High honours for ORT supporters

16.01.06

16 January 2006 High honours for ORT supporters Two prominent British supporters of ORT have been recognised in the New Year Honours list that is compiled annually by the British government and approved by the Queen. Clive Marks, a long-standing friend of ORT, was awarded the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his work in bringing together Jews and Christians; David Cesarani, Research Professor in History at Royal Holloway, University of London, was awarded an OBE for services to Holocaust education. Professor David Cesarani Professor Cesarani is currently providing academic supervision for an important historical research project, funded by the Claims Conference, that is exploring ORTs activities in the Displaced Persons (DP) camps of post-war Europe. It is estimated that a quarter of all Jewish DPs some 80,000 people passed through ORTs vocational training centres in the years immediately after World War Two, many on their way to the new State of Israel. The research project, which is being carried out by one of Professor Cesaranis former students, is expected to reveal hitherto unpublished material and will feature interviews with survivors. Clive Marks lighting Channukah candles at ORT House. Mr Marks has supported many ORT projects in many parts of the world and is a member of World ORTs elite major donors group, The 1880 Society. His lifelong interest in music has made him a driving force behind World ORTs current project preparing an on-line education resource on the subject of Music of the Holocaust. The website, a sister site to Learning About the Holocaust Through Art, will contain musical extracts, archive material, biographies and articles describing the way that music and musicians were affected by the Shoah. World ORT Director General Robert Singer said the whole ORT family was delighted that the great contributions made by Professor Cesarani and Mr Marks had been officially recognised. We offer them both our sincere congratulations, Mr Singer said. ORT is immensely strengthened by their support and involvement. Created in 1917, the OBE is the order of chivalry of British democracy. Valuable service is the only criterion for the award and the Order is used to reward service in a wide range of useful activities. There are some 100,000 living members of the Order throughout the world. World ORT, founded in 1880, is the worlds largest Jewish education and vocational training non-government organisation with some 270,000 students Jewish and non-Jewish in 58 countries.