IDB grants 800 scholarships to students from Sderot
may 26th 2008
"Dear guests, this auditorium is fortified. If the "Color red" alarm goes off, please remain in your seats". That was the opening statement of the Scholarship Award Night held by "Makhteshim Agan" (of the IDB group) in Sderot. The night went by with no sirens going off and summarized a year and a half of intense mutual efforts, made by the IDB foundation and the Netivim Center in Sderot. In the past year and a half, IDB group has invested 17 million Nis in Sderot and the surrounding areas, 4 million of them were dedicated to granting 800 scholarships for local students, who in return, volunteered in various community programs in Sderot.
Present that evening were Nochi Dankner, Chairman of the IDB Group, his wife and parents, his friend Rabbi Shimon Efergan (a.k.a. "The X ray"), Abraham Bigger- CEO of Makhteshim, Eli Moyal -Mayor of Sderot and Nitai Shriber -CEO of Gvanim Association. Gvanim operates the Netivim Center in Sderot in collaboration with other organizations, and collaborates with IDB in other projects as well.
The evening consisted of speeches and performances by local dancers, singers and actors.
The CEO of "Makhteshim- Agan" Mr. Abraham Bigger stated that in addition to the financial contribution, the plant's employees, who are spread out through the entire Negev, are also involved in community work. "We want to alleviate some of the pressure you've been under", said Bigger to the students, "and to enable you to study, contribute to your community and enjoy your lives".
The president of "Sapir College", Professor Ze'ev Tzahor said that 12 years ago, there were only 40 students from Sderot "and today we have 400"!
CEO of Gvanim Association, Mr. Nitai Shriber added that: "These young people are making a quiet revolution from the bottom up".
Mr. Dankner addressed the audience and said that during his previous visit to Sderot, a month earlier, a Kassam rocket landed on the roof of the supermarket in Sderot: "Luckily no one was hurt, but I got a taste of the complex routine you have all been enduring so courageously. This security crisis" he stated, "has gone on long enough and our government must provide you with the security and serenity you deserve. I refuse to surrender to the cynical outlook, which is typical to a certain aspect of the Israeli public. As a result of the Scholarship program, the number of students in Sderot has risen 30%. This means that the program is successful" said Dankner, "and we will continue to help in any way we can".
