Yad Lvovitch to become a Centre for Academic Excellence During the World ORT General Assembly Robert Singer , Director General of World ORT; Renette Berman , President of ORT Canada; and Zvi Peleg , announced the launch of a Campaign for ORT Yad Lvovitch in Netanya. ORT Yad Lvovitch was one of ORTs earliest schools in Israel. Established in 1949, the school today has over 1,500 students, including 120 boarders from other parts of Israel who are accommodated in the schools dormitory facilities. One third of the schools students are new immigrants; the majority from the former Soviet Union, and a significant minority from Ethiopia. Many of the students come from moderate-to-low-income families and have severe social problems. Prior to the GA, to coincide with Yom Hashoah and Yom Haatzmaut, a group of 12 Yad Lvovitch boarding school students took their play ‘Charged to Life’ to Belgium and France. The play tells the poignant story of children hidden during the Holocaust. The European tour took place through the initiative of the Chair of ORT Belgium, Andrea Wine . The play was performed in front of both Jewish and non-Jewish high school students and in the presence of the Minister of Education. A very powerful bond has been created between ORT Belgium and the Lvovitch Boarding School, so naturally when I learned about ORT Canada’s project to renovate the dilapidated facilities of this most worthy school I was thrilled. I salute the initiative of Renette Berman and her team and am certain that their endeavour will enable the outstanding and devoted Lvovitch staff to do even more for the very large and growing student body,’ said Ms. Wine. The inspiration for the Yad Lvovitch Campaign came from an innovative educational vision created by ORT programmes in Israel and inspired by the school’s new Principal, Zvika Reiter . It was, however, shortly after ORT Belgiums successful fund-raising campaign for the Boarding School, during a 2003 visit to Yad Lvovitch by Andrea Wine to meet the students and to assess further needs, that the idea for an international campaign began to take shape. It is due to the sizeable and personal commitments towards the Yad Lvovitch Campaign by Ruth Druxerman , Arthur and Vicky Silber , Mayer and Anne Ghoddoussi , David Berman and Roger and Fanny Korman , and the commitments from Jo Assedou and Jacob Kincler to raise significant funds, that ORT Canada was able to announce the launch. Andrea Wine (4th row, 2nd from left) and the Yad Lvovitch Boarding School students during their Belgian tour. Sonia Gomes de Mesquita, Head of World ORTs International Liaison Department; Renette Berman, President of ORT Canada; David Berman; Dr. Roger Korman, World ORT Board of Directors; Emmanuel Kalles, National Director of ORT Canada; and ORT Yad Lvovitch students at a tree planting ceremony at the school. The aim of the Yad Lvovitch Campaign is to turn the school into a Centre for Academic Excellence, implementing technological innovations. ORT Yad Lvovitch will become an ‘experimental school’ and serve as the testing ground for new ORT technological programmes in Israel which will then be introduced into the ORT’s network in Israel and then into the national education system. The total cost of upgrading the campus, inclusive of technological laboratory equipment, project design and other equipment will be in the region of US$15,000,000. The Campaigns launch during the GA garnered such excitement that ORT Switzerland, ORT South Africa, British ORT and Womens American ORT have already shown interest in being a part of the revitalisation of ORT Yad Lvovitch. With the support and commitment of the whole ORT team, we will be able to fulfil a dream, a dream the principals, teachers and the students of an extremely run down ORT school thought was beyond their wildest dreams, enthused Renette Berman, President of ORT Canada.