New York—Teaneck residents Chana and Daniel Shields were honored at the 2013 AMIT Annual Dinner recently held at Chelsea Piers in New York City.

All proceeds from the dinner benefit the AMIT Network of schools and programs in Israel, which encompasses more than 26,000 students from kindergarten through junior college. Israel’s Minister of Education Rabbi Shai Piron, the special guest at the event, praised the AMIT Network for working with students on Israel’s periphery, for its ability to close educational gaps and for its forward approach to education. The organization’s goal is to enable Israel’s youth to realize their potential and strengthen Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds.

Some 70% of AMIT students live in development towns or other “peripheral” areas of the country. AMIT approaches each child as an individual, maximizing his or her potential, and enabling its students to become vital, productive members of Israeli society. The AMIT schools promote religious tolerance, service to the state and the recognition that every child is blessed with unique talents and abilities.