This year, we all witnessed a whole slew of crises — the invasion of Ukraine, political instability in the U.S. and Israel, the seeming normalization of antisemitism, economic/inflationary pressure, and the stubborn persistence of COVID. It was a lot for one year.
It’s not surprising that disadvantaged kids in Israel weren’t at the top of our communal Jewish agenda. But in 2022, AMIT continued to work 24/7, 365 days to educate and support our children. Specifically, we:
1. Schooled 40,000 students in elementary and high schools, residential facilities, vocational schools, junior colleges, and pre-army Mechinas. Once again, AMIT ranked quantitatively, as the best school system in Israel.
2. Provided after-school programming and tutoring to 7,500 students in some of Israel’s more challenging communities so we could build up their personal and academic skills in an informal environment where learning is less stressful and intimidating. We also made sure these children had volunteer opportunities so that they were able to see their role as givers in their local community.
3. Offered two-week summer camp experiences to 650 kids, mainly from disadvantaged communities. We set four goals for ourselves:
- Show these children that we believe they are important people to invest in.
- Expose these children to inspiring people, experiences, and leadership opportunities.
- Keep academic progress top of mind.
- Share Shabbat together in a way many children had never previously experienced.
4. Expanded our investment in cutting-edge academics, ecosystems initiatives, Torah and secular subjects, and we gave our students various opportunities to compete in local and international contests.
5. We made it a priority for our 5,000 teachers to:
- Receive rigorous professional training to develop and implement growth plans for themselves and their students.
- Engage meaningfully with other teachers with different religious and political views as an important step in bridging divides within Israeli society.
I could go on, but this is my personal list of what I am most proud of this year — making sure every AMIT student has the opportunity and skill set to be the top in whatever they choose for themselves, that Klal Yisroel is a central tenet for our diverse student and teacher body, and all our students are exposed to “living Torah” values that will help them to live fulfilled lives.
AMIT is the recognized leader in education in Israel. But we are only as strong as the weakest of our students and that requires us to do some very heavy lifting every day. Your support enables us to make the long-term strategic investments in our students that drive success in the broadest terms possible. Please help us make our tagline “Strengthening Israel. One Child at a Time.” a lived reality.
