Project Spotlight: Jewish Schools in the FSU

The Fellowship  |  July 13, 2021

Young boy pointing at biblical drawings while smiling at the camera.
(Photo: World ORT)

At World ORT schools — a group of Fellowship-funded Jewish schools throughout the former Soviet Union — students receive a rich Jewish education where teachers instill a deeper knowledge of their Jewish heritage. But many of the students come from struggling families, and wouldn’t be able to attend the school without our help. During the pandemic, the schools switched to remote learning. So it was even more difficult for impoverished parents to meet their children’s needs. They were used to sending their children to school where The Fellowship provided meals, bus rides, and a security system. All this ensured that the students were safe, happy, and fed.

Thankfully, The Fellowship continued to provide for the needs of these precious children. We offered financial support to Jewish families, so remote learning was still possible.

At the end of the school year, we received this heartfelt letter from a mother of a fifth grader who attends a Fellowship-funded Jewish school and knows her three children survived this year thanks to your support. Because of you, they made it through one of the toughest school years for so many across the globe:

Alexander is a 5th grade student of ORT, and the two youngest are in a kindergarten. My husband works as a sports coach at school, and this past year his salary was quite unstable because of the constant lockdowns. I take care of the small children and have no opportunity to work. It was a particularly difficult year, and our children need good nutrition and strengthening their health.

I want to express my deep gratitude and admiration for the constant help to our family, it is very needed in this difficult time for us.

Warmly,

Lyudmila

Learn more about our COVID-19 response here.