"This is a day of celebration for the whole diamond sector," said IDE President Shmuel Schnitzer. "We are graduating new workers who are, among others, from the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) sector. The graduating event took place in the presence of the General Director of the Economy Ministry, Amit Lang.
The award of certificates to members of the first polishing course took place on Tuesday at the IDE's Modern Manufacturing Center.
Attending the festive event were IDE President Shmuel Schnitzer, General Director of the Economy Ministry, Amit Lang, and senior members of the Israeli diamond sector.
Also taking part in the event was Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association (IsDMA) President Kobi Korn, the deputy to Shmuel Schnitzer and Chairman of the IDE's Banking Committee, Jacob Kattan, Chairman of the IDE's Industry Committee, Yoram Dvash, Diamond Controller Shmuel Mordechai, IDE General Manager Moti Besser, the adviser to the General Director of the Economy Ministry, Erez Gil, and the General Manager of Israel Diamond Manufacturers Association, Ofer Laufman who managed the event.
Shmuel Schnitzer said: "I want to congratulate everyone here; this is a day of celebration for the entire Israeli diamond business. Beyond the fact that we are making the dream come true of bringing manufacturing back to Israel, I also see today as a victory for Zionism. We are graduating new workers who come from, among other sectors, the Hardei population who are being integrated into the workforce of the diamond industry. I am very happy to see this new generation of workers. I want to thank the Israel Diamond Institute and the Economy Ministry for all the help that they extended to us. Congratulations to the young polishers."
The Director General of the Economy Ministry, Amit Lang said: "The center that the diamond exchange has established here is very impressive. I'm glad the Israeli diamond industry has joined the trend that is also taking place in other sectors of the Israeli economy, which involves the renovation of existing buildings and the construction of new production centers that are clean and well organized for the benefit of the employees. This is the right way to connect with young people and fits the vocational training principles of Economy Ministry. I really tip my hat to all those who have been engaged in creating this project. We, at the ministry, will be happy to provide assistance to the diamond sector in the future."
IsDMA President Kobi Korn said: "I believe that everyone who wants to join the diamond sector should go through the step of learning about polishing. In my opinion, a real diamantaire is one who has learned about polishing at the sharp end. We have completed a successful first training program and I believe that we will continue to train more workers and integrate them into the sector's workforce."
Industry Committee Chairman Yoram Dvash spoke about the process of establishing the modern manufacturing center which included extensive fundraising from members of the diamond sector. "Wherever we requested a donation in the cause of the center, we received a positive answer and received full support for this cause. Today the Center is fully booked and all the polishing machines are working at full capacity. The Modern Manufacturing Center provides total solutions, including all production needs, availability and security, from planning the rough stone to sawing and polishing all under one roof."
Diamond Controller Shmuel Mordechai said that he anticipated that in the future the Center would train a further 150-200 polishers. Meanwhile, Moti Besser said that the diamond exchange is planning to establish a center for the manufacture of large stones near the diamond exchange complex.
Kobi Korn presented diamond course polishing certificates to the five graduates who completed 260 hours of study.
