Our scholarship recipients have exhibited exceptional academic abilities and the courage to make a complex, life-changing decision to leave the ultra-Orthodox community and integrate into broader Israeli society.
Ascent to Excellence offers tuition support and stipends as well as mentoring and guidance to former members of the ultra-Orthodox community with outstanding academic records, in order to help them succeed academically, integrate successfully into Israeli society, and achieve their dreams.
Our recipients
Are former members of the ultra-Orthodox society (were in the ultra-Orthodox education system until age 15)
Have attained a full matriculation certificate or completed an academic preparatory course graduates with high grades
Exhibited excellence in their first year of their undergraduate degree
Can commit to active participation in meetings and activities hosted by the foundation
Aspire to a life path that involves higher education and a career
Consistent, long-term support that empowers students to focus on their studies, remain steadfast, and pursue their path forward out of choice and conviction.
The program provides assistance with tuition and living expenses as well as personal guidance and mentoring throughout the degree, enabling them to fully integrate into Israeli society and the labor market.
This includes workshops and social activities, and affiliation with a supportive community of students and alumni.
Gili
Medical Student, Ben-Gurion University
“The academic path requires full presence and continuous effort. The support of Ascent for Excellence Foundation gives me stability and confidence and allows me to dedicate myself fully to my studies. It is hard for me to imagine what my life would look like without this support. It changes my reality, not just a phase of my life.”
Meir Halper
Medical Student, Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem
“Beyond the significant scholarship, Ascent for Excellence Foundation gave me a sense of capability and belonging. Someone who believes in me and says: you can do this, you belong, and we are with you. This support strengthened my decision to continue on an academic path of medicine and research.”
Maor Peretz
Electrical Engineering Student, Tel Aviv University
“Ascent for Excellence Foundation enables me to invest myself fully in my studies and provides me with the tools needed to succeed in the industry.”
Yisrael Amir
Program Graduate, Software Engineer at Optibus
“As a single father, my studies were a real challenge. Ascent for Excellence Foundation gave me peace of mind and genuine backing, which allowed me to persevere, succeed in my engineering studies, and build a future for myself.”
The mission of Ascent to Excellence Program is grounded in a belief in the power of young men and women who have left the fold of the ultra-Orthodox community and are paving a new life path that includes the pursuit of an academic degree, actualizing their career aspirations, and making an impact on Israeli society.
The impact of the program is evident first and foremost in the lives of the scholarship recipients themselves: In their ability to persevere in demanding academic studies, develop self-confidence, attain competence in their area of focus, shape a professional identity, and establish financial security. Many of the graduates are the first in their families to seek an academic degree and go on to meaningful careers that also positively affect their environment.
Community meetings for recipients are held once a quarter, offering a platform for discourse, socializing and support, and substantive information thus strengthening a sense of community focused on values, support, and the pursuit of excellence.
Ascent to Excellence draws a direct line between personal and professional development and contribution to Israeli society by fostering a community of women and men who aspire to career achievement and serve as inspirational models for the next generation
The program thus serves as a source of social and economic growth for Israeli society and the Jewish people.
Prof. Gabi Barbash
“Ultra-Orthodox society has exceptional human capital. The informed integration of its graduates into academia and Israeli society is an engine for growth, innovation, and societal resilience.”
Judi Shalev
“The Ascent to Excellence Foundation is an outgrowth of my personal experiences, and the vision and of Prof. Gabi Barbash, a leading figure in the Israeli medical and scientific, landscape, and with the support of the Daniel and Daniela Steinmetz family.
Our vision is to create better opportunities for young men and women who have left the fold of the ultra-Orthodox community in Israel and who wish to be integrated into secular society, based on the vital importance of higher education as a stepping stone to career success and integration into society. As a former member of the Orthodox community, I know how difficult, if not impossible, it is for ultra-Orthodox men and women who lack a core secular education including math, English, science, civics, and other subjects, to gain acceptance into academic study programs in Israeli universities, and even more so without financial or family support.
We established this program to help them, financially and otherwise, as they navigate this major life change. Ultimately, Israeli society and the Jewish people will benefit greatly from their talents and success.
Ascent to Excellence is the first scholarship program designed for individuals who have demonstrated excellence in pre-academic preparatory courses despite not studying core subjects. Ensuring that this tremendous potential is not lost is both a personal mitzvah and serves a national mission.
My own path out was one of loneliness, doubt, and fear, but it has also opened my heart to help others on the same path. Indeed, this foundation was born so that no member of the ultra-Orthodox community who aspires to academic and career excellence, and integration into society, would be forced to give up on a dream just because of financial and hardship and lack of support.”
