Eliezer Torres, a student at AMIT Ma’ale Adumim Junior and Senior High School for Boys, was recently recognized as an “outstanding oleh” by the Education Ministry’s religious education administration.
At a moving ceremony on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem, Eliezer received the award for outstanding new immigrant in the Jerusalem district. His parents, teachers, and friends were in the audience as Eliezer was handed the award and a gift for his impressive achievements.
Eliezer, 14, was born in Venezuela, and his family lived in different countries including Colombia and Panama before deciding to immigrate to Israel, where they felt he and his siblings would get a better Jewish education. Not knowing Hebrew, Eliezer and his family faced difficulties when they first arrived.
Eliezer enrolled at AMIT Ma’ale Adumim in the 7th grade. His teachers allocated extra resources to helping Eliezer learn Hebrew and close the language gap, and it soon became clear to them that he is a smart and industrious student who would do everything to succeed.
Daniel Be’eri, the principal of AMIT Ma’ale Adumim, said that the school has new immigrants from 12 different countries and works to help them all overcome language and cultural challenges they face. “We are pleased and proud to be a home that welcomes these students,” he said. “I am proud of Eliezer Torres, this outstanding student who sets an example of studiousness and hard work for the entire school. And he does it all with patience and pleasantness.”
Eliezer’s teacher Aviad Ben Hemo said he is proof that patience and investment pay off in the end. “It’s not easy to come to class and have difficulty communicating with the teachers and students, but Eliezer grew precisely out of this difficulty.”
