HESEG Foundation

HESEG Foundation (the Foundation) is a Canadian registered charity that awards academic scholarships and support stipends to individuals who have completed their military service in the Israel Defense Forces, with a special emphasis on Lone Soldiers. The Foundation was founded by Canadians Gerald Schwartz and Heather Reisman.

They believe Lone Soldiers are the “volunteers of the volunteers”. Heather Reisman has said:

''“Our scholars who sacrifice so much for the State of Israel embody the spirit of giving. They are the pioneers of the new millennium. We, at HESEG, salute them and extend a helping hand to obtain an academic education.”''

In 2006, the Foundation purchased a building on Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, Israel and named it HESEG House. Since then HESEG House has become the center of the Foundation’s operations and activities.

HESEG scholars are required to succeed in their academic studies in Israel and complete a minimum of 130 hours per year of community service, some of which are completed as a group and initiated by the Foundation.

Aviv Bushinsky is the President and CEO of the Foundation and oversees the operations of the Foundation in Israel.

HESEG is the Hebrew word for achievement.

The History of HESEG House
HESEG House, located at 46 Rothschild Boulevard in Tel Aviv, Israel is also known as the "Russian Embassy" or “Levin House” and is one of the most famous buildings in Tel Aviv. The building was built by Zvi Yaakov Levin, an immigrant from Chicago. Levin asked the architect Yehuda Megidovitsch to plan a large and spacious house, from which he worked to build the country and encourage immigration to Israel.

In 1948 the building was confiscated by the Haganah and was used as its headquarters to during the Israeli War of Independence. In 1953, the building became the Russian Embassy. Inevitably, it was bombed by Lehi activists to protest the persecution of Jews in the Soviet Union.

Since then the ownership of the building has changed several times. In 1991 it was renovated and declared a Historic Preservation Monument.

In November 2006 the building was acquired by the Foundation and now, after a thorough renovation, is the center of the Foundation’s operations and activities.

The Foundation’s Activities

 * Provides scholarships and support stipends to former soldiers that have completed their service in the Israel Defense Forces, with a special emphasis on Lone Soldiers.
 * Provides scholarships and support stipends to former soldiers that have completed their service in the Israel Defense Forces, and have a proven track record of excellence and leadership.
 * Provides scholarships and support stipends to former soldiers that have completed their service in the Israel Defense Forces and are members of Ethiopian Israeli and Druze Israeli Communities.
 * Provides educational seminars and workshops for the HESEG scholars.

Activities of HESEG Scholars and Alumni

 * 2006: supported the residents in the North of Israel by delivering air conditioning units to the bomb shelters in Kiryat Shmona, distributing toys and candies to children and distributing gifts and holiday vouchers to reserve soldiers on active duty in the area.
 * 2008 - Supported the residents of Sderot by delivering electrical equipment from local enterprises to children’s playgrounds?, schools and homes for elderly; and delivering thousands of Purim Baskets to all the children playgrounds in the town.
 * 2010 – organized a summer party for children hospitalized in Schneider Hospital.
 * 2009 – delivering equipment and gifts to IDF soldiers, which took part at “Cast Lead” operation
 * 2010 – organizing summer party for children, hospitalized in Schneider hospital
 * 2011 - 2012 - organized Rosh Hashana activity with the elderly residents of a of Amigur, and packed and sent gifts and sweets to the children in the Eshkol Area in the South of Israel during the rocket attacks that occurred in 2012.