Not waiting for the future: The North that is already starting to change

Security, employment, and growth: Strengthening the North has long ceased to be just about repairing damage; it is about the reality being built for the coming years. Just before the Galilee Conference 2026 convenes on August 11 in Safed to discuss the required security and economic response, we went to Kiryat Shmona and Nahariya to meet the people turning plans, budgets, and ideas into tangible changes on the ground.

At Margalit Startup City in Kiryat Shmona, we met Danny Kutan, manager of the demographic growth initiative on behalf of the Ministry of Negev, Galilee and National Resilience. We also learned about government plans, a new research center in the Golan, and moves intended to turn Nahariya into an even larger economic anchor in the Western Galilee.

"The children resisted, and today they don't want to leave"

Danny's story began with a decision that seemed unconventional. After October 7, he and his family left Tel Aviv and moved to Kiryat Shmona. "We understood that it is impossible to continue life as usual," he says. "We saw an amazing city of streams, nature, and quiet. The children resisted at first, but they underwent a change. Today they love the city, there is excellent education here, and they no longer want to leave."

According to him, housing and economic benefits alone are not enough. The key is the connection to the place. "We understood that the most important thing for families is community. It has become a reason to move and a reason to stay." The initiative operates about 10 absorbing communities in the city, adapted for doctors, high-tech personnel, and various family types.

How do you measure growth? Look at the first-grade classes

Yochanan Mali, Director General of the Ministry of Negev, Galilee and National Resilience, explains that demographic growth is a systemic question. "We want to bring the most talented people to the North and show them that this is where the opportunity lies," he says. "It is possible to combine community and social life with quality employment."

The ministry is working in Kiryat Shmona, Katzrin, Tiberias, Karmiel, and other settlements to create an ecosystem of innovation and high-tech. "I want to see new families and the number of children in first-grade classes growing every year along the confrontation line," says Mali. "This is the indicator that tells us the population is growing and life is returning."

Laboratories that will connect research to the field

Dina Gilad, CEO of the Shamir Research Institute, is leading a project to establish a new innovation and applied R&D center in the Golan. A new 2,000-square-meter laboratory building is planned to connect researchers, startups, farmers, and local industries. "The changes are starting now in our laboratories," she says. "They will go out into the field when companies arrive and implement developments with the farmers and industry."

Nahariya wants to be the mother city of the Galilee

In Nahariya, we met the municipality's CEO, Dudu Elhayani, who discussed the planned high-tech park, marina, and the ambition to establish a significant academic institution. "The vision is to work on the next game-changers of the North," he says. "We want to attract high-tech companies and entrepreneurs. We lack a quality academy that will keep young people studying here. We want people to choose to live here, not just visit for services."

Between the communities in Kiryat Shmona, the laboratories in the Golan, and the plans in Nahariya, a clear picture is taking shape: the North is not asking to return to the past. It is building a new advantage that will attract families, researchers, and entrepreneurs for years to come.

Galilee Conference 2026 will take place on August 11, 2026, at the Yigal Allon Cultural Hall in Safed, under the title "Returning security to the North."

For details and registration for the conference >>