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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.