During his recent visit to Boys Town Jerusalem (BTJ), Israeli Minister of the National Infrastructure Uzi Landau was pleased to find several of his own passions at the forefront of the school’s agenda. Responsible for the development of Israel’s energy and natural resources, Minister Landau was invited by Boys Town to personally view their new “green” solar energy system, one of the first to be installed in an Israeli school.

While speaking with students, the minister, a longtime champion of aliyah (immigration to Israel), was delighted to discover a number of new immigrant students living and studying at the school. One such student, 19 year old, Russian-born Alex Belokopitov, demonstrated his own solar energy project to the cabinet minister. The minister discussed the project’s inner workings with Alex and then referred him to an engineer who is developing a similar system in Israel. “This is very impressive for your first ‘invention,” the Minister said. “I’m already looking forward to seeing your next!”

Minister Landau’s concerns for the preservation of Israel’s natural resources and for increased aliyah are firmly intertwined. He told the students, “The solar panels I saw on your roof are not just a contribution to energy production. They are helping to preserve our sorely depleted natural resources, essential in our goal to improve the Land of Israel’s environment for every Jew to come here, live and thrive.

“The time has come to turn to you, the future generation, to apply your knowledge of technology to solve today’s pressing environmental problems, while using your Jewish heart and mind to meet the social needs of the poor and the underprivileged.”

Boys Town Jerusalem is one of Israel’s premier institutions for educating the country’s next generation of leaders in the fields of technology, commerce, education, the military and public service. Since it was founded in 1948, BTJ’s mission has been to turn young boys from limited backgrounds into young men with limitless futures. From junior high through the college level, the three part curriculum at Boys Town—academic, technological and Torah—is designed to turn disadvantaged Israeli youth into productive citizens of tomorrow.