ORT Kaunas vocational school teachers: standing third from left, teacher Nechama Garonaitė. Photograph taken before 1936. Judith Rozina’s personal archive.
Riva Pažerskaitė-Altfeldienė, founder (in 1929), manager and teacher at the women‘s-clothing cutting and tailoring department. Daughter Judith Rozina’s personal archive.
Teacher Eiga Rozengolcaitė. LCVA. Graduating from Vytautas Magnus University, Rozengolcaitė taught anatomy and hygiene at the dressmaking section. She also headed a six-month course for hairstylists that was opened in 1935.
Teacher Vladas Jocius, 1928. LCVA. A humanities faculty graduate from Vytautas Magnus University, he taught Lithuanian at the ORT school from 1931.
Teacher Raichė Blumbergaitė-Bandienė, 1927. LCVA. Graduated from the humanities faculty of Vytautas Magnus University in 1936. From 1935 she taught Lithuanian and Yiddish, history, social science and economics, mathematics and calculus at the ORT vocational school.
Teacher Jokūbas Rabinavičius, 1924. LCVA. In 1930 he completed his studies at the technical faculty at Vytautas Magnus University; taught technical drawing and metalworking at the ORT school from 1931. In 1932 he taught practical electrical engineering at the course for electricians.
Junior teacher Juozas Soloveičikas, 1926. LCVA. Graduated from the mathematics and natural sciences faculty at Vytautas Magnus University, and the College of Aeronautics in Paris. Started work at the ORT school on 1 October 1937. In 1937–1938 he taught the science of engines, technology, and technical drawing.
Teacher Izraelis Kušelevičius, 1929. LCVA. In 1913–1914 Kušelevičius studied at Bern, and in 1918–1919 at Voronezh universities; in 1929 graduated from Vytautas Magnus University. At the ORT school he taught Yiddish, mathematics and geometry from 1921. He was one of the longest serving teachers at the school.
The vocational school’s teachers: excellent specialists in their field The vocational secondary school was the pride of ORT, while the pride of the school was its teaching staff. In 1939, sixteen teachers and fourteen instructors worked at the school. Many of them had graduated from Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas, some from foreign universities. Jacob Oleiski (born 1899) was the school principal from 1929. In 1925 he graduated from the faculty of agronomy at Halle University; in 1927, from the faculty of chemistry at the same university. Before becoming the school principal, in 1928 and 1929 he headed the Jewish school of agriculture. Besides being its principal, he also taught metal technology (at the metalworking section), metal plating (electrical engineering section), and theory of fabrics (at the dressmaking section). Teacher Levi Chaimas Jofė was educated at Zurich University, while engineer Šleima Lipšicas completed his studies in mechanics in 1932 and electrical engineering in 1933 at Ghent University. Having worked for some factories in Belgium, Lipšicas returned to Lithuania and in 1936 started work as the head of ORT’s vocational school workshops and as a teacher. Jofė gave lectures at the course for tinsmiths, where he also taught technical drawing.
ON LEVI CHAIMAS JOFĖ  “Professor Jofė, a kind, shy man, taught us physics. He achieved everything with kindness and incredible goodness. He never raised his voice, spoke softly, but he knew how to explain the not-so-easy subjects so well that we listened to his explanations with great interest.” ON RABINAVIČIUS AND NOMBERGAS “Qualified engineers Jokūbas Rabinavičius and Izraelis Nombergas taught us the basics of electrical engineering and mechanics with great persistence and consistency. These two fine specialists managed to assemble and put into operation with the help of the students an autonomous electric power station that generated enough power for the needs of the school.” ON VLADAS JOCIUS  “Among the school teachers there was a teacher of Lithuanian, Jocius. Being Lithuanian, he managed to grow into the Jewish atmosphere. Educated and well behaved, Jocius knew the specific surroundings and behaved respectively. He looked upon us with respect, and we respected him. He was a very good teacher.”
ON MEILACHAS KORNAS, JOKŪBAS and IZRAELIS BER ZNICKIS  “It is worthwhile to say several words about our teachers of practical disciplines. They were not engineers with diplomas, not long ago they themselves were students of the ORT vocational school, were among the first school graduates. Jacob Oleiski, with his remarkable insight, noticed their pedagogical talents and gave them the chance to develop them. Among the teachers there was a highly qualified milling machine operator, Meilachas Kornas, who was also an accomplished turner and taught us the subject. The Berznickis brothers, Jokūbas and Izraelis, were also good specialists and teachers. Jokūbas, who taught blacksmith’s work, spoke very little and was quite special. He had his own teaching system. Having told us several theoretical things, he proceeded to practice. First he would do, very consistently, everything himself, and then make us repeat it. For him it was simple and easy; for us it was very complicated.” ON IZRAELIS KUŠELEVIČIUS “I myself most of all respected our class master, teacher of mathematics and literature Kušelevičius. ... Without doubt he was the best teacher, a great patriot of his people, in love with the profession of a teacher. ... There was no noise during his lessons; we were silent as we all listened to the teacher with great attention, to his unexpected insights into well known books by Russian, Jewish and Lithuanian writers.” W. Vilensky. “Twists of fate: A Book of Memoirs”.  Jerusalem,1986
A student’s perspective 
CV of Bencijonas Levinas, metalworking teacher and a graduate of the same vocational school, 1932. LCVA
Jacob Oleiski’s application requesting a summer vacation, 30 July 1932. LCVA
Teachers and  students ORT Kaunas A Modern Vocational School Teachers and Students Jacob Oleiski Tailors’ Courses Vocational School Craft Courses He is a pleasant, educated man; you can talk with him about various economical, political, moral or aesthetical issues. Amatininkas (Tradesman), 1935