17 July 2007 World ORT brings students from five countries to London for biggest ever Rosner English Summer School Beruchim habaim, Allah slamchik, dobro pozalovat, benvenuto, bienvenue welcome! Thirty-five Jewish, Druze and Muslim teenagers from Israel, Moldova and Belarus, Italy and France have arrived in London for the World ORT Rosner English Summer School. The Summer School is almost twice the size of last years, a sign that World ORT recognises the impact that good English language skills have on the realisation of students potential in education and career. The high school students have a packed two-week programme centred on intensive tuition at the Hampstead School of English. In addition, the children most of whom are in England for the first time will be introduced to local culture with visits to the West End, the South Bank, Covent Garden, Greenwich, the Science Museum, the BBC, and the Globe Theatre among the highlights. The group includes Druze and Muslim students from Israel in line with World ORTs commitment to co-existence, tolerance and mutual respect. Through our education and training programmes we aim to build an international fellowship, to break down the barriers that divide people and instead unite them, said World ORTs Head of Jewish Education Judah Harstein in welcoming the students to ORT House, London. He added: Were demonstrating in a practical way that the world can be improved. We hope that the education that ORT gives you will help you to make the world a better place. Going up in the world: students at the World ORT Rosner English Summer School. The students, who were selected for their leadership skills, educational achievement and dedication to volunteer projects, are committed to providing extra, informal English language tuition to their schoolmates on their return home. In founding the Summer School, World ORT supporter Jenny Rosner recognised the need to give Israeli students a chance to improve their command of the English language. Students in Israel need advanced English in order to meet the entry conditions of most universities. English also plays a vital role in developing a scientific or technical career because most publications, manual instructions and international conferences are in the language. Over the years, the summer school has opened its doors to non-Israeli ORT students as well. Hassan Thawho, 16, is a member of the small Circassian Muslim community in Israel. A student at the multicultural Kadoorie Agricultural High School, Hassan said he was excited by his first trip to England. I am looking forward to improving my English because I want to be able to communicate with people from other countries and cultures, he said. Anna Tiutina, who celebrated her 17th birthday on the first day of the Summer School, excels at languages at the Kishinev ORT Herzl Technology Lyceum in Moldova. English is very important, Anna said. I want to have a career that will involve travel and meeting other people I dont want to sit in one place. So having good English will help me do that. Jwan Morad, 16, is a Druze student at Horfesh, which, like Kadoorie, is one of 30 campuses in Israel that are benefiting from World ORTs $7.4 million Kadima Mada (Science Journey) programme to raise the level of science and technology teaching. Jwan, who is a big fan of the late Princess Diana, hopes to catch a glimpse of Buckingham Palace while in London. I like English very much, she said. I love pop songs in English and reading love stories Im very romantic! Also I know that English is very useful and important to get into university. I think one day I would like to be an English teacher. Noemie Dabi, 15, is one of three students from the ORT school at Villiers-le-Bel, near Paris attending the Summer School. The other students speak better English than me and my friends so we will have a lot of practice trying to talk with the others, she said. Gefen Lieberman, 16, is a student at Shaar HaNegev, a school which is under constant threat from rockets launched from Gaza but which enjoys the support of World ORT through Kadima Mada. Her arrival in London was preceded by her first ever flight. I liked it very much; it was like something out of Superman, she said. I am looking forward to improving my English. Its important to speak English everybody knows it so its very useful. The expansion of the Summer School this year has been made possible thanks to the generosity of British ORT supporters and the UK-based Joseph Trust. British ORT Chairman Alan Goldman welcomed the students at ORT House. Its great to see more participants than ever this year and from a record number of countries, Mr Goldman said. You are ambassadors for your schools, your countries and for ORT. Study well English is the universal language and the better you speak it, the better your chance to do well in life. And enjoy yourselves! The 27 Israeli students are accompanied by three teachers: Raneen Odeh, from Horfesh, Pnina Hilman, from Kadoorie, and Ofra Halperin from Shikma. Ms Hilman said the World ORT Rosner English Summer School was clearly a tremendous initiative. The students are having to speak to each other in English so they are listening to and using a lot of English every day, she said. Also, the multicultural mix is very good. When you have children from different backgrounds doing things together they appreciate each others humanity. World ORT is the worlds largest Jewish education and vocational training non-government organisation and has benefited more than 3 million people Jewish and non-Jewish in 100 countries since its foundation in 1880.