Students at World ORT’s Anières Elite Academy Program in Israel have marked their graduation and the dedication of a new accommodation building as part of the program’s end-of-year celebrations.

The Anières Academy – inspired by its illustrious predecessor the ORT Central Institute in Anières, Switzerland – provides students with the opportunity to become elite engineers and leaders in technology and industry.

Around 50 students graduated from the program on June 14, two days after World ORT Director General and CEO Dan Green oversaw the dedication of the new Marc Hamon Anières House – a home for 120 male and female students who study at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology – as part of the ORT program.

Mr Hamon, a graduate of the original institute, established the modern-day program with World ORT in 2012 in collaboration with the Israeli Education Ministry’s Na’ale program, the Technion, the Wizo Nahalal Youth Village and the Jewish Agency.

Students receive excellent teaching in a range of STEM subjects through to engineering studies at the Technion. They also receive financial, personal and other academic support.

Mr Hamon said: “The Technion degree is a diplomatic passport to the best companies in the world.”

Shir Levy, a 2023 graduate from Kiryat Malakhi, said: “I joined the Anières Program as a high school student, and studied at the Wizo Nahalal Youth Village. All through high school, I’ve received extra tutoring lessons from Technion students, had the opportunity to join an extracurricular course at the Technion and attended many enriching field trips. I’ve developed as an independent person, intellectually and mentally.

“The support we were given by the team, financially, academically and personally was extremely helpful and I’m grateful for that opportunity.”

Mr Green attended the graduation at the Technion alongside Technion President Professor Uri Sivan; Mr Hamon; former World ORT Board of Trustees Chair Robert Singer; Anières Alumni Association President Jacques Levy and other senior managers, program co-ordinators, alumni and students.

Dan Green meets Anières graduates (Images: Rami Shlush)

Mr Green said: “The Technion gives students the best tools to become leading engineers, industry pioneers and technological pioneers, entrepreneurs, and founders of start-up companies. I am delighted to be here to witness the climax of their Anières journey.”

Mr Hamon added: “Somewhere in history, World ORT gave me the opportunity to study at a leading institution in the town of Anières, an opportunity I grabbed with both hands. Today I wish to give a similar, and even better, opportunity to our students studying at the Technion.”

Prof Sivan said the Technion was “grateful to each and every donor, but here the thanks are twofold – because of the social commitment and because the donor, who is a graduate of the program, is now contributing to these wonderful young people and giving them an opportunity for a better future”.

One of those students is Mykola Fedotov who recently started his third year studying Chemical Engineering. He was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

“My grandparents immigrated to Israel when I was a child and wanted me to move to Israel, too. My mother also supported me,” said Mykola. At the age of 15, he moved to Israel as part of the Naale program for youths coming on aliya before their parents and began studying as part of the Anières Program at Wizo Nahalal High School. At the end of the 10th grade, he completed the Technion’s Chemistry program, which awarded him a score of 100 in chemistry in the matriculation exams.

Mykola now lives in the Marc Hamon Anières House and is very satisfied – not only because of the view and comfort, but mainly because he will live together with his Anières friends. He will take part in the program’s student committee to promote personal and community formation and enrichment. According to Mykola, he will also continue to enjoy dancing bachata and salsa dance at the student house.

• In a separate development, Universidad ORT Uruguay has signed a partnership agreement with the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. The agreement will facilitate student exchanges and the seamless transfer of academic credits. Students from Universidad ORT Uruguay have expressed their enthusiasm for studying an academic semester at the Technion due to its wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs offered across various disciplines, including engineering, computer science, electrical engineering, architecture, biotechnology, education, and more. The ORT university has also recently signed academic agreements with the Politecnico di Milano (Polimi), Italy; the School of International Studies, Zhejiang University, China; and Université Paris- Est Créteil, commonly known as Paris XII or UPEC.