This article first appeared in Jewish Standard
When I met Sofia Bobrovska at ORT’s Digital Skills Academy in Bulgaria a few days ago, I was struck by the power of a simple gift.
It was a camera.
For most of us, a camera might seem like just a piece of technology. But for Sofia, a young Ukrainian Jewish refugee who had been forced to leave the life she knew behind when the war began, that camera represented something much greater. It was a vote of confidence. It was a message that her talents mattered, that her dreams mattered, and that her future was still hers to create.
With ORT’s support, Sofia began developing her passion for photography. That first camera became the beginning of a journey that would eventually lead her toward a professional career as a photographer for publications including Cosmopolitan. A small investment in one young woman’s potential became an opportunity to rebuild, to create, and to tell stories.
This is what ORT, more formally known as the Organization for Rehabilitation through Training, always has done.
For more than 140 years, ORT has understood that education isn’t just about preparing people for employment. Education is about dignity. It’s about independence. It’s about giving people the confidence and tools they need to shape their own future.
For Jews, education has always been an act of survival. Throughout our history, knowledge has been our inheritance and our protection. In communities across the world, Jewish education has allowed us to preserve our identity, strengthen our communities, and continue building even in the face of extraordinary challenges.
I saw all this a few days ago, visiting ORT’s Digital Skills Academy in Bulgaria. And how relevant this mission remains today. I met students learning advanced digital skills, preparing themselves for careers in technology, innovation, and the global economy. I met educators who dedicate their lives to opening doors for the next generation. And I met an ORT Bulgaria team whose passion demonstrates what Jewish communal responsibility looks like in practice. They aren’t just teaching technology, they’re changing lives.
Bulgaria itself carries a powerful Jewish story. During the Holocaust, Bulgarian Jews experienced both tragedy and extraordinary courage. More than 11,000 Jews from territories under Bulgarian administration were deported and murdered. But some 48,000 Jews who lived inside Bulgaria’s prewar borders were saved, due to the courage of Bulgarian Jews and the actions of the politicians, religious leaders, and citizens who resisted their deportation. That history reminds us that Jewish survival has always depended on people who choose responsibility over indifference. And today, our responsibility is to build Jewish life that is strong, confident, and connected. That’s where ORT plays a unique role.
I’ve traveled around the world and seen dozens and dozens of Jewish communities. I’m always struck by how diverse these communities are. They face different challenges and live in different realities. But ORT creates a common language of education. ORT Buenos Aires is the largest Jewish day school in the world, with almost 10,000 students attending each day. Their students are connected to ORT students in Bulgaria, in Israel, in Ukraine through a shared belief that learning can transform lives.
In an age when antisemitism is rising and Jewish communities can sometimes feel isolated, we have to do more than defend Jewish life. We have to build Jewish life. That means creating opportunities for young Jews to thrive. It means giving them the skills to succeed and the confidence to lead. And it means making sure that they know that they belong to something larger than themselves.
That’s what Sofia’s camera signified. It wasn’t a tool for photography alone. It was an investment in a dream. It was a reminder that every young person carries potential waiting to be unlocked. Sometimes all they need is someone to believe in them and provide the opportunity. Because our inheritance isn’t only something that we receive. It is something that we’re responsible for passing forward.
ORT carries that responsibility every day. From vocational training in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe more than a century ago, to digital skills education today, ORT has adapted to the needs of each generation while remaining rooted in the same core belief: education empowers people and strengthens communities.
I’ve seen so much that can create concern and worry. The world is changing rapidly. Technology is transforming how we live and work. The challenges facing Jewish communities are evolving. But the answer remains the same as it has always been. We have to educate, to connect, and to build. Because education does more than prepare someone for a career — it gives people a voice, and it gives them hope.
And hope has always been one of the greatest sources of strength for the Jewish people.
Dov Ben-Shimon of Springfield is the chief executive officer of World ORT, a global network of Jewish schools and educational platforms that impacts the lives of hundreds of thousands in dozens of countries every day. From 2014 to 2024, he was the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest.