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PRESIDENT MOSHE AND GILA KATZAV VISIT AMIT TORANI MADA'I ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TO OPEN NEW SCHOOL YEAR
September 1, 2004, Sderot, Israel...... President Moshe Katzav, accompanied by his wife Gila, formally opened the new school year in Israel today with a tour of several schools in the Negev city of Sderot. During a stop at the AMIT Torani Mada'i Elementary School, President and Mrs. Katzav were greeted by Dr. Amnon Eldar, director general of the AMIT Network, as well as the school's students and faculty.
Sderot, a city of 24,000, has often been the target of Kassam missiles fired from the nearby Gaza Strip and is known as the Kiryat Shemona of the Negev. Approximately 42 percent of Sderot's population is of North African origin, while 40 percent are recent immigrants from the Former Soviet Union. Unemployment is high and some 30 percent of the population requires social welfare services.
AMIT operates a system of six schools in Sderot: a Junior and Senior High School, a Yeshiva, an Ulpana for girls, and three elementary schools. The AMIT Sderot Junior and Senior High School was awarded the Religious Education Prize for the 2002-03 school years and the teaching staff has been cited for its success in raising the levels of student achievement.
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Israeli President Moshe Katzav (left) signs the guest registry during
his visit to the AMIT Torani Mada’i elementary School in Sderot.
Looking on (right)is Dr. Amnon Eldar, director general of AMIT. |
President Katzav commented during his visit that he chose to visit Sderot for the opening of the new school year to express the solidarity of the State of Israel with the city's residents who live under such difficult economic conditions and security concerns.
"Israel and our education system," he noted, "must make every effort to ensure that all Israeli children will be able to integrate into Israeli society and realize their potential. We promise that after this difficult period, we will leave them a state that is improved and more peaceful."
Since 1925, AMIT has been at the forefront of education in Israel, nurturing and educating Israeli children to become productive, contributing members of society. A majority of AMIT's 15,000 children come from economically disadvantaged and/or troubled families. They reflect all Israel: sabra and new immigrant; religious and secular; Ashkenazi, Sephardi and every nation of the Jewish Diaspora. Today, significant numbers of AMIT students are immigrants from Ethiopia and the Former Soviet Union. AMIT's 60 schools, youth villages, surrogate family residences and other programs constitute Israel's only government-recognized network of religious Jewish education incorporating academic and technological studies. AMIT is the world's leading supporter of religious Zionist education and social services for Israeli youth.
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Media Contact:
Barbara Goldberg
Director of Communications
212-477-4720, ext. 127
barbarag@amitchildren.org
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