Bank Hapoalim has received an “Accessible Organization” certificate from the nonprofit Access Israel (Negishut Israel), in recognition of the bank’s investment in making services more accessible to customers with disabilities.
The certificate was presented by Yuval Wagner, president of Access Israel, to senior bank representatives, including Amit Oberkovich, deputy CEO and head of human resources, Pazit Garfinkel, deputy CEO and head of retail banking, and Mariana Mualem, the bank’s director of diversity and accessibility, according to the statement.
Wagner is also the founder of Access Israel, which he established in 1999 after being injured in a 1987 helicopter crash while serving as an Israeli Air Force pilot, and later became a leading figure in Israel’s accessibility advocacy.
In its announcement, Access Israel said the certificate reflects the bank’s commitment to ensuring that “every customer, without exception,” can receive “independent, respectful and equal” service.
The bank noted that the war has expanded Israel’s disability community, saying that roughly 100,000 people joined the “circle of people with disabilities” over the past year, including more than 20,000 wounded IDF soldiers.
Bank Hapoalim 'adopts' wounded IDF soldiers
As part of its response, Bank Hapoalim said it has “adopted” wounded IDF soldiers and, together with the Friends Association of the IDF Disabled Veterans Organization, established a NIS 12 million assistance program called “Bishvil Hahatzlacha” (On the path to success), accompanying wounded soldiers from hospitalization through their return to routine life.
The bank also pointed to ongoing investments in accessibility across its branches, website, mobile application, and service centers, as well as employee training aimed at delivering a service experience tailored to customers with and without disabilities.
“We see a great privilege in providing equal service to every person, with respect and recognition of the need for independence,” Oberkovich said, adding that the bank employs “many employees with visible and non-visible disabilities” as an integral part of its workforce.
Naama Halevi-Peer, head of social banking at Bank Hapoalim, framed accessibility as a value, not only a compliance requirement. “Accessibility is not just an obligation, it is a value that guides us,” she said, calling the certificate “an important step” toward building “a more equal and inclusive society.”
Mualem said the bank employs “hundreds” of workers with disabilities in a range of roles, and that the organization invests in recruitment and adapted onboarding processes, as well as workplace accommodations including structural adjustments, assistive equipment, transcription services, sign-language interpretation, and individualized support.