The Israeli-American Council’s (IAC) “Eitanim” Program gathered 60 San Diego, California Jewish teens to compete in an innovative and solution-based challenge alongside Israeli counterparts.
The organization is utilizing the next generation of Jewish leaders as creative problem solvers for issues that plague society today. From antisemitism to plastic pollution, these teens rose to the occasion with remarkable results.
Eitanim, a program designed for middle and high school students, pairs American-Jewish and Israeli-American teens with adult mentors in fields like technology, business, and engineering.
Over the course of 10 to 15 weeks, students work closely with their mentors to identify social issues they are passionate about and devise creative, practical solutions.
Throughout the program, the teens developed important life skills such as creative and critical thinking, leadership, problem-solving, teamwork, interpersonal communication, and public speaking. These skills prove to be essential not only for their current projects but also for their future careers and personal development.
The program culminated in an "accelerator" weekend, where finalists presented their projects before a panel of judges, who would select the winning teams. This year, two teams from San Diego earned national recognition for their innovative solutions to pressing social problems.
First place in national competition
One San Diego middle school team took first place in the national competition for their innovative water filter, MicroPure, designed to reduce microplastics in private water systems.
After learning that the average person consumes several grams of microplastics annually through drinking water, the team came together to create a solution.
Their filter uses four layers of advanced technology, including self-cleaning titanium, activated carbon ceramic ultra-filtration, and an electrostatic filter, to remove harmful microplastics from water.
Rinat Lovett, the CEO of the MicroPure team, shared her experience being involved in such a program. “Being the CEO of MicroPure in the Eitanim program taught me valuable lessons like time management, group work, and perseverance. It is an honor to be part of a winning team, and I will never forget this experience.”
Second place for AI-driven platform against antisemitism
Another San Diego team, this time from the high school level, earned second place for their creation of Unbiased, an AI-driven platform designed to identify antisemitic content in high school and university classrooms. The platform monitors classroom dialogue and lectures, analyzing the content for antisemitic statements and providing students, teachers, and administrators with actionable data.
Harrison Koning, a member of the Unbiased team, expressed his excitement: “This was an incredible opportunity to use technology for good. I learned so much about design thinking, innovation, and how to work as a team. Our mentors really pushed us to think beyond the obvious and create a meaningful and scalable solution.”
While San Diego teens took home two of the top spots, the overall first-place winner was a team from Tampa, Florida. They developed "Truesh!t," an AI-powered online platform that detects antisemitism and disinformation across the internet.
The platform allows users to submit text, social media posts, audio, video, or links, and instantly analyzes the content for factual accuracy and indicators of hate speech.
“IAC Eitanim is a unique program that gives teens the opportunity to experience the process of launching a venture—while staying deeply connected to Israel and gaining practical tools for building a startup or business,” said Noy Nehardea, IAC San Diego Regional Director.
“Every year, we witness incredible personal growth: for some, it strengthens their bond with Israel; for others, it sparks the inspiration to one day launch their own company. And for many, it’s simply about finding a community of like-minded peers and growing together. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of them—and excited to begin this journey with a new group each year.”
The Eitanim program opened the door for teens to feel the impact of their work by addressing critical societal issues, seeing themselves as part of the solution and changemakers for tomorrow.