The annual ORT Israel Management Leadership Congress – The Moshinsky Annual Congress, titled “Accelerating Education”, took place in May at the prestigious “Gabriel Events Hall” in Nes Tziona. Distinguished leaders from the fields of education, academia, and industry, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Education and the army, participated in this noteworthy event. The congress served as a platform for fruitful collaborations, inspiring discussions, and the exploration of innovative directions in educational practices for principals and managers within the ORT network of schools and colleges.
Among the esteemed speakers were prominent individuals such as Mr. Miki Bar, Chairman of ORT’s board and retired Brigadier General from the IDF. With an impressive military background as the former head of the IDF’s helicopters division and commander of the Palmahim army base, Mr. Bar’s current role as the Chairman of ORT’s board of directors dedicated to championing educational advancement. In his empowering speech, Mr. Bar expressed his unwavering commitment to effecting positive change in education, emphasizing the tangible impact of ORT schools on the educational atmosphere and local communities across the nation. Notably, he praised the core values and national significance of ORT within Israeli society, highlighting the importance of integrating various sectors and promoting the economic and social inclusion of the ultra-Orthodox population. Mr. Bar concluded by reaffirming the board’s dedication to supporting school administrators and providing the necessary resources for their success.
Dr. Jaclyn Shehtman delivered a speech on behalf of the Moshinsky family, whose instrumental contributions helped establish the ORT network in Israel and contribute to the nation’s development. Sharing a personal story, Dr. Shehtman recounted how she stumbled upon a book titled “Life in ORT”, which Mr. Harmetz, ORT’s CEO from 1967 to 1979, had gifted to her grandparents, Manya and Israel Moshinsky. She drew inspiration from the book’s chapter about the Moshinsky Centre, underscoring the transformative power of taking dreams written on a mere piece of paper and turning them into reality.
Following Dr. Shehtman’s speech, a performance by ORT’s Gan Yavne school singing group captivated the audience, following which, a conference moderator Mrs. Merav Feldman, a renowned actress, singer, and TV presenter, invited Mr. Tzvi Peleg, ORT’s CEO, to deliver his speech. Mr. Peleg expressed gratitude to producers of the congress Mrs. Merav Atari, VP and head of HR and IT Administration of ORT, Mr. Sharon Greenberg, VP and head of Administration for R&D and Training, and the team members who supported them. In his speech opening, Mr. Peleg highlighted ORT as a nonpolitical organization that upholds the values of equality and equal opportunities. Stressing the pivotal role of education in the continued existence of the State of Israel, he urged national leaders to prioritize education in their discussions on shaping the country’s future. Mr. Peleg emphasized the need to address demographic changes and respond to the educational challenges posed by the ultra-Orthodox, religious Zionist, and Arab-Bedouin populations. He cited the example of the Haredi engineering college, which will open in Beit Shemesh, as a means to integrate the ultra-Orthodox community into the Israeli economy and society. Mr. Peleg concluded his speech by highlighting the importance of values alongside innovation and the network’s commitment to creating a respectful and unified educational environment.
Dr. Liraz Margalit, an expert in behavior design and motivating users through psychological triggers, particularly in digital spaces, delivered an enlightening lecture on the psychology of learning and creativity. Addressing the rapid changes in the world, Dr. Margalit emphasized the importance of nurturing creative behavior and cultivating effective decision-making habits for success. She discussed the notion of creativity as a transformative force.
Dr. Margalit, a journalist and esteemed scholar in the field of social psychology, specializing in the study of behavior in the digital age, conveyed the following insight: “The world undergoes transformation, regardless of our personal inclinations. According to the VUCA model, the pace of change is swift and often incongruent with the cognitive framework of the human mind. The pursuit of creative behavior and the cultivation of sound decision-making habits are indispensable for achieving success. Creativity, as commonly defined, entails a transformation in the arrangement of constituent elements and the ability to perceive matters from novel perspectives. Individuals tend to believe in their freedom of choice, yet their behavior covertly molded without their conscious awareness. Within the realm of learning, it is imperative to recognize that 80% of information processing occurs unconsciously.”
Promptly thereafter, a significant and engrossing panel discussion unfolded, centered on the subject of educational accelerators within industry and academia. The session was skillfully moderated by Feldman and featured esteemed figures from the academic and corporate realms: Professor Ron Rubin, the esteemed president of the University of Haifa; Mr. Eil Amir, the accomplished CEO of Infiniti; Mr. Udi Amir, the esteemed Vice President of Projects at Intel; Mrs. Mazi Naor, the distinguished VP of IBM Israel; and Dr. Yael Sandovsky-Yitzhak, the accomplished CEO of Beckman Kotter in Israel.
Subsequently, Major General Yaniv Asor, the head of the Army Human Resources, presented a lecture on the challenges encountered by the HR Division in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) and the educational opportunities that lay ahead. Asor elucidated, “The IDF has historically served as the converging point for all sectors of Israeli society, embodying the model of a People’s Army. It serves as a beacon of societal values, offering equal opportunities for all to utilize their abilities. The strength of the IDF derives from Israeli society and representatives from 69 Jewish communities worldwide, who reciprocate their support to the IDF. This foundation rests upon a triangle of trust, personal responsibility, and a sense of belonging. Teachers, in their pivotal role, bear the responsibility to act out of love for humanity and love for their country, cultivating and empowering the most crucial resource in the hands of the IDF and the people of Israel: human capital. Our shared challenge is to educate students and graduates to bear the burden of responsibility and to foster Zionism, influencing the shaping of soldiers’ identities within the army, transforming them into more contributing, engaged, and active citizens.”
Mr. Sharon Greenberg, VP and Head of ORT’s Administration for R&D and Training, delivered a lecture on the future of education, aptly titled “Accelerating into the Future: Advancing Our Preparedness.” In his presentation, Greenberg expounded upon the ongoing revolution and the imperative of embracing new tools that herald a transformative era. He emphasized the necessity of understanding the type of world we must prepare for, analyzing the skills and qualifications that future graduates will require, and harnessing the power of education to shape a desirable future. Greenberg underscored, “The opportunity lies within the rapid changes that confront us. The STEEEP model – which offers a strategic way to deal with future scenarios, simultaneously examines several aspects: social, technological, environmental, economic and educational. According to the model, the schools must become the center of the community, as a resource that generates growth and knowledge development. The role of education is to train graduates for high employability, high learning skills and the ability to contribute to society. The fear of artificial intelligence is biased – it will not replace you – but the person who uses it correctly.”
In the last year, Greenberg breathed a new spirit into the network’s schools with the ORT Israel Future Ready program – the innovation program for the schools of the ORT Israel network that seek to reinvent themselves as a significant institution, relevant and adapted to the real world. Futurist – a new position has been launched at the schools, in support, leading and accompanying the schools’ professional staff in the process of schools transformation into future ready. Starting with the process of building an ecosystem, integrating advanced digital learning, entrepreneurship and innovation and their application in the learning processes. 16 schools were selected for the first year pilot, in which immediate changes are already noticeable: improving employability by integrating international certification into the daily learning processes of school students (Microsoft, IBM, Google); Improving learning skills by creating an enthusiastic and motivational ecosystem; And even the beginning of network learning. The data is impressive.”
Greenberg summed up his words, of course, with a look to the future: “We have turned to developing and adopting ethical and professional principles for the intelligent use of artificial intelligence and the creation of an expanding spiral ecosystem. Our commitment in the coming years focused on shaping the future of education.”
The meeting was closed by a famous Israeli singer, Harel Sakat, with an electrifying performance that swept the audience away.
