ORT alive and well at 140

OWN CORRESPONDENT

International ORT Day is celebrated by ORT and schools across the world, although this year, it was significantly smaller than originally anticipated as many countries, schools, and institutions are closed and have moved to remote learning and working.

Since its founding in St Petersburg, Russia in 1880, ORT, an education network driven by Jewish values, has expanded across the globe, and is now in North, Central, and South America, Europe, the former Soviet Union, Africa, Israel, and Asia, reaching 300 000 people in more than 40 countries.

“Our birthday party has been put on hold until things settle, and we are back to normal,” says Ariellah Rosenberg, the chief executive of ORT SA. “The ORT Jet division will continue training via online platforms and the public will be kept informed of progress.”

“On this ORT Day in 2020, in a much different but still shambolic world 140 years later, ORT in South Africa and the South African Jewish Board of Education (SAJBE) would like to express its sense of unity with our sisters and brothers in the ORT family across the globe,” said Rabbi Kacev, the general director of the SAJBE (affiliated to World ORT) and Rosenberg in a message of support to the ORT network.

“We read with empathy of the ORT schools worldwide which are shut down, countries closing down while fighting an invisible enemy, yet we have the sense of being closer than ever during this worldwide pandemic. We would like to send you our thoughts and prayers during these times of difficulty.”