Before becoming a reality, ORT Operations USA was a dream of Women's American ORT. Thanks to WAO's support and leadership, ORT Operations USA is an essential and inspiring component of ORT's worldwide network. ORT Operations USA has trained approximately 40,000 students since it first began in the 1940s. Today, ORT Operations USA students come from over 40 countries and speak more than 25 different languages.

ORT Operations USA
In 1942, the Bramson ORT Training Center was opened to European refugees fleeing the Nazis. In 1977, the Bramson ORT Division of Technology was established in New York, and after becoming accredited in 1999, the name of the school was changed to Bramson ORT College. On the west coast, the Los Angeles ORT Technical Institute (LAOTI) was established in 1985, and in 1991, the Zarem/Golde ORT Technical Institute was established in Chicago as a branch campus of LAOTI. Today, LAOTI consists of a main campus, a branch campus in Sherman Oaks, Calif., and the Zarem/Golde campus in Chicago. Zarem/Golde plans to branch out as a completely independent school in the near future. Today, Bramson ORT is an accredited two-year college, and both LAOTI and Zarem/Golde are rapidly striving to reach that important goal as well. Each school offers cutting-edge courses in computer technology, electronics and other key areas that provide graduates with marketable vocational skills.

One of the highest priorities at all three ORT Operations USA schools is to assist students in securing jobs upon completion of the program. Since many students are recent immigrants, English as a Second Language (ESL) courses are extremely popular. Another priority is to reach out to and enhance local Jewish communities. Bramson ORT has negotiated with Jewish organizations to provide technology training and job placement to local Jewish communities. LAOTI has reached a partnership agreement to provide computer courses for teachers at Los Angeles Jewish schools. Zarem/Golde is running a Sunday school for Russian Jewish immigrant children in Chicago, which has become a center of cultural activity for the Russian Jewish community. While Women's American ORT continues its commitment to and support of Bramson, LAOTI and Zarem/Golde, the organization seeks to expand the impact of ORT Operations USA through its ORT Resource Centers and Technology Centers.

ORT Resource Centers/ORT Technology Centers
WAO has helped establish ORT's presence in the U.S. Jewish community as the leader in high-tech education and training with the creation of the innovative ORT Resource Center at Bramson ORT. The Resource Center's purpose is to prepare American Jewish classrooms for the 21st century by offering schools and their teachers cutting-edge hardware and software solutions, as well as resources and ideas necessary for designing and enacting an effective Jewish course of study. Additionally, the Resource Center seeks to broaden the Jewish educational experience by connecting teachers and students worldwide via the Internet.

ORT Operations USA is currently expanding the ORT Resource Centers with the formation of the Atlanta ORT Computer Technology Resource Center and the Michigan ORT Resource Center. The Atlanta ORT Computer Technology Resource Center, a partnership between WAO and American ORT, was proudly opened in June 2000 at the Zaban-Blank building of the Marcus Jewish Community Center. It offers community-wide workshops; teacher technology training, as well as software and Internet resources for educators; children and teen programming; extensive Judaic databases and interactive exhibits; Jewish genealogy multimedia resources; and an extensive collection of the latest Jewish software, with recommendations for both educators and students. Additionally, this new, centralized location provides a base of operations for ORT's computer consultant who serves over 2,400 students at Atlanta's seven Jewish day schools. The Michigan ORT Resource Center is a joint venture between WAO and American ORT, in partnership with the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Currently, a $1,000,000 capital funds campaign is under way to establish, equip, staff and maintain the Michigan ORT Resource Center.

The Michigan ORT Resource Center will be housed in the D. Dan and Betty Kahn building of the Jewish Community Center on the Eugene and Marcia Applebaum Jewish Community Campus in West Bloomfield, and will sponsor a variety of programs, combining traditional teaching methods, Judaic resources, hands-on instruction and the latest digital communications technology. ORT educational programming will be offered in collaboration with the Detroit Jewish Federation, and the center will be staffed with ORT technology professionals, including a Jewish education specialist and a technology coordinator.

The Miami ORT Computer Technology Center serves over 1,500 students and 200 faculty at two Hillel day schools in North Miami Beach. Recently, a brand-new computer-based school management system was installed, which replaced outdated software patches and modules. The updated administrative software allows Hillel staff to use advanced technologies to streamline routine tasks such as grading, attendance and alumni management. There are now 350 computers in use at Hillel's refurbished computer facilities, which include three state-of-the-art computer labs in the high school, the elementary school computer lab, refurbished media centers, classrooms and administrative offices. With the newly upgraded technology infrastructure in place, ORT is now turning its focus to curriculum and staff development.

The Cleveland ORT Computer Technology Center, in collaboration with the Jewish Educational Center of Cleveland, currently provides technical support to five day schools, one Jewish college and the Jewish Educational Center. An ORT professional technician coordinates, installs and maintains the computer networks for all of the schools, implementing technical upgrades when necessary. The ORT Computer Technology Center has played a key role in bringing Jewish private schools up to the technical standards of their secular counterparts, ensuring their viability in the increasingly competitive world of private education.

WAO's International Projects

Women's American ORT has identified the following international ORT programs that are in critical need of funding. Please click on the following links for more information about our current projects in Israel, France and the former Soviet Union.