In February of 1833, Horace de Gunzburg was born in the town of Zvenigorodka, Ukraine. The grandson of Chabad hasidim, while not affiliated with the movement, he lived his life emulating the Chabad creed of helping one’s fellow Jew, and actually assisted the Lubavitcher Rebbe in many public endeavors.
In 1880, then Baron Horace de Gunzburg, helped found an organization to assist Russia’s five million Jews though trade and agricultural schools. This endeavor ultimately evolved into ORT, which to this day continues helping Jews worldwide by providing them with the skills they need to establish successful careers.
Baron De Gunzburg’s vision is coming full circle in our present time as a partnership between ORT and Chabad was recently announced.
The mission of the international Chabad movement is not limited to concern about the spiritual needs of the Jewish community; it is concerned about every facet of the future of the Jewish people worldwide. This mission, along with ORT’s mission of educating individuals, impacting communities and improving the world, will work symbiotically as plans call for a joint program between Bramson ORT Technical Institute in Brooklyn and Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch, which is the educational and outreach arm of the Chabad movement.
American Jewish yeshivahs and day schools are often the focal point of its surrounding community and students emerge with a well-rounded Jewish and secular education.
However, the reality that is emerging shows that an increasing number of students in yeshivahs do not have the capabilities to process and benefit from what is being offered. Many students who cannot keep up with the demands of a yeshiva education find themselves turning elsewhere for acceptance, and many who barely achieve passing grades discover they have no marketable job skills upon graduation, leaving them mired in a path towards a difficult future.
Dr. Ephraim Buhks, director of Bramson ORT, noted a sobering statistic. “According to a Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty study, 30% of the American Jewish community is in poverty or near poverty and the majority of that percentage is the Orthodox community,” he said.
“The needs of the Orthodox community are tremendous,” added Rabbi Nochem Kaplan, director of the Education Office of Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch. “We are very excited about the program and its endless possibilities.”
An ORT-Chabad technical-vocational yeshivah will prepare Jewish teens to become productive, involved members of the Jewish community and of society. A yeshivah program, which will be administered by Chabad, will provide a Torah program. Rabbi Levi Kaplan, a renowned educator with years of experience, will serve as director.
Bramson ORT will create and administer a special series of technical vocational programs. Currently, the initial programs will be Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning, Graphic Design and Business Management—three industries that have a high demand for skilled workers, which students of the ORT-Chabad program will quickly become.
Dr. Buhks said, “Lots of young men and women with limited skills in math, etc. will now be given the skills to become employed and support their families. In addition, Bramson ORT students will have their first opportunity to learn in a religious environment.”
At its inception, the program will offer services to the male student population ages 16-20. Applicants who meet admission criteria will be admitted as Bramson ORT students will have the opportunity to apply for financial aid based on family need and determined by federal and New York State education agencies.
The yeshivah’s specialized Torah curriculum will be structured to fulfill the religious educational needs of its population. The yeshivah will meet during morning hours at a convenient Brooklyn location.
Dr. Buhks noted that while ORT and Chabad agreed to initiate the program in Brooklyn, the possibilities of expanding to other cities and adding a women’s program are definite possibilities, based on success and future demand.
The Bramson-Chabad program aims to fill a major need where one has lacked. The program will reach out to the Orthodox Jewish community as a whole. With its anticipated success, students will emerge with associate degrees, and more importantly, new career opportunities and spiritual and financial well-being.
