Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of Jews, Jewish parents with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full-time basis. The term "day school" is used to differentiat ...
in north central
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...
. Founded in 1965 by Rabbi David Rebibo, who was dean of students since the school's inception until his death in June 2024, it was the first Jewish day school in the region and one of the first outside the New York area. The school has a full dual curriculum of Judaic and general studies. In 2011 it enrolled 170 children in grades K-8.
Background
The Jewish day school movement, initiated by
Torah Umesorah – National Society for Hebrew Day Schools
Torah Umesorah – National Society for Hebrew Day Schools (or Torah Umesorah ) is a Haredi Orthodox Jewish educational charity based in the United States that promotes Torah-based Jewish religious education in North America by supporting and dev ...
, numbered 35 day schools in the United States and Canada in 1940; that figure mushroomed to 300 schools by 1965. In 1965 Joseph Kaminetzky, then head of Torah Umesorah, recommended Rabbi David Rebibo, an alumnus of Yeshivat Chachmei Tzarfat in
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains (, ; ; ), known locally and simply as Aix, is a Communes of France, commune in the southeastern French Departments of France, department of Savoie.Mir Yeshiva in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
, New York, as the best choice to open a Jewish day school in the southwestern US city of Phoenix, which then had a population of 10,000 Jews.
History
In 1965 Rebibo and his wife Odette moved to Phoenix, where he established the Phoenix Hebrew Academy, the city's first Jewish day school. Rebibo's efforts were opposed by the city's non-Orthodox rabbis, who believed that Jewish students should be absorbed into the larger community. Since most of the student body were not from Orthodox homes, Rebibo calmed parents' fears that their children would be "converted" to Orthodoxy by setting a policy accepting children from all streams of
Judaism
Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
. In time, some of the parents most active in the school were those who belonged to the local
Reform
Reform refers to the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc. The modern usage of the word emerged in the late 18th century and is believed to have originated from Christopher Wyvill's Association movement, which ...
temple.
The Phoenix Hebrew Academy opened on September 7, 1965, with classes for kindergarten and grades 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. First-year enrollment was 40 students. The school's first campus was a house at 337 East Bethany Home Road, where Rebibo spotted a " for sale" sign a few weeks before opening day. In the 1970s, the school purchased a larger facility at 515 East Bethany Home Road, its current location.
The school's success spawned the opening of six other Jewish day schools in the Phoenix area, including a "satellite" school in
Mesa, Arizona
Mesa ( ) is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The population was 504,258 at the 2020 census. It is the List of municipalities in Arizona, third-most populous city in Arizona, after Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, T ...
, which opened in 1987 with 18 students in kindergarten through third grade. The Mesa school closed in 1990 due to budget constraints.
Curriculum
Phoenix Hebrew Academy is an Orthodox Jewish day school with a full dual curriculum of Judaic and general studies. A dress code is enforced for boys and girls. In 2011, the school introduced separate-gender classes in Grades 7 and 8, and has subsequently separated Grade 6 by gender as well.
Phoenix Hebrew Academy is the only Jewish day school in the Phoenix area to serve kosher hot lunches cooked in its own kitchen. Students may bring their own kosher dairy or parve meals, but meat meals are strictly supervised by the school.
Current administration
*Rabbi Baruch Harris, Head of School
*Mr. Fred Graef, Principal of General Studies
*Mrs. Alyssa Zupnick, Preschool Director
*Mrs. Malka Harris, Assistant Principal
*Mrs. Gabby Jimez, Assistant Preschool Director
*Rabbi Billy Lewcowicz, Director of Student Life