Mr Ferrari, a known advocate of Israel, explored the old city with his partner Clare, ORT CEO Dan Rickman and trustee Mark Mishon, before travelling to the charity’s Kfar Silver Youth Village on the outskirts of Ashkelon, 30 km from Gaza.
The boarding school, which is now run by the charity’s Israeli branch, World ORT Kadima Mada, was set up over 60 years ago to serve as an educational and agricultural safe haven for children arriving in Israel from the diaspora.
Teachers and students welcomed Mr Ferrari into the school, where pupils follow a curriculum combining advanced technological training with business skills and hands-on lessons in agriculture, as well as traditional subjects.
He said: “One minute these young people are planting tomato seeds, the next minute they’re milking a cow, the next minute they’re riding horses and the next minute they’re studying molecular science.
"This is a unique institution and how appropriate I’ve come to a place of learning, because I have learnt so much about the country and about what ORT is achieving.”
