Gifted children in Michmoret Graduate

ESRA has sponsored a project for gifted Ethiopian children in Michmoret for the last eight years. These children are 7^th and 8^th graders from Netanya who excel in their studies and are granted the privilege of learning marine biology at Michmoret under the guidance of instructors from Ruppin College. In the past few years we have extended the project to include non-Ethiopian children who are also gifted.

I have just returned from the end of the year program -- graduation day for the 8^th graders and another year to go for the 7^th graders. It is always a thrill to take part in this ceremony. The guides from Ruppin academy prepare a film showing the year's activities in class and in the sea. These teenagers learn to understand and value what we have in Israel by exploring the sea in a boat, dissecting the creatures found there and examining the results by microscope.

It is a whole new way of learning for these children. Their world suddenly opens up so much wider. They experience knowledge in a different way - one that truly "turns them on".

At this year's graduation ceremony we were delighted to see the large number of parents who attended. This has not always been the case. As you can imagine, the parents were as proud as we were. One mother told me that she had lost her husband three years ago. This was the first time in three years that she had seen her daughter smile again! The course has changed her daughter's life. What more can you ask? May we continue this mitzvah for many years to come.