Martin Behr retires from top World ORT positions

OWN CORRESPONDENT

“ORT South Africa is indebted to Martin Behr, honorary life president of ORT SA for his commitment and dedication both to World ORT and to ORT South Africa,” said Darryl Wiesz, ORT SA chairman, in a media release.  

At the recent World ORT General Assembly in Jerusalem, outgoing chairman, Baron Jean de Gunzberg, when thanking, described him as “a man of integrity, decency, intelligence and outstanding leadership”.

De Gunzberg went on to say that in all the years that Behr had been in a leadership position, there had never once been a concern about the World ORT strict governance controls and Behr had often been the voice of quiet reason and patience at the World ORT Board of Trustees meetings.

Said Behr in response: “My years working in World ORT have given me exposure to some outstanding, selfless individuals, both lay leaders and professionals, who have devoted themselves to World Ort’s international programmes.

“I have been privileged to see the amazing work done by ORT in the former Soviet Union, helping to bring Jewish values and a high quality education to young people eager to find their Jewish roots.

“The schools run by ORT in Argentina, Mexico and France, cater for thousands of Jewish youngsters, delivering the highest academic standards. In Israel, through World ORT’s subsidiary, Kadima Mada, thousands of children, including children at risk and new immigrants living in the peripheral areas of the Galil and Negev, have had the quality of their education significantly upgraded to levels competitive with the major cities.

“In line with World ORT’s long-term support for the principle of tikkun olam, I’m particularly proud of the work done by the ORT SA teams in Johannesburg and Cape Town in uplifting disadvantaged children through maths and science programmes for teachers and nurturing skills in technology through robotics.”