Be’er Sheva, Israel: April 1, 2021: As Israel’s economy begins to recover, Jewish National Fund-USA’s Lauder Employment Center together with Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) recently hosted the country’s largest virtual employment “mega-event” with 2,000 job seekers given the opportunity to connect with 33 leading organizations, such as Dell, McCann, SodaStream, the Israel Electric Corporation, and ADI Negev.
The “Lauder Fair” provided job seekers with practical learning and training on how to excel in their desired professional fields, while also highlighting the incredible opportunities for job growth throughout the Negev.
As part of Jewish National Fund-USA’s mission to attract 500,000 new residents to Israel’s Negev Desert, the organization has invested heavily in job creation initiatives that support young professionals and their families who choose to plant roots in the south.
Opened six years ago by philanthropist and JNF-USA Chairperson of the Board-Emeritus, Ronald S. Lauder, The Lauder Employment Center has given practical training, internship opportunities, and helped provide job placement for thousands of job seekers to continue their professional lives in the Negev.
“We are proud to celebrate 10 years in Be’er Sheva,” said Maya Hofman Levy, Site Leader Dell Technologies, Be’er Sheva. “To this day, we are proud to say that we are modern pioneers and will succeed in changing this equation and creating not only jobs, but a higher quality of life, housing, and education in the Negev.”
Chairman of The Lauder Center, Ronald S. Lauder said “David Ben Gurion saw the Negev as a place that would ensure the future and prosperity for the State of Israel, whose dream was to turn the Negev into a place for opportunity, not only for science and research but for hundreds of thousands of families to live and flourish. This is why I decided, ten years ago, to focus our activities in the Negev, and open The Lauder Employment Center with the help of JNF-USA, Ben Gurion University, and with the blessing of Be’er Sheva Mayor Ruvik Danilovich. I am proud to note that many of [LEC] graduates come from the region…and are contributing, not only to their own self-fulfillment but to strengthening the State of Israel and the Jewish people, wherever they are.”
CEO of Jewish National Fund-USA, Russell F. Robinson added “When Ronald Lauder and I first toured Be’er Sheva 18 years ago, we saw a town suffering from high unemployment, low economic growth, and few prospects for development. People were leaving in droves, yet we saw the potential for JNF-USA and The Lauder Employment Center to change the reality for Be’er Sheva’s next generation. Today, can you believe that Be’er Sheva is the cyber-tech capital of the world? Young people are moving there to find work, yet they are staying in Be’er Sheva because of the high quality of life we have created through our philanthropic investments.”
For more information, visit my.jnf.org/laudercenter.
ENDS
