30 April 2004 The ORT Kazan School No. 12 Mishpachtenu has celebrated its 5th anniversary. To honour this auspicious occasion, a special event took place in the presence of Mikhail Skoblionok, Representative of Kazans Ministry of Education; Ildar Galy Akhmetov, Head of the Kazan Jewish Community; O. Troupp and N. Gubaidulina, School Principals; and Avi Ganon, World ORT Representative in Russia, Belarus and Central Asia. During the event teachers and students took part in a spectacular performance of song and traditional music. ORT Kazan is one of the major success stories of Regeneration 2000 the ORT programme established in direct response to the requirement by CIS and Baltic States Jewish communities for schools to provide Jewish children with an education appropriate to the new realities of the post-Communist era. Parents saw that the old employment patterns had been completely changed and to ensure a sound economic future for their children, they realized that new approaches to education were required.
With the opening of the ORT Technology Centre in 2000, Mishpachtenu, which already had a high rating in Kazan, has become increasingly popular. Since its inception, when it had only three Jewish classes, the Jewish department has greatly increased. Today there are 17 Jewish classes and a long waiting list of students wishing to study at ORT Kazan.
As the use of modern technology has become a vital part of the educational process, ORT Kazan students are regular participants in local and international competitions and Olympiads, where they regularly receive prizes. ORT Kazan graduates go on to study at the most prestigious universities in Russia, Tatarstan and Israel.
Since 2002 ORT Kazan Mishpachtenu has been considered the best school in Kazan, and in 2005 it will become the biggest inclusive Jewish school in the FSU.
The ORT Technology Centre in Kazan, a British ORT funded initiative, was established thanks to the generous support of Sir Maurice and Lady Hatter, Suzanne and Henry Davis, Paul and Marlene Borman (American ORT), the Russian Jewish Congress and the Jewish Community of Kazan