Blake Ezra
Blake Ezra's Page
Fundraising for ORT UK
Story
Those of you who know me will know that I'm very passionate about giving opportunities to young people and offering practical advice to those looking to better themselves - through my previous roles with community organisations and youth education, and also now with offering apprenticeships and mentoring to motivated people looking to break into photography. You may also know that in the last year I've discovered running and am on a quest to get fit and achieve some pretty large goals. Running the London Marathon for the brilliant ORT UK is the natural thing to do.
Life is about circumstances aligning to provide opportunity, the 'sliding doors' moments and quick decisions can have a massive impact on our lives and the lives of future generations. My own family fled Eastern Europe three generations ago, at a time when many Jewish people stayed and have been robbed of religious freedom and the opportunities to become the very best they can be. ORT UK helps support the education of tens of thousands of young people in eight countries across the former Soviet Union, and throughout Israel.
72 years since the end of the Holocaust and 26 years after the fall of communism, Jewish communities in places such as Moldova, Ukraine, Latvia, Lithuania and Russia are still coming to grips with the fragility and complexity of Jewish life and the need to provide young people with an education fit for the 21st century.
ORT provides these communities and more with the teachers, materials and equipment they need providing Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) education along with Jewish and Hebrew Studies.
In Israel, World ORT Kadimah Mada provides supports hundreds of thousands of young people and students in hospitals, youth villages, schools and colleges across the country from Kiryat Yam in the north down to Beer Sheva in the South. Some of Israel’s most underprivileged and sick children are supported and educated by World ORT alongside programmes such as the new Meet@5 maths course which, in partnership with Google, will encourage more students to choose science and technology, which is key to economic independence and equality of opportunity in Israel.
In Israel, World ORT Kadimah Mada provides supports hundreds of thousands of young people and students in hospitals, youth villages, schools and colleges across the country from Kiryat Yam in the north down to Beer Sheva in the South. Some of Israel’s most underprivileged and sick children are supported and educated by World ORT alongside programmes such as the new Meet@5 maths course which, in partnership with Google, will encourage more students to choose science and technology, which is key to economic independence and equality of opportunity in Israel.
In London we are privileged to have decent education, the opportunities to excel in one of the world's most affluent cities, and an amazing level of religious freedom. Please give generously to those who have been deprived of these gifts for generations.