Over 230 guests attended the ORT UK Annual Dinner 2018 at the official residence of the Lord Mayor of London, Mansion House – with guest speaker award-winning actress, comedian and author Meera Syal CBE.

The evening focussed on two projects:

ORT JUMP – the ORT UK mentoring programme for Year 12 students, giving young people across 11 London sixth-forms a jump-start in the workplace, with the support and guidance of a mentor in their chosen industry.

ORT Jabotinski #94 school in Odessa, Ukraine – A Jewish state school, specialising in Jewish studies and technology, which is part of ORT’s network of 16 schools in the former Soviet Union, re-connecting families to their Jewish roots. The school is in urgent need of a new premises for its 467 students, as the building is no longer fit for purpose.

During the evening, benefactors Vivienne and David Woolf and Suzanne and Henry Davis were honoured for their dedicated service to ORT UK over the past 30 years. Meera Syal CBE entertained guests with tales of her journey from being ‘the only Asians in the village’ to a star of stage and screen. And the ORT rebrand was revealed, featuring the ‘circle of ORT’ symbolising human connection, vibrant new colours expressing ORT’s pioneering spirit and the new slogan ‘Impact through Education.’

Images by Blake Ezra Photography.