Tikkun Olam Makers (TOM) was inspired by a vision that incubated at the Reut Group, which is an Israeli think-tank founded by Gidi Grinstein in 2004. The mission of Reut is to identify societal gaps and address them by conducting deep research, designing a strategy and effectuating it.
origin
STORY
In 2010, Reut developed a strategic framework that called for re-envisioning the humanitarian contribution of the Jewish People and Israel to humanity. That document would eventually guide the creation of TOM in 2014. Under the leadership of Avraham Infeld, Reut forged a partnership with The Alliance for Global Good, led by Leonard Kaplan z”l and David Brand. Together, we designed a strategy for Israel and world Jewry to make a significant and distinct contribution to humanity.
A pivotal moment occurred in 2011 in Tzfat, which is an ancient city in northern Israel that is also very poor. In one instance, a local resident described traveling long distances to acquire basic tools that could have been produced locally using 3D printing. This experience highlighted the need for making affordable and accessible solutions available to individuals with disabilities or other vulnerable populations anywhere around Israel.
In 2012, Reut established its first “communal tech space,” named the Cross-Lab Network or XLN, which had some basic 3D printers and other machines for designing or manufacturing products. The goal of XLN was to experiment with engaging communities toward creating and distributing solutions for the needs of vulnerable populations. Indeed, XLN expanded to seven locations in Israel and became a network of hubs for designing human-centered open-source solutions. The experiences and experimentations of XLN set the stage for TOM. To learn more about XLN, click here.
TOM was eventually launched in July 2014 with an inaugural TOM Makeathon, held in Nazareth, Israel in partnership with the ROI Community of the Schusterman Family Foundation. This event brought together engineers, designers, and creators from six countries, who were assigned to eight teams, each working with a need-knower to create a specific solution to their specific problem, which is affordable and accessible. The success of this event highlighted TOM’s potential to scale internationally. By November 2014, TOM had its first international makeathon in São Paulo, Brazil, which launched its international movement.
TIMELINE OF TOM's
INCEPTION
2010 - Reut reaches out to Avraham Infeld regarding a vision titled 21st century tikkun olam. Infeld hosts a first meeting in his living room. A few weeks later, The Alliance for Global Good seeks to engage Infeld, but he inspires a partnership between Reut and the AFGG.
2010-2012 - Under Infeld’s leadership, Reut and the AFGG develop a strategic framework for making a significant and distinctly Jewish and Israeli contribution to humanity.
NOV. 2011 - Reut hosts a brainstorming session with Yosef Attias (Gidi’s son) and his team to explore the potential of public domain intellectual property, open-source solutions and 3D printing to realize the vision of 21st Century Tikkun Olam. At that moment, the concept of a venture, which would become TOM, is shaped.
2012 - In early 2012, Reut launched a makerspace in the basement of its building to experiment with realizing the vision created by Reut, AFGG and Attias. A few months later, the XLN project - standing for Cross-Lab Network - was born. In September 2012, the XLN Makerspace was officially launched by Mayor Huldai of Tel-Aviv.
2013 - Reut expanded XLN to 7 locations in Israel but concluded that the initial model is not sustainable or scalable. The Board of the Reut Group allows for the creation of a not-for-profit company by the name of Reut Mountain Movers to run XLN with a seed grant of 1,000,000 NIS (~$330,000). In late 2013, Justin Kurda, Director of the ROI Community of the Schusterman Philanthropic Network, offered to partner with Reut in hosting a “connection point,” which is a themed three-day gathering, which would focus on using 3D printing for social good.
2014 - Arnon Zamir, then Director of XLN, and Josh Gottesman, Gidi’s research assistant, were selected to join the training of ROI on how to lead connection points. Arnon and Josh chose Tikkun Olam Makers as the name of the connection-point event they were going to run. In July 2014, the first TOM Makeathon took place in Nazareth, Israel (here). At the time, TOM was a joint venture of Reut’s XLN project and Schusterman’s ROI Community, and all leaders of TOM were also ROIers. Over the coming months, ROI underwrote an additional TOM Makeathon in Western Galilee, and in November 2014, TOM’s first international event took place in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
2015-2016 - In 2015, the Schusterman Foundation pledged a three-year grant of $250,000 to expand the model of TOM Makeathons. Meanwhile, XLN continues to muddle through. In 2016, the board of the Reut Group decided to shut down XLN, while allowing TOM to continue.
FOUNDING PARTNERS AND BENEFACTORS (2010-2014)
While TOM was formally launched in July 2014, it gradually emerged over a four year period through various initiatives and projects of the Reut Group with multiple partners, funders and thought leaders including:
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Avraham Infeld was the first conceptual partner of TOM, when it was still called “21st Century Tikkun Olam.” Infeld set the ambitious vision of receiving a Noble Prize for Peace for outstanding contribution to humanity, which inspired TOM’s moonshot thinking. He hosted our first meeting and then created and led the collaboration between the Reut Institute and the Alliance for Global Good from 2010 to 2012. Infeld remains a trusted advisor of TOM.
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The Alliance for Global Good led by Leonard Kaplan z”l and David Brand: From 2010 to 2012, under Infeld’s leadership, Reut partnered with the AFGG to create groundbreaking ideas regarding the contribution of the Jewish People and Israel to humanity. During that period, the AFGG effectively provided the venture philanthropic contribution that allows for the incubation of TOM. While we miss Leonard Kaplan z”l, his family continued to support TOM and David Brand remains a trusted friend, adviser and supporter.
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Ann and Joel z”l Moskowitz, facilitated by Mike Lefkowitz z”l: Mike Lefkowitz z”l, hailing from Orange County, was the first enthusiast of TOM and introduced Gidi to Joel Moskowitz z”l, who became the first major funder of XLN (2012-2016). Joel built and led a manufacturing company and immediately appreciated the vision of XLN and TOM. He funded our first innovation competition and then made a three-year pledge of $100,000 to XLN / TOM. Sadly, he passed away a few months later, but his widow, Ann Moskowitz, fulfilled his pledge. We are deeply grateful to Mike z”l, Joel z”l and Ann.
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ROI Community of the Schusterman Philanthropic Network and Justin Kurda: In late 2013, Justin, then leader of the ROI Community, forged a partnership between ROI and Reut-XLN. In the following years from 2014 to 2020, Justin and the Schusterman Philanthropic Network became founding partners of TOM, its lead funder and a true global strategic partner. The first TOM Makeathons were conferences within ROI’s series of Connection Points and all leaders of TOM were inducted as members of the ROI Community.
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UJA Federation of NY, under the leadership of John Ruskay and Alisa Kurshan, gave TOM an unrestricted $100,000 donation in 2016, when TOM was still in its infancy. In 2017, UJA Federation of NY invited TOM to participate in a competition for the “next big idea of the Jewish people,” which TOM won (see here), along with a prize of $250,000.
Founding Team
TOM’s founding team includes:
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Gidi Grinstein is the founder and president of the Reut Group and TOM. He led the visioning of TOM and has been leading its strategic approach.
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Yosef Attias is Gidi’s son and an avid maker. Yosef, then in high school, introduced Gidi to the philosophy of the do-it-yourself revolution, to the maker movement and to the vast potential of 3D printing. Gidi then introduced Yosef, along with his high school maker-friends and their teacher, to the Reut Institute, then led by Roy Keidar. In November 2011, the two teams convened for a two-night brainstorming session that launched the vision of TOM and still guides its growth. Yosef then donated his equipment to XLN and after his military service also joined Reut to lead TOM. In 2016-2017, Yosef played a critical role in designing Impact Labs, which would become TOM’s first lead makerspace and he continued to support TOM until 2019, when he launched his own startup.
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Roy Keidar served as Reut CEO in 2010-2014 and led the creation of XLN and then of Reut Mountain Movers, which is a not-for-profit company that led XLN. Roy played a crucial role in the design of TOM and in supporting Arnon during its infancy phases.
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Arnon Zamir joined XLN as a volunteer in 2012 and became its first director. In early 2014, Arnon became a ROIer and then led the first XLN-ROI Connection Point, which would become the first TOM Makeathon. Arnon led TOM until early 2016.
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Josh Gottesman was Gidi’s research assistant, and was selected to become a ROIer in early 2014. Josh and Arnon chose the name Tikkun Olam Makers and led the first TOM Makeathon in July 2014 and then the further development of TOM.
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Daniel Weil and Shoshy Roshanovsky served as directors of TOM from 2016 till 2018. Henceforth, the leadership of TOM Global was relocated to the U.S. under Gidi and Edun’s leadership, while TOM Israel has been co-led by Roy Goldenberg and Orit Kot.
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Edun Sela joined TOM in 2016 and became CEO in 2018. TOM’s growth and development since is credited to him.
FOUNDING strategic partners
As mentioned, TOM’s initial strategic partnerships included the Alliance for Global Good led by Leonard Kaplan z”l and David Brand (2010-2012) and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation ROI Community (2014-2019).
In addition, TOM was supported by Boris Feldman when he was in the law firm of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich and Rosati in Palo Alto, which granted TOM with extensive pro-bono legal work and support toward establishing TOM’s legal foundations regarding public domain intellectual property, open-source solutions, product liability and other legal matters.
gidi (gideon) Grinstein
Gidi Grinstein is the Founder and President of TOM. He is an Israeli societal entrepreneur, leader and author. In 2004, Gidi founded the Reut Institute, Israel’s most cutting-edge nonprofit strategy and leadership group, which deploys a unique methodology to apply leadership on societal disruptions. Since inception, Reut led dozens of pioneering efforts of research and leadership in national security and economic development. The ideal of inclusive prosperity has been an overarching focus of Reut, inspiring multiple efforts including XLN (2012-2016), which birthed TOM.
Under Gidi’s leadership, in 2014, Reut launched TOM as an Israeli-Jewish-American international humanitarian project with the goal of helping millions of people within a decade. In 2017 TOM was recognized as the “next big idea of the Jewish People,” was nicknamed “a superhero startup coming out of Israel” and one of “fifteen Israeli companies to watch.”
Throughout Gidi’s career, he has been committed to promoting Israeli-Arab peace in non-governmental and governmental settings. Gidi served as secretary of the Israeli delegation for the negotiations with the PLO (1999-2001), including during the Camp David summit of 2000. In 2023, Gidi co-authored (In)Sights: Peacemaking in the Oslo Process Thirty Years and Counting (2023) and is one of the foremost experts on Israeli-Palestinian relations, the Oslo Process and the Permanent Status agreement. He has been involved in dozens of diplomatic initiatives in so-called track-two and backchannels and is frequently invited to guest appearances on international media.
Gidi has also been passionate about the long-term wellbeing and security of the Jewish People. Gidi’s seminal book, Flexigidity: The Secret of Jewish Adaptability, explores the secret sauce of the resilience of the Jewish People, its recurring prosperity and permanent leadership in humanity. The ideas of Flexigidity underlie Gidi’s extensive path-breaking work on strengthening relations between Israel and World Jewry and on fighting antisemitism and the delegitimization of Israel. Earlier in his career, from 1995 to 1999, Gidi led the Israeli team that co-designed Birthright Israel, which is the largest generational project of the Jewish People.
Gidi is a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School as a Wexner Israel Fellow (2002) and of Tel-Aviv University schools of law (1999) and economics (1991). He served with distinction in the Israeli Navy and is a long-distance runner, having completed nine official marathons (by 2024). He is married to Betty and they have five children.