Photo credit: Rockwern Academy and Cincinnati Hebrew Day School
Written by Jason Edelstein
Foundation Cites Day Schools’ Proven Record in Strengthening Children’s Jewish Identities and Knowledge, and Helping to Welcome More Families into Meaningful Jewish Life
Aligned with the Jewish tradition that requires communities to prioritize education for its children as a fundamental responsibility, the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati today announced new grants to Rockwern Academy and Cincinnati Hebrew Day School (CHDS). These grants continue the Foundation’s decades-long investments in local Jewish day schools, reflecting its view that day schools offer a Jewish education that is unparalleled in depth and breadth among education alternatives.
“Jewish education has always been one of our priority areas of funding,” said Brian Jaffee, CEO of the Foundation. “In our own community, we have seen, first-hand, outcomes related to Jewish literacy and Jewish identity that Jewish Day Schools produce. They create future communal leaders and are a vital entry point for families to form lasting bonds and engage in ongoing Jewish life. The Foundation serves our community’s families best when we support and strengthen our day schools, so that all Jewish Cincinnatians can find opportunities for Jewish learning that meet their needs.”
In working to create and sustain a long-term healthy and vibrant Jewish Cincinnati, the Foundation is keenly aware that its investments in Jewish day schools shape what the community looks like today and what it could look like in the future. Strong day schools are both a cornerstone of Jewish education and are essential to a thriving Jewish Cincinnati. They don’t merely teach students; they shape the entire community for generations to come. They are critical in helping Cincinnati attract high quality Jewish professional talent from across the country, which in turn elevates Cincinnati’s local Jewish organizations. The Jewish Foundation is proud to help ensure that CHDS and Rockwern continue their legacy of excellence.
Added Jaffee, “We know from the 2019 community study that our community is diverse, with increasing numbers of families in Cincinnati choosing Jewish day school. In fact, for some segments of our community, a Jewish day school education is an essential piece of Jewish infrastructure. At the same time, there are opportunities to reach a significant number of even more families. We want our community’s Jewish day schools to be hospitable to as broad a cross-section of Jewish families as possible. When day schools are excellent and inclusive, they can attract a broader cross-section of families in our community as well as Jewish communal volunteers and professionals for whom this option is essential.”
The Foundation relies both on research and its local experience in supporting day schools as a portal for Jewish families and children to become more involved in Jewish life, ascribing to Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks’, z”l, perspective that “building schools, builds communities.”
In fact, for decades, CHDS and Rockwern have stood as cornerstones of Jewish education in Cincinnati. With rich, distinguished histories, both schools deliver rigorous academics interwoven with timeless Jewish values, preparing students for academic achievement and for lives of purpose, leadership, and vibrant Jewish identity. Rockwern recently announced the relaunch of its Middle School amid increased student enrollment and retention.
“We are so grateful to the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati and the other donors who make a pluralistic Jewish day school education available for more families at Rockwern,” said Rabbi Laura Baum, Head of School at Rockwern Academy. “Families from a cross-section of the Jewish community are discovering the value of Jewish day school, and we are thrilled to be able to welcome them as we engage in our mission of expanding minds, celebrating Judaism, nurturing community, and building a better world.”
Generations of alumni point to their time at CHDS or Rockwern as formative years that shaped who they are as Jews and as leaders. Both schools are recognized for outstanding instruction in math, science, humanities, and the arts, and for creating spaces where children develop critical thinking skills, empathy, and a lifelong love of learning. Their teachers serve as mentors and role models, guiding students to see their Jewish heritage as a living, breathing part of who they are and who they can become.
The Jewish Foundation stands alongside community members who believe in the transformative power of Jewish education and who help make it possible for every Jewish child in Cincinnati to have access to it. Investing in local day schools is an investment in local families and in a future filled with meaningful Jewish learning.
