AMIT, acronym that stands for volunteer organization for Israel and Torah-Bible. It is a Zionist-religious education network that operates elementary and high schools in Israel.
One of the slogans AMIT uses is Torah, Zionism and Education for Excellence.
I am a great believer that Israel has one thing to offer her people, which has infinite value; it is education. Israel’s priceless asset is brain power, patriotism and nationalism.
Without preparing the future generation, in the right way, Israel has no future.
That is why I met with Michal Taviv-Margolese, AMIT Western Region Director.
I have always been fascinated with the fact that if a child receives the right education and guidance he or she has a chance to have bright future, or, at least, a chance to make better strides in the world.
What I learned speaking with Michal was eye opener only few know.
AMIT’s main work is to integrate, through education. Israel is a melting pot of Jews who arrived to the land from all corners of the world. They brought along with them different cultures and speak different languages. To make them Israelis you have to educate them. The first generation is not the case in question, rather the young generation of immigrants. They will acclimate and become Israelis through and through.
Founded in 1925, AMIT has 108 schools, in 29 [periphery] cities and towns, educating 26,000 student. The first school was opened in Jerusalem in 1933. As part of the state’s religious school system and the religious Zionist movement, the government of Israel funds 90% of AMIT’s $80Million annual budget; the budget is completed by 10%, $8Millions, in donations. But donations have no limit and the more donations AMIT receives the more it can do beyond what the government can give the students; more programs for more opportunities will be created and that includes one on one help to acclimate and assimilate, private tutoring and counseling sessions.
AMIT is creating the second start-up generation for Israel. It offers cutting edge educational programs, some specially designed for immigrants and diverse population. When a periphery town school offers a program no other school in the country offers, all of a sudden parents will find themselves move to that town so their child can enroll and benefit. That created a wider integration circle. That also create competition; and since Israel is a small country, the word travels fast. And the skies to create and offer advancing and unique educational programs has no limit.
One other of AMIT’s goal is to break through the cycle of poverty and give the young the opportunity to have a better life; to be proud and productive members of society who are taught to give, no matter how difficult is their own circumstances are.
Michal talks with much pride and enthusiasm; she told me that AMIT’s schools’ matriculation pass rate is at 80% level, almost 20% higher than Israel’s national average.
These days AMIT also offer top tech initiative in seven schools where all the students work with Tablet, equivalent to I Pad. That requires designing new curriculum, changing the entire conventional teaching methodology to adapt to the 21st century. And it is not about from where one comes, rather where one is heading and how to go about it. And AMIT lends a huge hand to pave the road to a very bright future for Israel.
The net also offers most effective program, equivalent to the foster home program, called Mishpachton. The foster child grows up in a home with surrogate parents and in the past this program took in many kinds who survived the Holocaust.
AMIT net of schools goal is to contribute to live reality, to educate children and youth, to educate a nation, the house of Israel. There is nothing greater than that, there is no greater contribution than that. The future is relying on education. And it is AMIT that enables Israel’s youth to realize their potential and to strengthen the Israeli society.
If Jews do not have Israel the Jewish nations’ future is very doubtful. AMIT is working diligently to secure a generation that is committed to the Jewish people, to loving Israel, to building and defending the Jewish state. And that AMIT is doing by “Building Israel, one child at a time.”
Go give a hand to this significant enterprise:
