Auditorium for the Arts Dedicated at Leading Israeli High School for Girls

(GUSH ETZION – May 12, 2023) Ohr Torah Stone is thrilled to announce the dedication of the Ben J. & Dorit Genet Auditorium at the Ulpanat Katz Oriya High School for Girls in Gush Etzion. Now there is a professional-grade venue, designed with advanced technology, where our local youth can showcase their talents, develop self-esteem, work through trauma and anxiety, and share their art with family, community and friends.

“Yirmiyahu prophesizes that the sounds of music and joy will return to the towns and cities of Judea,” said Ohr Torah Stone President and Rosh HaYeshiva, Rabbi Kenneth Brander. “Such sounds will emanate from this theatre and auditorium. Ben J and Dorit, you have made Biblical prophecies come true! Thank you!””

School principal Yonat Lemberger shared her excitement at the realization of a dream. “The new space provides us with a place to express our togetherness and realize the strength of our community,” she enthused. Efrat Mayor Oded Revivi said the event was even more exciting than a birth! “It took longer than nine months to create and involved more than two people, and the impact will last longer than the lifetime of one person,” he said.

Gush Etzion Mayor Shlomo Neeman also thanked the Genets for their enthusiastic and generous investment: “You are our partners in the development of a new generation, that is the most important thing there is.”

The moving dedication ceremony included musical and dramatic presentations from the Katz Oriya students capped by an impromptu rendition of The Beatles’ “Blackbird” by Dorit Genet that left the audience spellbound, Ben J. thanked everyone for making him and Dorit feel so welcome. “As individuals and as a Jewish People, we must recognize how far we’ve come,” he said, adding: “We must review our past and consider what we need to do to move toward our ideals.”