DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
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JANUARY 26• 2023 | 7
to pivot with the times,
while never losing focus
of the mission: providing
educational excellence
appropriate and responding
to current needs. In doing
so, ORT has emerged as one
of the world’s biggest, most
prestigious Jewish education
networks, serving thousands
of students in 40 countries
and taking care of individual
needs.
To ensure students’ success
in this era of high-tech and
digital learning, ORT is
constantly striving to update
and improve the educational
experience while also
developing teachers’ skills and
nurturing potential leaders.
Curricula are evaluated and
re-evaluated, and innovative
ideas are broached with
the purpose of enriching
students and sparking
their interest in an array of
advanced fields connected
to modern industries that
offer the promise of future
employment, such as
cybersecurity, robotics and
artificial intelligence.
In addition to instilling
technical skills, ORT
prioritizes the well-being
of young people, at a time
when many are suffering
— especially in the wake of
the pandemic and war in
our Ukrainian communities.
Our teachers are trained in
best practices to effectively
relate to these situations
and build students’ self-
esteem and confidence. Our
global network facilitates the
exchange of ideas, enabling
educators from different
countries to share their
approach to these issues with
their colleagues — a great
advantage when interacting
with students from difficult
backgrounds and resource-
poor communities.
Jewish values have always
been embedded in all ORT
programs and, over the
years, academic studies have
been supplemented with a
rich Jewish experience. As
part of our curriculum in all
countries we memorialize
the Holocaust annually,
making certain that our
students understand the
significance of antisemitism
and the Holocaust. And we
also share the positive side of
Jewish culture, celebrations,
holidays and the miracle of
Israel. In these days of rising
antisemitism, young people
receive a historic perspective
and cultural background,
instilling them with Jewish
pride.
Just as every Jew is
responsible for other Jews,
ORT and other organizations
in the field are taking charge
of the practical application
of education for the next
generation. We are fortunate
enough to be in a position
to change lives for the
better. We need a maximum
commitment to our fellow
Jews, one that can be fulfilled
only through support on a
continuing basis.
Over the decades, each
with its distinctive challenges,
calamities and chaos, ORT’s
educators, leaders and
volunteers have worked in
tandem to provide students
with the vital resources that
they otherwise might never
have received.
The need to provide
education for people to
achieve their potential is
clear today, and we will
continue with renewed
energy to remain active,
engaged and involved in
2023 and beyond.
Dr. Conrad Giles of Bloomfield Hills
has served as the World ORT presi-
dent since 2016 and has demonstrat-
ed his commitment and dedication
to strengthening Jewish life locally in
Detroit, as well as nationally and inter-
nationally through his many leadership
roles in Jewish organizations. Locally,
he served as President of Men’s ORT
– the Detroit Chapter from 1978-1980;
President of the Jewish Federation of
Metropolitan Detroit and Chair of the
Executive Committee; and President
of the Michigan Jewish Conference.
Professionally, Dr. Giles practices pedi-
atric ophthalmology in Metropolitan
Detroit and currently serves as a
clinical professor at the Kresge Eye
Institute of Wayne State University
Medical School. This article originally
appeared in the Jerusalem Post.
And in the wake of the
1967 Six-Day War, the
United States formed a
strategic alliance with Israel
that endures to this day.
Racism, and particularly
antisemitism, have been
the bane of American
democracy since the
founding of the republic in
the last quarter of the 18th
century. But, as elsewhere,
antisemitism in the United
States runs in cycles, rising
and falling on the basis
of political and economic
conditions, with a fairly
small percentage of hardcore
antisemites consistently
spewing their filthy prejudices.
As for the future, the ADL
tends to be pessimistic: “This
report shows that antisemitic
attitudes in the United States
are widespread and likely
increasing: 85% of Americans
believe at least one anti-Jewish
trope, as opposed to 61% in
2019. Furthermore, 20% of
Americans believe six or more
anti-Jewish tropes, substan-
tially more than the 11%
found in 2019.
“Unlike in years past,
researchers found that young
people seem to hold similar
levels of belief in anti-Jewish
tropes compared to older
adults. This report also shows
that anti-Israel sentiment,
including anti-Israel senti-
ment rooted in antisemitic
conspiracy theories, is held by
broad swaths of the popula-
tion. Analysis further revealed
that while belief in traditional
anti-Jewish tropes and anti-Is-
rael sentiment are discrete,
they overlap in substantial
ways.”
It seems clear that antisem-
ites feel free to expound their
noxious views in contempo-
rary America.
That being the case,
American Jews should be vig-
ilant and under no illusions.
Sheldon Kirshner is a journalist in
Toronto.
A SOBERING SURVEY from page 5
YOUNG PEOPLE SEEM TO HOLD
SIMILAR LEVELS OF BELIEF IN
ANTI-JEWISH TROPES COMPARED
TO OLDER ADULTS.