20 July 2005 Navah Barak, President of a leading Israeli childrens charity, Elem, has visited ORT House in London to explore the possibility of collaboration with World ORT. Ms Barak met World ORT Director General Robert Singer, Lady Irene Hatter, the wife of World ORT President Sir Maurice Hatter, and the head of World ORTs International Liaison Department, Sonia Gomes de Mesquita. Elem President Navah Barak with Elems Head of Resource Development, Orli Shalvi, at ORT House. Since 1981, Elem has designed, set up and operated treatment and rehabilitation services to help troubled, neglected, abused and adjudicated youth. Two possible projects for collaboration were identified. The first was to involve ORT students around the world in Elems Israels Flag of Lights Yom Haatzmaut celebration in which a giant Israeli flag comprising 500,000 light bulbs is lit, one bulb at a time, by people sending text messages on their mobile phones. The second project is to examine how Elems expertise can be used in ORTs International Cooperation projects to help children at risk in the developing world. It was a highly productive meeting, Mr Singer said. We expect cooperation between ORT and Elem to significantly increase the benefits our two organisations already bring to thousands of young people ever year. Mr Singer also offered Elem the use of ORT Houses conference and IT training facilities. Meanwhile, World ORT Lay Leadership Coordinator Gaby Blauer is looking into whether participants in Septembers inaugural Next Generation mission to Israel can join young Elem volunteers in their nightly outings to help street kids. The day after the meeting, Ms Gomes de Mesquita joined Ms Barak at an Israeli Embassy function featuring the human rights lawyer Cherie Booth, who is married to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The event was co-sponsored by Elem with the JNF and Sigalia Heifetz, the wife of the Israeli ambassador to London.