How Uri Poliavich Turns Gamification Into A Tool For Jewish Education
Headlines generally focus on big sales and showy new products, but changes in how kids learn and grow that aren’t as obvious get less attention. But how education is set up today will determine how strong communities feel tomorrow. It becomes more obvious in small Jewish communities all over the world, where every motivated youngster is just as important as a complete class in a huge city.
In this landscape, the journey of Uri Poliavich stands out for an unusual blend of worlds. On one side stands global iGaming and advanced gamification technologies. On the other side stand teachers, youth leaders and children in dozens of countries who meet each week in schools, camps and community centers supported by the Yael Foundation he co-founded with his wife.
From post Soviet streets to game driven platforms
Poliavich was born in Ukraine in 1981, but his family moved to Israel when he was a child. Those years carried the weight of cultural change, a new language and a new army life. Later came law studies at Bar-Ilan University and work in commercial and real estate law. That career track taught him how to read risk, contracts and international frameworks before he turned fully toward the digital entertainment sector.
Most of the time, people connect his name to Soft2Bet, a global iGaming firm. Soft2Bet grew into 12 countries and created a platform approach with several brands that people could recognize while he was in charge. A big part of this growth is a heavy concentration on gamification, specifically the Motivational Engineering Gaming Application (MEGA), which keeps players interested with narratives, progression, and prizes. MEGA has been cited in discussions about how gaming lessons travel into banking and fintech, showing that game design principles can shape behaviour in many fields.
This background matters for more than corporate success. It shows that Poliavich is part of a group of entrepreneurs who know how digital environments can train attention, create habits, and reward those who keep going. When this kind of information gets into the world of philanthropy, it impacts the types of programs that get money and how impact is measured.
Why gamification logic matters for a child in a small community
Uri and Yael started the Yael Foundation in 2020 with one goal in mind: to teach all children around the world about the Jewish faith, no matter where they live or how big their community is. As of 2025, the charity had helped over 13,500 kids in 37 countries through camps, after-school programs, schools, and leadership programs.
A child in a small town has a very different life than a child in a big city with lots of schools and youth groups. Friends may live far away. Sometimes there is one teacher for several age groups. Travel to a regional camp can feel like a big adventure and a big expense. In such conditions, keeping young people engaged across years becomes challenging.
Here the logic of gamification brings interesting tools, even when there are no flashy apps involved. Game-thinking encourages:
- Clear progress paths instead of vague participation
- Meaningful milestones that children can celebrate
- Shared narratives that connect local efforts to a bigger story
A child who sees personal growth as a lived storyline, with levels, challenges and achievements, often feels more connected to community life. This way of thinking about educational philanthropy pays special attention to signs of involvement, like how many kids come back to camp, how often they go to community activities, and whether leadership programs make them more confident.
Lessons that are more like stories than just a list of things to do
Through traditional giving, people usually give money for things like buildings, tools, and one-time grants. Even though those things are still important, education has a bigger long-term effect when it is seen as a live story. Poliavich’s public work hints at this approach. His business projects rely on continuous updates, live operations and player journeys that develop over months and years.
Transferred to the Yael Foundation’s world, this way of thinking gives priority to continuity. Funding does not stop at opening a new program. There is attention to:
- How children transition from one age group to the next
- How local educators stay motivated and trained
- How communities keep momentum between big events like camps and conferences
We got an educational environment that works more like a single story than a bunch of separate episodes. In Europe, a student from a small town can go to summer camp and meet other Jewish teens. They can then keep in touch with these teens through school events and group projects. Over time, this continued story might make young people feel less alone and more like they are part of a bigger global family.
Security, resilience and the logic of risk management
This picture has a more serious side as well. Schools and neighborhood groups for Jews are getting more worried about safety in many parts of the world. Acts of antisemitism, hate speech online, and threats of violence make people think about more than just holiday plans and lesson plans. Here the legal and business training of a founder like Poliavich plays a role.
Public sources describe how the Yael Foundation has expanded from pure education to include security initiatives for schools and institutions, especially in Europe. The goal is to create safe environments where learning can continue despite pressure from outside.
Risk management in this context resembles running a complex platform. It is important to keep an eye on threats, plan how to use resources wisely, and have backup plans ready before a problem happens. A generous person who spent many years managing rules, licenses, and compliance in the gaming industry is very aware of these kinds of problems. This experience can turn into practical support for community leaders who suddenly find themselves responsible for both education and security.
A model for the next generation of tech philanthropists
The story of Uri Poliavich points toward a broader shift. Many younger entrepreneurs built their careers on digital products, user journeys and global teams rather than on factories or shipping fleets. When such people decide to give back, they naturally bring concepts from product management, UX design and data-driven decision-making into their philanthropic work.
In Poliavich’s case, the crossroads look like this:
- A childhood in Soviet Ukraine and a youth shaped by migration to Israel
- A professional life in law, then international iGaming and gamification technologies
- A philanthropic focus on Jewish education, youth empowerment and community security on several continents
This mix creates a distinct template for high-impact giving. It is global in reach, yet precise in target. It values emotional experience as much as test scores. It puts as much significance on feelings as it does on exam scores. It sees kids as active participants in their own narrative, not just people who need help.
Such models are important for communities that want to move forward. Small schools and youth groups can sometimes feel like weak islands in the face of political storms and population waves. When executives who know a lot about technology decide to help people, it can be more than just a line on a CSR report. It might be a new way to look about education as a well planned journey with stories that provides every child, no matter where they live, a chance to feel like they are part of something bigger and longer-lasting.