World ORT

World ORT congratulates Chernivtsi Lyceum "ORT" No. 15 (Чернівецький ліцей 15 "ОРТ") in Ukraine, winners of YEP Northern Hemisphere 2026!

Their project, Vitratherm – a smart thermal window system designed to save both energy and money – impressed the judges with its creativity and real-world impact.

Compliments also to runners-up ColegioHatikva in Barcelona, and to all nine schools from seven countries that took part in this year’s competition.

YEP (Young Entrepreneurship Program) is World ORT’s annual entrepreneurship and innovation programme for students aged 14–17, empowering young people to explore technological innovation, develop start-up ideas, and tackle social challenges. Along the way, students build vital future-ready skills including decision-making, communication, collaboration, and critical thinking.

The future of innovation is bright – and it’s already happening in our classrooms.

For more information about YEP, visit https://ort.org/programs/student-competitions/taub-young-entrepreneurship-program/

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Four years into a conflict that has upended countless lives, World ORT remains on the ground, ensuring that children in Ukraine still have a path toward a promising future.

Join us at Noon EST on Thursday, June 4, for a special online briefing to hear directly from the educators and school leaders in Kyiv who are working on the front lines every day.

They will share how ORT is utilizing a holistic approach to education, vital mental health services, and community rebuilding to support students and families through ongoing adversity.

Featured Speakers:

• Mila Finkelshtein – Chief Executive, ORT Ukraine

• Irina Redko – Deputy Principal & Head of Mental Health Programming, Lyceum 141 ORT, Kyiv

• Yuliia Tkachuk – PR Manager, ORT Ukraine & Hebrew teacher, Lyceum 141 ORT, Kyiv

• Suze Goldman – Board Member, World ORT

• Dov Ben-Shimon – Chief Executive Officer, World ORT

Free and open to the public.

Register for the World ORT Ukraine Briefing Here:
https://tinyurl.com/4ecjd7kv

Yesterday we received word from our colleagues in Ukraine about the devastation from the most recent attacks. Russia fired 56 missiles and more than 670 drones overnight, targeting Kyiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhia, and beyond — cities where ORT schools are located. At least 24 people were killed, including three children, and dozens more were injured. A nine-story residential building partially collapsed. A school was struck. Today was declared a day of mourning in Kyiv.

We are grateful to report that there are no known casualties or injuries among ORT students, families, or staff.

We are thinking of every person, of every age, who carries on with such extraordinary courage.

As Shabbat arrives, we send our deepest wishes for peace, safety, and comfort to ORT families everywhere, and most especially to those in Ukraine.

Shabbat Shalom.

Day 2 of COR & NDF 2026 took us through the streets of Vilnius and into the Paneriai Forest.

Vilnius was once known as the Jerusalem of the North, a Jewish intellectual and cultural hub that flourished for centuries. Before the Holocaust, Lithuania was home to an estimated 210,000 Jews. But after? Only 5% survived. This is the most complete destruction of any Jewish community in any nation in the Holocaust.

And this week, in the place where the Jewish ghetto once was, we saw refurbished shops painted in bright colors and adorned with blooming flowers. Where was the darkness? Where was the sadness? Life moves forward, as it must. But beneath these cobblestones lie our ancestors, and we did not forget them for a single step.

At Paneriai, we walked the path of the forest and listened to the leaves rustle as the light breeze passed through the trees, wondering what sounds our ancestors heard as they walked the same ground. The history of this forest is grim. We stood over the pits where thousands were forced to dig their own mass graves before being shot. We joined in ceremony as public officials and World ORT leadership spoke in honor of this solemn occasion, while feeling the connection of being together as a global Jewish family, in Vilnius.

Lithuanian dignitaries laid wreaths. Israeli Ambassador Shelly Hugler Livne shared inspired words. We heard a moving cantorial Kaddish. A choir from the World ORT Sholom Aleichem School sang with strength and courage. And we laid stones on the memorial grave and we cried, and we cried. Then, on those same grounds, under the leaves of those same trees, we united in song, and together we raised our voices, “Hatikva,” the hope.

We left carrying all of it with us, and a promise to share this story because it is the story of our people. But it is not where our story ends.

Our future belongs to us, and through education anything is possible.

Education for life.

Our annual meeting, COR 2026, is off to a great start! This year, we are in Vilnius, Lithuania. Board members, lay leaders, educators, students, and professional staff have come together from every corner of our global network for a week of learning, celebration, and connection. We’ve already done more than we can fit into one post. Here’s a glimpse into what we’ve done these first two days (and what you won’t want to miss next year). There’s lots more to come. Stay tuned…

The World ORT team is growing!

We’re one of the world’s largest Jewish education networks, reaching 80K students & 200K beneficiaries across 30+ countries & 5 continents. And we’re looking for our next Florida Regional Development Officer.

If you’re passionate about education, networking, and Jewish life, we’d love to hear from you. Visit ort.org/about-ort/vacancies

Vacancies | Do you want to work for a dynamic and passionate education network which spans more than 40 countries and reaches hundreds of thousands of people every year?

Yesterday we stood still in remembrance. Today we celebrate.

The passage from Yom HaZikaron to Yom HaAtzmaut is unlike any other moment in the Jewish calendar — grief and gratitude, loss and hope, held together in the span of 24 hours. It is a transition that only Israel could have invented, and one that speaks to the extraordinary resilience at the heart of the Jewish story.

At World ORT, we celebrate Yom HaAtzmaut with deep pride, and with the knowledge that education has always been part of what it means to build and sustain a Jewish future. Through World ORT Kadima Mada in Israel, we are investing in the next generation of Israeli scientists, engineers, and innovators — young people who carry the promise of Israel forward every single day.

We honor the fallen. We celebrate independence. We educate for the future.

The ORT Day celebrations continue.

Last month, we came together to celebrate our schools, our community, and the global network that connects us all.
Now, we invite you to watch another inspiring video from across our network.

Get to know ORT Sholom Aleichem Jewish Gymnasium Lithuania (Vilniaus Šolomo Aleichemo ORT gimnazija)

World ORT Establishes the Mikhail Libkin Memorial Award for ORT History and Jewish Heritage

The student award honors the life and legacy of beloved ORT Russia National Director Mikhail (Misha) Libkin and invites students across the global ORT network to bring Jewish and ORT history to life through creative expression. For more information, visit https://ow.ly/XzsM50YMt4B

Over the past month, we have watched with deep concern and outrage as a coordinated campaign of violence has unfolded against the Jewish community in London.

The deliberate arson attacks targeting synagogues, volunteer emergency responders, and community organizations in Golders Green, Finchley, Hendon, and Kenton are an abhorrent attempt to instill fear in the heart of one of the world’s great Jewish communities.

World ORT stands with the UK Jewish community in absolute solidarity.

Our mission has always been rooted in something larger than education alone.
We believe in the resilience of the Jewish people, in the strength of community, and in the future we are building together for the next generation.

When the spaces where our community gathers, prays, and serves are threatened, we do not retreat.

We recommit.

These acts of intimidation will not fracture our community.

We remain united, unwavering, and deeply proud to stand alongside our community in the UK.