21 May 2004 Yesterday, 20th May 2004, members of Israels Knesset visited ORT School 1299 in Moscow. Participants in the visit included Ilan Shalgi, Chairman of the Knesset Education Committee; Colette Avital, Head of the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and the Diaspora; Meshulam Nahari, Deputy Minister of Education and Member of the Education and Culture Committee; Marina Solodkin, Member of the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and the Diaspora; Inbal Gavrieli, Member of the Education and Culture Committee; Amos Lahat, Jewish Agency; and Dana Gordon, Secretary of the Mission. As part of their visit the dignitaries toured the school, watched a presentation focusing on ORT activities and spent time talking to students. Avi Ganon, World ORT Representative in Russia, Belarus and Central Asia gave a presentation on ORTs activities in the CIS and Baltic States, including on the increase in ORTs activity in the region during the last four years, the Heftziba Project and the pre-aliyah Programs which have helped new olim integrate into Israeli society. The schools students also gave a presentation, ORT and Me, a first hand account of life at ORT and the benefits of an ORT education. At the end of the visit an informal question and answer session was held, when the MKs asked the students a number of questions about their life and prospects. In particular the MKs were interested to learn why the students had chosen to attend this particular school and if they intended to make aliyah. The support of the Israeli Government is integral to our activities both in Israel and in other countries where ORT operates. This underlines the centrality of Israel in all of our activities, stated Robert Singer, Director General of World ORT. I would like to thank the MKs for taking the time to visit one of ORTs most successful schools in the CIS and Baltic States. I have no doubt that our mutual cooperation will continue for many years to come. The MKs were impressed by the school and by the increasing number of students attending ORT programmes in the CIS and Baltic States, said Avi Ganon. The MKs were given an in depth insight into our activities and were impressed by what they saw. This was an important and productive visit. Note for editors: The Heftziba project was created and funded by the Israeli government in 1992 to allow Jewish schools in the CIS and Baltic States access to teachers and materials from the Israeli Ministry of Education. The Jewish Agency and ORT have now taken over the responsibility for the schools within the Heftziba project. In the photo: (left) Dana Gordon, Secretary of the Mission; Marina Solodkin, Member of the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and the Diaspora; Colette Avital, Head of the Committee for Immigration, Absorption and the Diaspora; Avi Ganon, World ORT Representative in Russia, Belarus and Central Asia; Meshulam Nahari, Deputy Minister of Education and Member of the Education and Culture Committee; Ilan Shalgi, Head of the Education and Culture Committee; Inbal Gavrieli, Member of the Education and Culture Committee; Amos Lahat, Jewish Agency.