“ It’s important to show each student love and respect,” stressed Nachum Katz, 50, Director of Hadassah Neurim, who has been at the helm of the village for more than 3 years. “ Love and respect even when they are not doing so well in their studies or causing behavioral problems. These students come from disadvantaged backgrounds and need unconditional love and support alongside an enforced set of rules.”

“ We demand excellence,” he added. “ And to get it we give them good food and warm living conditions and the best possible teaching. Any student knows they can come to me and ask for private lessons in any subject they want – providing it is a reasonable request. We have several Arab students and last month they came to me and asked for tuition in the Koran. We were happy to agree. We are lucky in having generous supporters throughout Israel and the world and this enables us to give our children what they need – whether its expensive prosthetics work on their teeth, or food to take home with them for Shabbat.” Meeting each student’s needs is reflectedinimprovedresultsatHadassahNeurimhighschool. The school drop-out is 7% compared to an average of 14% in other residential schools. “ And many of these drop-outs are positive drop-outs,” he observed. “ Leaving for better schools.”