A mentoring programme for British sixth-formers and the plight of a Jewish school in Ukraine were the focus of Ort UK’s dinner, held at London’s Mansion House and raising more than £400,000 for the charity’s educational work.
Ort Jump is named because it gives year 12 pupils across 11 London schools a jump start to the workplace through the guidance of a mentor in their potential profession.
The Jabotinski #94 School in Odessa specialises in Jewish studies and stem subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths). Part of Ort’s network of 16 schools in the former Soviet Union, it urgently needs new premises to educate its 467 students.
Ort UK chief executive Adam Overlander-Kaye told guests that the Jump programme had helped more than 2,000 teenagers.
“However, in Ukraine and across the former Soviet Union, the situation is not always as fortunate. Yes, we fund technology education; yes, our schools bridge the gap between opportunity and ability; yes, we deliver teacher training.
“But we also have school buildings falling apart, families who need Ort to provide nutritious meals for their children and security so pupils can travel to and from school safely.”
In the appeal video, Ort Odessa director Anna Michurina said pupils at the school “teach their parents what it is to be a Jew, how to celebrate holidays, how to provide Shabbat.
“We must prepare students for a Jewish life and we must give them good opportunities to be a good Jew and have a good profession.”
Actress and comedian Meera Syal was guest speaker, describing her journey from being one of “the only Asians in the village” to stage and screen stardom. She also discussed similarities between the Asian and Jewish communities — notably mothers.
Long-term Ort benefactors Vivienne and David Woolf and Suzanne and Henry Davis were honoured for their contribution to the charity.
“Ort has afforded me some of the most stimulating experiences of my life,” Mr Woolf said. “It has provided me with the opportunity to give something back, to meet people from all over the world, to travel and make lifelong friendships.”
