AMIT
Encyclopedia
AMIT is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
and Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
) is an American Jewish
American Jews
American Jews, also known as Jewish Americans, are American citizens of the Jewish faith or Jewish ethnicity. The Jewish community in the United States is composed predominantly of Ashkenazi Jews who emigrated from Central and Eastern Europe, and their U.S.-born descendants...
Zionist
Zionism
Zionism is a Jewish political movement that, in its broadest sense, has supported the self-determination of the Jewish people in a sovereign Jewish national homeland. Since the establishment of the State of Israel, the Zionist movement continues primarily to advocate on behalf of the Jewish state...
volunteer organization, dedicated to education in Israel and nurturing Israeli children to become productive, contributing members of society. AMIT's more than 85 schools and programs constitute Israel's only government-recognized network of religious Jewish education incorporating academic and technological studies and include youth villages and facilities for children in foster care.
History
AMIT was founded on May 10, 1925 by Bessie Gotsfeld, and was then known as the MizrachiMizrachi
Mizrachi or Mizrahi may refer to:*Mizrahi Jews, Jews from the Eastern world*Mizrachi , a religious Zionist movement*Mizrachi and Hapoel HaMizrachi, defunct Israeli political parties...
Women's Organization of America. As early as 1934, AMIT was at the forefront of Youth Aliyah
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
, the rescue of Jewish children from Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and their resettlement in Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
. In the years ahead, and immediately following the end of the war in Europe, AMIT participated in the resettlement of thousands of children - many of them orphans - who survived the Holocaust.
The survivors of the Holocaust were followed by the large influx of Jews from North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and the Arab countries in 1948-49. Again, AMIT's resources were tested as its facilities were flooded by the pressing needs of tens of thousands of newly arrived immigrant children. In 1955, the first contingent of Ethiopian Jews arrived and in the 1970s, the great Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
immigration began. With each new development in Israel's history AMIT responded, opening new schools and facilities to meet the demands of a growing population of children in need.
In 1981, AMIT was designated by the Israeli government as its official Reshet (network) for religious secondary technological education. This landmark event set the stage for a major expansion of AMIT's educational facilities (which continues to this day) as municipalities with faltering school systems seek out AMIT to take over and dramatically improve their local facilities.
AMIT Today
AMIT students reflect all Israelis: religious and secular; Ashkenazi and Sephardi; sabra and immigrant.AMIT's educational environment emphasizes tolerance, understanding and the performance of mitzvot.
The main focus of an AMIT education is to ensure that the majority of children in our care will pass the Bagrut, Israel's high school matriculation examinations, an accomplishment essential for success in the Israeli economy and job market.
AMIT has, in several cases - taken charge of a failing school - some with 20 percent or less of its students passing the Bagrut - and raised the level to 70 percent, 80 percent, 90 percent and higher.
AMIT's headquarters are located in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with chapters in 25 states and offices in 9 cities. The educational network's headquarters are in Petach Tikva, with schools, youth villages and programs in 23 cities, development towns and communities throughout Israel.