The Maxim Levy Darca High School in the central Israeli city of Lod, located in one of Israel’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods in a mid-to-low socioeconomic city, once sent just 23% of its students to graduation. Today, that number stands at 94%.

That’s one of the statistics Gil Pereg, CEO of The Youth Renewal Fund, offered Monday night at the organization’s annual gala at the New York Historical Society, which raised nearly $1 million for the group, the U.S. nonprofit behind Israel’s Darca school network. 

The higher graduation rate “is not because the students changed,” said Pereg. “It’s because someone believed in them. That is at the heart of Darca.” 

Many of the students at Darca schools are the first in their families to pursue higher education and are “learning where they come from does not determine where they can go,” said Pereg. 

Darca schools, founded in 2010 with support from Israel’s Education Ministry, focus on providing academic opportunities for more than 30,000 students in 57 schools across Israel’s geographic and socio-economic periphery. 

Monday’s gala honored siblings Jacquie Greyserman Ptalis and Max Greyserman for their philanthropic contributions to YRF, with Apollo Global Management CEO Marc Rowan — vice chair of Darca schools and a founding member of YRF — among those in attendance.

The event highlighted not only the academics supported by YRF, but also the extracurricular programs it provides — opportunities that are typically the first to be cut in underprivileged areas. The evening featured a dance performance by two Maxim Levy Darca students who credited the program’s dance group for cultivating their talents.

The high school students, Amy and Yali, spoke of poverty and violence in their hometown of Lod — a mixed city with both Jewish and Arab populations and a high violent crime rate. 

“But every morning when we’re walking to our school, it’s different,” said Yali. “For us, Darca Maxim Levy is more than just a school. It’s a place where people learn to respect, support and understand each other.” 

“Not every child grows up with people who believe in them,” he continued. “That’s why our teachers mean so much to us. They show us that our futures depend on our choices and how hard we work.”