Education, Inequality, and Hope: A Conversation with Don Futterman of ICEI

In this episode of The Tel Aviv Diary, host Marc Schulman speaks with Don Futterman, Executive Director of the Israel Center for Educational Innovation (ICEI), about his life journey from Queens to Kfar Saba and his mission to transform struggling Israeli schools. Futterman shares how ICEI’s literacy-based model is helping close Israel’s deep educational and socioeconomic gaps—especially among Ethiopian-Israeli, Arab, and Bedouin students—by retraining teachers, rebuilding school culture, and reigniting children’s love of reading and learning.The discussion also turns deeply personal as Don reflects on how the war, trauma, and years of disruption have reshaped Israel’s education system and society at large. Together, he and Marc explore what resilience means in today’s Israel, the role of civil society in times of crisis, and their shared hopes for a more equitable and democratic future—one that their grandchildren will be proud to inherit. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marcschulman.substack.com/subscribe