Tsofen is a non-profit organization, founded in 2008 by Jewish and Arab hi-tech professionals and economists who aspired to develop the hi-tech sector in the Arab community as an economic lever and catalyst for shared society in Israel. In 2016, Tsofen won the Speaker of the Israeli Parliament’s Prize for Promoting Mutual Understanding between Jews and Arabs. Tsofen operates in Nazareth and Kafr Qasim.

Tsofen is rooted simultaneously in the heart of the Arab community and Israel’s hi-tech industry. We bridge stakeholders from Arab municipalities, Arab students and graduates, the Israeli government, and the hi-tech industry, to 1) promote the establishment of hi-tech hubs in Arab towns and 2) integrate thousands of Arab engineers into hi-tech firms.

In 2008, Arab engineers accounted for 0.5% of employees in Israeli hi-tech (about 350 people). Today, they represent 3.5% (about 4,500 people). Their goal is to increase the percentage of Arab citizens employed in hi-tech to at least 10% by 2025.