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Women's American ORT is a national Jewish organization that strengthens the worldwide Jewish community by empowering people to achieve economic self-sufficiency through technological and vocational education. We accomplish this by:

- Providing financial support and leadership within the global ORT network of schools and programs.

- In the United States, ensuring the continued growth of our post-secondary technical schools and developing technical resource centers for Jewish students, teachers and community groups nationwide.

- Women's American ORT also advocates on behalf of quality education, democratic values, human rights and the security of Jewish communities globally.

We are the largest affiliate organization of World ORT and the largest single contributor to the global ORT budget.

ORT is Education

ORT, the Organization for Educational Resources and Technological Training, is the largest non-governmental network of vocational education and technological training in the world. We have a presence on every continent with 800 schools and projects serving more than 262 ,000 students in 100 fields of study. More than 3 million people have attended ORT schools and training centers since ORT's founding in czarist Russia. Then ORT trained tailors and machinists. Today its focus is the technological, scientific and vocational skills demanded by the modern job market.

Through the years ORT's basic principle has remained the same: providing people with the skills and education they need to be self-sufficient members of society.

ORT is a Movement in Jewish Life

In 1880, ORT helped needy Jews learn to help themselves. Today it continues to be a vital force in preserving and building Jewish communities in every part of the world.

Historically, ORT played a major role in assisting Jewish refugees and immigrants to adjust to their new homes -- Holocaust survivors in displaced persons camps, North Africans relocating to France, and immigrants to Israel.

In today's very different world, ORT continues to educate and re-educate newcomers around the globe. In Israel, schools and centers have been developed to meet the unique needs of immigrants from Ethiopia and Russia. In Croatia, ORT training programs in computers and tailoring help refugees from Bosnia as well as displaced Croatians.

ORT also reaches the established Jewish communities of Morocco, Argentina and the former Soviet Union. ORT is an active participant in the revival of Jewish life in the former Soviet Union, with schools and centers in 22 cities including Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev and Odessa.

See our TIMELINE to learn more ORT history.