ORT students in Mexico are not only taught to aim high, work hard and achieve their goals, but they are also taught to have pride in their Jewish identity.

This spirit was just recently demonstrated for a wonderful purpose, where senior high school students started a minyan for Shacharit – morning prayers – on Mondays and Thursdays at Colegio Israelita de México ORT (CIM-ORT). And, drawn to the unifying and tranquil prayer environment, the number of enthusiastic students attending has been increasing.

The participants were using a Torah borrowed from the community. The concept of having their own school Torah was just an idea when they discussed it with the school rabbi. The students began fundraising for a new Torah, and thanks to the generosity of several families, they reached their goal. A special celebration was held to celebrate the arrival of the new Torah, attended by the rabbi, board members, teachers, classmates and friends of the school, as well as the sofer (scribe) who wrote the Torah. The joyful time included singing, dancing and praying in honor of the occasion, and it was a very inspiring day.