Raymond Soussan, Director General of ORT France since 2018, has been named the 2026 recipient of the Robert Singer Award for Outstanding ORT Professionals.
Robert Singer, past CEO and Chair of the Board of Trustees of World ORT, Chairman of the Center for Jewish Impact and Alumot Or, and President of SASA Setton, for whom the award is named, called Soussan “a true veteran of ORT and one of the network’s most respected senior professionals.”
“I have always held him in the highest regard as a top professional, and I believe he is doing an outstanding job leading ORT France,” Singer said. “ORT France’s schools are much more than excellent educational institutions. They are islands of outstanding Jewish education for the Jewish community of France, places where academic excellence is combined with identity, values and a strong sense of belonging.
“At a time when antisemitism in France is rising and Jewish communities are facing growing challenges, the role of ORT France is more important than ever.”
Under Soussan’s leadership, ORT France has deepened its commitment to Jewish identity at the heart of its educational mission. He appointed a Director of Jewish Thought and Culture Programs and led a complete overhaul of Jewish studies curricula across the network, ensuring students benefit from programming aligned to contemporary challenges.
The 2023 merger of the École de Travail with ORT France, followed by the relocation of the association’s headquarters to Rue des Rosiers, in the heart of Paris’s historic Jewish quarter, marked symbolic milestones in bringing heritage, identity, and the future closer together.
“To me, ORT’s identity rests on a particular balance: being fully integrated into the French education system while fully embracing its Jewish history, culture and identity,” Soussan said.
Born in Morocco in 1963, Soussan arrived in France in 1983, guided by a family conviction that would shape his career: professional competence, he says, is the one thing that can never be taken from you. He served as Chief Administrative and Financial Officer of ORT France and taught management and cost accounting at the University of Paris-Est Créteil before becoming Director General in 2018.
Today, ORT France serves 3,800 pupils and students across seven institutions — located in Paris, Montreuil, Villiers-le-Bel, Lyon, Marseille, Strasbourg, and Toulouse — spanning secondary school through Master’s level, alongside professional training for adults. The network also develops vocational training for those preparing to make aliyah, in partnership with the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israeli Ministry of Labor, and has expanded its support to Ukraine and to World ORT Kadima Mada.
Students from ORT Montreuil, ORT Toulouse, and ORT Lyon take part in CyberCup, ORT France’s annual cybersecurity hackathon
From 2021 to 2022, ORT France took part in a scientific study led by Professor Arnold Munnich, a former president of the organization, examining nearly 200 middle-school pupils experiencing difficulties in written language and mathematics. The research led to a new screening and remediation program for learning difficulties.
Looking ahead, Soussan’s goal is to anticipate emerging professions and bring ORT France’s institutions closer to the business world, keeping students aligned with the real needs of the job market.
“It is in this spirit, true to ORT’s historic vocation since 1880, that I wish to keep acting: giving every generation the skills to build their future,” he said.
Soussan joins a distinguished group of Robert Singer Award recipients, including Avi Meir, Principal and General Director of Colegio Olamí ORT in Mexico City (2025); Ariella Rosenberg, CEO of ORT SA in Johannesburg (2024); and Dr. Jorge Grünberg, Rector of the Universidad ORT Uruguay (2023).