Afeka College's President Visits New York City

In May 2026, the President of Afeka College, Professor Yossi Rosenwaks, visited New York for a series of events hosted by American Friends of Afeka in New York City and Long Island.

Temple Israel of Great Neck 

On May 18th, Professor Rosenwaks met with members of the Great Neck community in Long Island, New York at a special event graciously hosted by Temple Israel of Great Neck. Professor Rosenwaks spoke about the unprecedented impact that the past several years of war in Israel have had on Afeka, including the more than 42% of Afeka students who were mobilized as IDF reservists, and how Afeka has responded with academic accommodations, hybrid learning, financial assistance, and emotional support to enable Afeka students to continue their education while serving the country. Professor Rosenwaks also showcased several outstanding Afeka student final projects demonstrating the real-world impact that Afeka students are already making across healthcare, security, and advanced technology in Israel.

New York City Events

The President of Afeka College with alumni of Afeka College in New York City

During Professor Rosenwaks’ visit, American Friends of Afeka hosted a special gathering of Afeka alumni and Afeka supporters in New York City on May 19th to meet with Professor Rosenwaks for an evening focused on the future of engineering, innovation, and technological leadership at Afeka College. The accommodations for this event were generously provided by venture capital firm Alumni Ventures.

Professor Rosenwaks shared Afeka’s vision for helping address Israel’s growing engineering shortage — including the development of Afeka’s transformative new campus in South Tel Aviv’s Yad Eliyahu neighborhood, which will significantly expand engineering education and opportunity in Israel.  Professor Rosenwaks also discussed how Afeka College brings Israeli middle and high school students to Afeka’s campus to provide an introduction to science and engineering and inspire the next generation of engineers in Israel.

Professor Rosenwaks also expressed his pride at the Afeka alumni community in attendance, recognizing the Afeka graduates who are helping lead and shape their respective industries in Israel and around the world.

The President of Afeka College speaking at a gathering of Afeka College alumni and supporters in New York City

A Good Option

Additionally, on May 20th, American Friends of Afeka hosted a tech founder roundtable in New York City, bringing together entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators for a conversation on the future of engineering education in Israel. The gathering featured the President of Afeka College alongside Afeka alumni who are leaders in the technology industry, including Julia Diament (Recipient of Afeka College’s 2025 Distinguished Alumnae Award and a Principal AI Solutions Architect at Microsoft Security) and Or Amir (Founder of Amir Practical AI). The accommodations for this event were generously provided by international law firm Pearl Cohen.

This roundtable event explored Israel’s evolving technology ecosystem, the importance of engineering education in Israel, and the role innovation will play in continuing to shape the country’s future. During this event, tech founders were introduced to a

sophisticated, founder-oriented approach to philanthropy — an equity-based model for committing stock options and other private company equity to American Friends of Afeka through A Good Option, enabling meaningful philanthropic impact that will support Afeka College and play a direct role in engineering Israel’s future.

We encourage tech founders who are interested in supporting Afeka College through stock options and other private equity to visit the website of A Good Option to learn more about ways to contribute.