Moriah students selected for entrepreneurial scholarship to Israel
Six Year 11 students at Sydney’s Moriah College have been selected as the inaugural recipients of a new scholarship comprising an all-expenses-paid week-long trip to Israel to showcase leading Israeli startups and entrepreneurs.
Daniel Berson, Noa Challis, Ellie Schneider, Georgia Cohn, Amber Linz, Jake Wein
As part of Moriah’s continued focus on innovation, College Principal, John Hamey stated that the Scholars will be given the opportunity to tap into the spirit of Israel’s Startup Nation through this specially curated program.
‘The Moriah College Scholars in Entrepreneurship underlines our commitment to help our students become future-ready, ground-breaking young adults that are prepared for a world that’s changing fast,’ Hamey said.
Mazal Tov to Daniel Berson, Noa Challis, Georgia Cohn, Amber Linz, Ellie Schneider, and Jake Wein. These Scholars will travel to Israel for an immersive experience, meeting with entrepreneurs, and hearing about what sparks their curiosity and ignites their passions.
They will begin their visit in Jerusalem with a presentation from OurCrowd, an equity crowdfunding platform built for accredited investors to provide venture capital funding for early-stage startups. That will set the scene for their visit, helping students develop their understanding of why Israel has become a global innovation powerhouse. The scholars will then have the privilege of meeting key personnel from a diverse range of organisations including PresenTense, Bakehila, Mobileye, OrCam, Appleseeds Academy, Lool Ventures, Tech For Good, StarTAU, XLN, Netafim, SpaceIL, Tikkun Olam Makers, SOSA, Technoda, Airbotics, Google Campus, Taub Centre, Hadassah Medical Centre, Tel Aviv University and The Weizmann Institute.
The itinerary is a first for an Australian Jewish Day School and has been designed together with the Australia-Israel Chamber of Commerce.
For this inaugural visit the Scholarship Program will close with a trip to Beersheba to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Beersheba, a battle which concluded with the charge of the 4th Australian Light Horse, the last great cavalry charge in history.
Following the launch of the scholarship three weeks ago, students were tasked with developing a pitch for an entrepreneurial concept with a clear social focus. Thirty-one students submitted proposals and 10 were short-listed to present their concepts to a panel comprising Moriah Foundation President, Judy Lowy; business leader, Jon Shein; Co-Founder of Kelly + Partners Scholars, Brett Kelly; Moriah College Dean of Jewish Life & Learning, Rabbi Benji Levy, and College Principal, John Hamey.
John Hamey said: ‘The students presented outstanding pitches. They have an innovative ‘can do’ attitude and entrepreneurial spirit. They are passionate about tikkun olam, they are curious and optimistic, and they want to make a significant difference in this world. It was a difficult choice for the panel.”
The winning ideas included app designs and technology innovations to assist hearing impaired individuals, cater for people with mobility challenges, lower road trauma statistics among young drivers, bring clean water to third world countries, correct posture, and to explore learning during deep sleep.
Moriah Foundation President, Judy Lowy stated: “Philanthropy has provided these six students with an incredible opportunity to be exposed to some of Israel’s leaders in innovation. It is our hope that they will be stimulated and excited by this unique experience and then harness and share their inspiration with their peers upon their return.
Through the support of our generous donors Moriah continues to grow and develop new and innovative programs to meet the evolving needs of our children’s Jewish education. I want to particularly acknowledge the outstanding commitment from Kelly+Partners which has enabled us to offer this outstanding new program.”
