus in the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood of southeast Tel Aviv, American Friends of Afeka is playing a direct role in engineering Israel’s future.
This is not simply support for higher education. It is support for the engineers building Israel’s economy, the reservists defending its borders, and the infrastructure that will sustain Israel for decades to come.
Engineering is the New Zionism
Israel’s strength has always rested on human capital. Its global leadership in cybersecurity, defense systems, medical technology, AI, semiconductors, and aerospace is driven not by natural resources, but by talent.
Afeka College stands at the center of that ecosystem, providing approximately 10% of Israel’s new engineers each year, making it one of the country’s most strategically important academic institutions. In Israel, engineers are not merely professionals—they are nation-builders. Afeka graduates are estimated to contribute $2.25 billion annually to Israel’s national GDP.
Afeka’s role in Israel extends well beyond traditional higher education. Its graduates and faculty contribute to the broader engineering ecosystem that underpins Israel’s military and technological capabilities. Engineering talent produced by Afeka supports sectors central to Israel’s defense infrastructure, including:
- Drone technology and blood supply systems used by the IDF
- Cyber defense
- Communications systems
- Data engineering
- Electronics
- Systems integration
- AI and machine learning
- Industrial engineering
That economic contribution is not just a reflection of output—it is a reflection of influence. Afeka-trained engineers are embedded across Israel’s most important companies, research centers, and defense-related industries, shaping decisions, building systems, and leading innovation at scale.
As Professor Yossi Rosenwaks, the new President of Afeka College has aptly said, “engineering is the new Zionism”.
Supporting the Students Who Also Defend the Country
What makes Afeka’s mission particularly compelling today is the profound overlap between its academic community and Israel’s reserve military forces. Afeka has become one of the most significant academic centers for reservist support in the country. Since October 7th, approximately 42% of Afeka’s students have been called to reserve duty, one of the highest rates of mobilization among Israeli institutions of higher education.
These are not abstract numbers. These are engineering students who left classrooms and laboratories for the front lines. Many served for months and returned carrying not only missed coursework, but also stress, trauma, and the complex emotional burden of transitioning back to civilian and academic life.
Some returned to exams weeks after active service; others resumed long-term academic projects while still balancing reserve obligations. The challenge is not only catching up—it is rebuilding focus, continuity, and stability.
By supporting Afeka College, American Friends of Afeka helps ensure that these students do not fall behind academically because they answered the nation’s call. Afeka has established a broad support framework for reservists that includes:
- Individualized academic accommodations
- Tutoring and faculty mentorship
- Financial assistance
- Emotional and psychological support
- Flexible academic calendars and adjusted exam schedules
- One-on-one faculty guidance to help students reintegrate into complex engineering coursework
Afeka College has described this work as both a moral obligation and a national duty. This commitment recently received national recognition when Afeka was awarded the Defense Minister’s Shield, a prestigious Israeli honor recognizing exceptional support for IDF reservists.
At American Friends of Afeka, we are not simply supporting an Israeli academic institution. We are supporting the very men and women who defend Israel and then return to build its technological future.
The Quiet Tent: A Powerful Symbol of Healing and Resilience
Thanks to a generous donor contribution, one of the most moving initiatives now emerging from Afeka is the creation of the Quiet Tent, a dedicated space on campus designed specifically to support reservists and those affected by the war. This initiative reflects a sophisticated understanding of the real needs facing returning soldiers.
Academic support alone cannot address the full scope of challenges faced by reservists returning from extended service. Many experience difficulty concentrating, heightened stress responses, and the emotional toll of what they have experienced. The Quiet Tent was created in direct response to these realities.
The Quiet Tent will serve as a dedicated on-campus refuge for:
- Personal coaching
- Resilience workshops
- Mind-body support sessions
- Emotional recovery activities
- Family support resources
- Counseling and reintegration programming
Investing in Israel’s future means caring not only for intellectual development, but for human recovery and resilience as well. The Quiet Tent is one of the most powerful examples of how Afeka’s support extends beyond academics. Contributions to American Friends of Afeka directly help create spaces where returning reservists can heal and continue their education.
The New Yad Eliyahu Campus: A Landmark Investment in Israel’s Future
The new engineering campus that Afeka College is building in Tel Aviv represents Afeka’s long-term vision for revolutionizing the future of engineering in Israel. This project is one of the most ambitious academic infrastructure developments currently underway in Israel.
Located in the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood of southeast Tel Aviv, the new campus is being developed in partnership with the Tel Aviv-Yafo municipality and Israel’s Council for Higher Education.
This is far more than a campus relocation for Afeka—it is a national strategic investment, providing a forward-looking academic vision with national, socioeconomic, and urban impact. It reflects a recognition that the next phase of Israel’s growth will depend on expanding both access to engineering education and the environments in which that education takes place.
The scale of the vision is extraordinary. The new campus will include:
- Four major academic buildings
- State-of-the-art engineering laboratories
- Innovation and entrepreneurship centers
- Contemporary auditoriums
- Collaborative plazas
- Rooftop lounges
- Student services centers
- Adjacent student housing and commercial space
This new campus will serve as a platform for the best engineering education available in Israel, attracting top tech talent and increasing the skilled human capital entering the Israeli high-tech industry. The campus itself is being built as an ecosystem to revitalize southeast Tel Aviv and as a place where engineering education meets urban renewal. By anchoring this development in Yad Eliyahu, Afeka is also helping to expand the geographic footprint of Israel’s innovation economy beyond its traditional centers.
Solving Israel’s Engineer Shortage
Perhaps the most significant national implication of Afeka’s Yad Eliyahu campus is capacity.
Israel faces an ongoing shortage of engineers. Afeka’s new campus will enable Israel to address that challenge, by enabling a 50% increase in student enrollment at Afeka, resulting in approximately 1,000 new engineers entering the Israeli workforce every year.
For a country whose economy depends on technological leadership, increasing the engineering talent pipeline at this scale has national implications. This means more engineers entering:
- Israeli high-tech
- Defense industries
- Startups
- Multinational R&D centers
- Medical technology companies
- Infrastructure and communications firms
This expansion is not only about quantity, but quality—ensuring that Israel, through Afeka, continues to produce engineers equipped to lead in emerging fields and adapt to rapidly evolving technological demands.
This is precisely why support for American Friends of Afeka is so impactful—it is helping to address one of Israel’s most pressing workforce needs.
It is a direct investment in closing the gap between demand for engineering talent and the available supply.
Why American Support Matters Now
At this moment in Israel’s history, support from the American Jewish and pro-Israel community carries profound meaning.
American Friends of Afeka offers donors an opportunity to invest in something concrete and deeply consequential. Support helps fund:
- Student scholarships
- Reservist assistance
- Mental health and resilience initiatives
- Academic excellence
- Afeka’s new Yad Eliyahu campus, including through naming opportunities which provide an opportunity to leave your name on Tel Aviv’s future
American Friends of Afeka represents a uniquely meaningful way to connect with Israel—not only emotionally, but tangibly—by helping shape institutions that will define its next generation.
Every contribution helps to strengthen Afeka College, one of Israel’s most important academic and technological institutions, offering both immediate impact and lasting legacy.
Building Israel’s Next Generation, Together
The story of American Friends of Afeka is ultimately a story about Israel’s future.
It is about the student who leaves reserve duty and returns to complete an engineering degree. It is about the Quiet Tent that helps that student heal. It is about the laboratory where the next breakthrough for Israel’s security is developed. It is about the new Yad Eliyahu campus that will allow thousands more engineers to enter Israel’s workforce. And it is about a community of supporters in the United States choosing to invest in Israel’s strength, resilience, and innovation. It is also a story about continuity—about ensuring that even in times of disruption, Israel continues to educate, innovate, and move forward.
Israel’s future is being built today. And American Friends of Afeka is helping engineer it.
Please visit our website at www.friendsofafeka.org for additional information and to learn how you can contribute.