Last week, OU Advocacy (and its Teach NYS project) welcomed Hon. Ofir Akunis, the Israeli Minister of Science, Technology and Space to Manhattan Day School to visit the school’s STEM lab and discuss New York’s investment in nonpublic school STEM programs.

In 2017, OU Advocacy/Teach NYS championed the first in the nation program to begin to reimburse schools for the cost of qualified STEM instructors. The bill was increased by 200 percent in the 2018 budget.

“This school is a beautiful example of the Jewish people, combining our traditions with Science and technology, the past with the future,” said Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis. “I was extremely moved meeting these brilliant children. We are an ancient nation with a great future.”

During the tour Minister Akunis visited the Manhattan Day School STEM lab and interacted with students across different grade levels working on STEM projects including dash and dot coding and robotics and complex problem solving and analysis.

“We at OU Advocacy were honored to facilitate the Minister’s visit to Manhattan Day School,” said OU Advocacy Executive Director Nathan Diament. “The OU’s Teach Advocacy initiative in New York has broken new ground in supporting STEM education in Jewish day schools and we are pleased Minister Akunis could witness and highlight this program with his visit to our partner school.”

Schools in New York that wish to apply for the STEM program should contact OU/Teach NYS at (646) 459-5158. Applications for the first year of the program are due on August 1, 2018.