Goal: Fix Education in Israel
Written by Jan Jaben-Eilon Tuesday, February 15 2011
Snapshot: Einat Wilf
Einat Wilf, 40, is a member of the Israeli parliament and a member of the new Independence party. A couple of years ago, she was named by Forbes magazine as one of the most promising women in the world. A Jerusalem native, Wilf did her national service as an intelligence officer and reached the rank of lieutenant. She studied government and fine arts at Harvard University, receiving a bachelor’s, before being awarded an MBA by INSEAD in France and a doctorate in political science by the University of Cambridge.
Wilf served as a senior fellow with the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute, wrote a weekly column for an Israeli daily, taught social entrepreneurship at Sapir College in Israel and was a foreign policy adviser to President Shimon Peres when he was vice prime minister.
She then worked as a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Co. in New York City and a general partner with Koor Corporate Venture Capital in Israel before entering politics. She is also the author of two books that explore key issues in Israeli society. Her first book, My Israel, Our Generation, about Israel’s past and future from the perspective of the younger generation, was published in Hebrew in 2003 and in English in 2006.
Her second book, Back to Basics: How to Save Israeli Education (at no additional cost), which offers a detailed and feasible policy proposal for saving Israel's ailing education system, was published in Hebrew in 2008. Now residing in Tel Aviv, Wilf gave birth to her first child, a son, in December.
Womenetics: How long did you work as a strategic consultant with McKinsey & Co. and what did you do exactly?
Einat Wilf: I worked there for two years, from 1996 to 1998, and I did mostly financial organizations and holding companies. It was very interesting, but I was always more interested in public service. I went from there to work with Koor in Israel.
Womenetics: How is doing business different in Israel from doing business in the United States?
Wilf: The key difference is that in Israel, they throw you into the water; it’s a sink-or-swim kind of culture. In New York, it was all about training and getting on your development path. How do we develop our skills? Every project becomes, how does it help you develop? The sink-or-swim way is hard, and it’s probably tied to the entrepreneurial culture of Israel. I preferred the McKinsey way of doing things.
Womenetics: When and why did you decide to enter the world of politics?
Wilf: After five years in business, I wanted to go to business school, which is also a place to reflect. I realized my heart was always in public policy. It was very tempting to stay in the business world, but I felt that if I grew too comfortable, I would never go back to where my heart was. So when I returned from business school, I immediately went into politics. I became a member of the Knesset (Israeli parliament) in January 2010. I was number 14 on the Labor Party list and during the elections of 2009, only 13 members were elected. When a member of the party resigned, I moved up and entered the Knesset.
Womenetics: What do you want to accomplish as a member of the Knesset?
Wilf: My core issues are saving Israel’s public educational system and emphasizing the standing of teachers. We need to rebalance the relationship among teachers, students, and parents. Another interest is in Israel’s standing abroad. I want to help people understand the complexity of Israel – not necessarily support it, but understand it. I like to say that Israel is not for the intellectually lazy. That’s the hardest battle. It’s not “be with us or against us,” but to understand our situation. And the third core issue is the advancement of women in our society.
Womenetics: Your second book made suggestions about the Israeli educational system. What, in your opinion, is wrong with the system?
Wilf: The imbalance I was talking about, among teachers, students, and parents is a global phenomenon. In the name of supposedly catering to kids, we are actually undermining them. Parents are automatic backers of their kids, and they can be aggressive to teachers, who are in the survival and defensive mode, rather than being able to say, “I’m here to teach.” Parents are unable to set clear rules and borders. The ultra-liberal theories sound nice in theory but they are terrible in practice. Educators need to be tough on the kids, which serves a purpose. When we are too nice, we ruin them.
Womenetics: When you were a child, what did you see as your future?
Wilf: As a teen, my biggest dream was to be the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations. I grew up being a big fan of (former Israeli ambassadors) Abba Eban and Benjamin Netanyahu, who was the ambassador to the U.N. when I was in high school. That’s why I went to study abroad. I thought it would be good for me. I had always been interested in anything at the intersection of Israel, the Jewish people, and the world.
Womenetics: Is this still a dream of yours?
Wilf (laughing): I would always be happy to serve Israel in any way I can. I currently serve on the Foreign Affairs and Defense, Education and House committees in the Knesset.
Womenetics: We are speaking during the middle of the crisis in Egypt, so we can’t ignore its impact on the Middle East. How do you think this will affect Israel?
Wilf: Everyone is concerned, but the sum of reading everything on the subject is zero. We are both hopeful and concerned; hopeful because under the best scenario, this could be the best development for the region. I always thought the more openness, the better. But we are also concerned. You can have a democracy that will lead to a situation that is anything but a democracy. Up until now, there has never been a single Arab democracy. There have been a few Islamic democracies, such as Turkey and Indonesia, and they’re still working out the kinks.
Jan Jaben-Eilon was a founding staff writer of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Since then, she has been the international editor of Advertising Age magazine and has written for such publications as The New York Times, International Herald Tribune, Washington Journalism Review, and Consumer Reports. She is the author of soon-to-be-published (There is) Life After Cancer. Jan and her husband have homes in Atlanta and Jerusalem.
