Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu toured the city of Lod on Tuesday. During the tour he met with students at the Maoz religious pre-military academy, as well as with graduates of the , who study at pre-military academies around the country. The visit was initiated by Education Minister Gideon Saar, who accompanied Netanyahu on the tour along with Deputy Minister Gila Gamliel and coalition chairman MK Zeev Elkin.
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The Prime Minister spoke with students and alumni, and heard from them about their involvement in the community in Lod and their activities in the Ma’agalim program, which is designed to prepare them for a significant service in the IDF.
During the meeting, Netanyahu turned to the students and said: “There is an equation which says that without an army there is no country, without an economy there is no army, and without education there is no economy. The place where education appears in the clearest way is in the preparatory academies.”
In response, the students excitedly told Netanyahu that when he addressed Congress, they prayed and studied so that he would succeed in standing against the challenges and pressures being applied on him by the nations of the world.
“I was very moved by the things you said here today,” Netanyahu told the students. “All of us serve. We serve the vision of the people of Israel being in the land of Israel for eternity, and I want to tell you that in the end, our power is in belief. This belief exists in abundance here, and I’m happy that you’re spreading its light around. It is important to settle in our hearts all over the country. Thank you very much! Good luck!”
After the visit, Education Minister Gideon Saar announced that he has undertaken the promotion of a project in which all the preparatory academies in Lod will be involved in community service in the city. He added that he will work to promote this program in the very near future.
Assaf Weiss, General Manager of Ma’agalim and a resident of Lod, said: “The Education Minister’s initiative to make education in Lod a top priority is great news for the city, and I have no doubt that thanks to his work, the education system here will continue to develop.”
