"For a Better Future, Invest in Education:" Reem Younis, Co-Chair of HIH Israeli Board

Few tech leaders in Israel are as well known and esteemed as Reem Younis.

An entrepreneur, activist, Co-Chair of our Israeli Board of Directors (we are so lucky to have her!), Co-Founder of Alpha Omega, and also—a grandmother to two Hand in Hand Haifa students. Reem has dedicated years of her life to advancing equality, integration, and partnership between Palestinians and Jews, and so it comes as no surprise that the next generation of her family is following in her footsteps.

We recently sat down with Reem to ask her why she is “all-in” at Hand in Hand, and why she believes others should consider supporting this work, too.

“Hand in Hand is like an oasis in the desert. It makes you believe there is still goodness in the world.”

“My Hand in Hand story began long ago. As engineers at the start of our careers, my husband and I struggled to find jobs in the Israeli market. We founded Alpha-Omega in order to create a truly great workplace for Palestinians. But our mission evolved over time. It was no longer enough that we created a good, positive environment within our own company—we also wanted to impact our wider community. We examined the needs of all of our stakeholders—the company, customers, employees, and our community—and rewrote the company’s mission statement.

With the intent of giving back to our community, we decided to focus on the three E’s—Employment, Entrepreneurship, and Education. We also enumerated the values we believe in, and placed “diversity” at the top of the list. The biggest challenge we had encountered in our own careers stemmed from an overarching lack of diversity, and this was the first thing we wanted to address.

Unfortunately, I had hardly met any Jews until the age of 18. When I started University, my Hebrew wasn’t great, and I lacked the ability to express myself confidently, and this became a barrier. I really felt the separation between Palestinians and Jews in University. We may have exchanged the odd “good morning,” but there was not much else beyond that. I believe this separation is one of the reasons our society looks the way it does today.

I think the values at the core of our three religions are not reflected in the way our society looks. It’s so important to return to the basics—our shared values—as these bring us together. Ultimately, we are bound to live here together, so we might as well live together well, and nurture true inclusion.

The solution is Hand in Hand’s schools, which bring students together from the earliest of ages. Both groups gets to know ‘the other;’ they may not agree on everything, but they can at least listen to one another. They live together, learn each other’s language, culture, customs, and holidays. Ultimately we are all so similar, and we need to find the things that bring us closer together. Hand in Hand is where that common ground exists and thrives in an environment of inclusion, equality, and even love.

Hand in Hand is like an oasis in the desert. In all this despair, Hand in Hand is a place that gives you hope, and makes you believe there is still goodness in the world.

The work is not simple; it is often challenging, but I am committed to it with all my heart, because I know that we deeply affect our students. Their experiences at Hand in Hand impact them greatly as students, and continue to impact them long after they have graduated.

My grandchildren, who are 3.5 and 1.5 yers old, attend the Hand in Hand Haifa preschool. The decision to send them to a Hand in Hand school was a no-brainer. My grandchildren live in Haifa, a mixed city, and I think it’s important that they learn the language of ‘the other.’ I want them to receive an education steeped in good values—compassion, loving thy neighbor, and equality. And I think they need to know both languages spoken in this land.

My daughter has taken on leadership roles within the Hand in Hand Haifa community. She’s involved in the preschool’s Parent Committee, and they are working very hard to find solutions during this time.[Editor’s note: In the fall and winter of 2024, the HIH Haifa community faced near-constant rocket fire, which deeply challenged our schools’ ability to operate, and forced the temporary relocation of the preschool to various buildings in Haifa due to insufficient space in the preschool’s bomb shelter. The Haifa community played an instrumental role in securing these temporary spaces).

There is a real sense of community, and they are proving that there is another way of living together. I want my grandkids to judge people based on who they are, and not their ethnic or religious background. I want them to have Jewish and Palestinian friends.

I think we can build a better world through education steeped in values. Consider the fact that Hand in Hand brings these two things together—inclusive, humanistic values and a really excellent education. If we want a better future, we need to invest in our children. This is the most worthwhile investment—because we’re giving our students the tools they need to become leaders, and create a better reality.”