“The Talmud demands Tikkun Olam – that we repair the world. We are in the business of making people capable of dreams and making them fulfill those dreams.”
By ALAN ROSENBAUMWORLD ORT president Dr. Conrad Giles holds the ‘Let Freedom Ring Humanitarian Award’(photo credit: Courtesy)
World ORT received the “Let Freedom Ring Humanitarian Award” last week at a ceremony on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Detroit, Michigan.The award, given in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was presented to World ORT President Dr. Conrad Giles by the Rainbow Push Coalition, a social justice movement in the United States. It acknowledged World ORT’s commitment to equality in education and its efforts to bridge the gap between ability and opportunity.World ORT, a nonprofit global Jewish organization that promotes education and training in communities worldwide, was recognized for its International Cooperation program, which assists newly emerging and developing nations and has implemented more than 350 projects in 100 countries.“Our work in the sub-Saharan [region] is central to the meaning of our very existence,” said Giles. “The Talmud demands Tikkun Olam – that we repair the world. We are demanded to play a part in it. We are in the business of making people capable of dreams and making them fulfill those dreams.”Avi Ganon, World ORT director-general and CEO, added that the organization’s mission is to empower the next generation through innovative education. “We’re working to ensure that all communities receive equal opportunities to build successful lives for themselves,” he said. “It was what prompted our predecessors to establish ORT in 1880, and it is what continues to motivate us today.”
