07 April 2010 ORT school in Bishkek closes amid political unrest The ORT school in Bishkek closed early on the first day back after the Passover holiday, urgently phoning parents to take their children home as anti-Government protestors descended on the centre of the Kyrgyz capital. The Principal of the ORT Pri Etz Chaim School, Vladimir Kritsman, decided on the evacuation after consultations with colleagues and research on the Internet confirmed his suspicions that trouble was about to break out. The last of the schools 74 full-time students left for home minutes before shooting broke out in the main town square where many government buildings are situated. The BBC reported that five people were killed in the initial clashes. Vladimir Kritsman (first from the left) and Sergey Gorinskiy (third from the right) at the First Congress of Craftsmen in Bishkek.

As I drove to school this morning I noticed something was wrong, Mr Kristman said. Its difficult to explain; there was just a strange atmosphere in the streets. There was less traffic than usual and people were driving erratically. But what was most significant was the complete absence of traffic police which raised the question in my mind, If theyre not here, where are they
When I got to school I discussed the situation with friends and colleagues and researched the situation on the Internet. I quickly decided that it would be best to send the children home. We are all relieved that we managed to do that before the situation deteriorated.
The school will remain closed until Monday at which point Mr Kritsman will review the situation. Should the school have to stay closed then lessons may be resumed via the Internet as most students have computers at home.
The central Asian republic was incorporated by the Soviet Union and is now a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). Relations between the countrys 1,500 Jews almost all of whom live in Bishkek and the Muslim majority are very good.
We have very good relations with all parts of society, said Mr Kritsman, who is also a Board member of the countrys peak Jewish organisation, the Society of Jewish Culture Menorah. As a community we do not anticipate any problems from the politics but we fear that criminals will seek to exploit the instability. As the school has many computers [in 2006, World ORT opened an ICT laboratory and a resource centre at the school which boast a wide array of educational technology] we could be a target for looters.
Although a curfew has been imposed, security forces are focused on dealing with the political unrest in the centre of the city leaving outlying areas, such as the one in which the school is situated, vulnerable to criminals.
Vladimir has told me of the need the school has for armed security guards, said Dr Sergey Gorinskiy, ORT Russias National Director. I have assured him that we will find the money necessary to protect the school.
The ORT Pri Etz Chaim School enjoys a good reputation for its educational standards as well as its inclusive and tolerant ethos many of the children there come from mixed Muslim-Jewish parentage and World ORT funds special programmes to bring parents up to speed with the Jewish education their children receive.
As part of World ORTs on-going investment in the 17 schools it supports in the Former Soviet Union through the Regeneration programmes, Pri Etz Chaim is helped in vital refurbishment as well as the installation of new systems and services, the professional development of staff, and the development of curricula materials such as software and text books.
One of its 21 full-time teachers, Dmitry Vinogradov, is due to attend an ORT training seminar on robotics in Dnepropetrovsk at the end of the week. Two students are also meant to go in order to participate in an accompanying robotics competition. However, their attendance is now in doubt.
If the situation deteriorates then the airports may be closed and they will not be able to take part, Dr Gorinskiy said.
World ORT Director General and CEO Robert Singer said: The Kyrgyzstan Jewish community is very small but World ORTs approach is to help every Jew in every place regardless of the size of the community. Our school in Kyrgyzstan is a fine example of this approach. We will monitor the situation very closely and provide any assistance we can. As per the request from the school, we will see how we can obtain the funds to ensure the safety of the students.