About Uriel Ofir

The headlines of my life story.

1986
I came into this world, inheriting the name of my uncle
who tragically lost his life as a soldier in the 1982 Lebanon War.

My early years were spent in Nir-Galim, Israel,
where I embarked on my journey as a young child.

2001
My high school journey commenced at Yeshiva-Tichonit Machon-Lev,
a specialized institution for intellectually gifted religious students,
dedicated to the study of Torah as well as technology and science.

2004
I embarked on my long years of Torah study journey at Yeshivat Har-Hamor,
a Religious Zionist yeshiva established in 1997 as an offshoot of Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav.
This institution, led by Rabbi Zvi Thau as its president,
is dedicated to perpetuating the teachings and principles of
Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook and his son Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Kook.

2008
I took the important step of getting married.

2009
My first son was born, and my family and I relocated to Bnei-Netzrim,
a moshav established by settlers from Netzarim,
one of the Israeli communities evacuated during Israel’s 2005 disengagement plan.

2012
I completed a three-month service with the Military Rabbinate
while being married with three children,
and my wife was expecting another child.

2013-2014
After dedicating many years to the study of Gemara and Rabbi Kook’s teachings,
and with encouragement of Rabbi David Giami,
a prominent figure at Har Hamor Yeshiva,
I embarked on a research journey.

My goal was to explore how graduates of the beit midrash,
upon transitioning to civilian life,
could maintain the same spiritual essence they had cultivated in their studies.

The culmination of my study led me to the realization that
the Jewish-Orthodox approach was fundamentally flawed.

2015
I welcomed my fifth and youngest child into the world.

2017
My marriage, which had faced difficulties
due to my personal transformation, ended in divorce.

Simultaneously, I began a computer science degree at Sapir College
and relocated to Be’er-Sheva .

2018
My life was abruptly shaken by the sudden passing of my brother.
Overwhelmed by grief, I made the difficult decision to suspend my studies,
uncertain if I would ever be able to resume them.
Instead, I returned to live with my parents in Nir Galim.

(I captured this photo of the sea during the Shiva for my brother.)

2019
I resumed my pursuit of a computer science degree
and returned to make Be’er-Sheva my home once again.

2020
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic,
I made the decision to move back in with my parents.

2021
I secured my first job in programming, but
the journey took an unexpected turn
when I faced termination after just two months.

At that point, I contemplated giving up on my aspiration
to establish myself as a professional in the field of programming.

2022
I successfully landed a position at Abra, a project-focused company.
There, I became a part of a team involved in a significant project for Wix.

2023

I took a bold step by founding Ma’akaf, an Israeli open-source community.

However, my professional journey faced another challenge

as I experienced a layoff due to company-wide cutbacks.

In my personal life, a bright and joyful event took place—

I found a wonderful girlfriend, and together,

we established our home in Jerusalem.