2 December 2001 American ORT presents its first Ambassador David B. Hermelin Award to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and Murray Koppelman US Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton was the guest of honour at the American ORT Ambassador David B Hermelin Awards Dinner on 2 December at the Hotel Pierre in New York City. Senator Clinton and Murray Koppelman, First Vice President of World ORT, both received the Ambassador David B. Hermelin Award for their outstanding national accomplishments in government and business respectively. Doreen Hermelin, Davids wife, presented the award to her friend Hillary Clinton for her effective advocacy on behalf of education and human rights. In her acceptance speech, Senator Clinton praised ORT for changing with the times. I am impressed by the flexibility and creativity of ORT. It is remarkable that an organisation which started so long ago is still so relevant today, she said. American ORT recently inaugurated the American ORT Twin Towers Scholarship for training at Bramson ORT College to come to the aid of families whose primary breadwinners were lost in the World Trade Centre terrorist attack or whose livelihoods disappeared in the smoke and dust. The programme will assist displaced workers and other victims who worked in and around the complex, their immediate family members, as well as police, fire fighters and rescue workers. Senator Clinton said she believes that the Fund should be supported because the terror attacks are so contrary to the memory of David Hermelin, who everyday was grateful for his blessings. The Twin Towers Scholarship Fund will prove essential in providing long-term assistance to so many who lost work. Senator Clinton said. Mr Koppelman is the President and CEO of Eastlake Securities, Inc., and past President of American ORT. Alan C. Ace Greenberg was proud to present the award to Murray Koppelman for his unparalleled commitment and concern for ORTs cause and immeasurable contributions to the Jewish community. Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice-Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organisations was the keynote speaker at the dinner. David Hermelins memory and laughter will stay in our minds forever and motivate us to work towards everything that ORT stands for, Hoenlein said. The prestigious David B. Hermelin Award will be presented annually to an individual who has made outstanding national accomplishments in government, business, humanities or the arts. The dinner followed on the heels of the horrific 1 December bombings in Jerusalem and Haifa that took the lives of three ORT students. National news media were on hand for a press conference during the cocktail reception where Senator Clinton had an opportunity to respond by condemning the violence and expressing solidarity with Israel. American ORT raises funds to support technical and technological training for over 300,000 students in 60 countries around the world. ORT is the Jewish world’s leader in technology education and the world’s largest non-governmental education and training organisation. ORT has established schools and resource centres throughout the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) of former Soviet Union. ORT schools of longstanding are also found in Eastern Europe, France, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, South Africa, India and elsewhere. More than 15,000 students are currently being served by ORT in the US. ORT’s three US schools are Bramson ORT College in New York, Zarem/Golde ORT Technical Institute in Chicago; and Los Angeles ORT Technical Institute (LAOTI). ORT Computer Technology Centres in Atlanta, Cleveland and Miami are connecting Jewish day school students to Jewish education with a computer link, and the ORT Resource Centre in New York is helping to bring Jewish education into the computer age.