modern Orthodox
Modern may refer to:
History
*Modern history
** Early Modern period
** Late Modern period
*** 18th century
*** 19th century
*** 20th century
** Contemporary history
* Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century
Philosophy ...
University City, Missouri
University City (colloquially, U. City) is an inner-ring suburb of the city of St. Louis in St. Louis County, in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was measured at 35,065 by the 2020 census.
The city is one of the older suburbs in th ...
. It opened in August 2013 and offers traditional classroom learning in both
Jewish education
Jewish education (, ''Chinuch'') is the transmission of the tenets, principles, and religious laws of Judaism. Jews value education, and the value of education is strongly embedded in Jewish culture. Judaism places a heavy emphasis on Torah ...
and secular college preparatory education. All courses are taught by certificated professional educators.
The school had been housed in the building of the Epstein Hebrew Academy (EHA), a Modern Orthodox preschool through middle school, since its inception in 2013 until 2020. In 2020, it moved to a new location in University City with EHA.
The word “Kadimah” in the school’s name means “forward.” The name was chosen to indicate a forward-looking high school, utilizing traditional teacher-guided classrooms, while accepting supportive roles for modern online distance teaching and experiential learning.
History
Yeshivat Kadimah High School was established in June 2013 and is registered with the state of Missouri as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation. The school opened in August 2013 with ten students, and premises in five classrooms and an administrative office at Epstein Hebrew Academy.
The school opened the 2015-2016 academic year with an enrollment of 27 students, and Rabbi Naftali Rothstein assumed the position of Principal, succeeding Rabbi Moshe Shulman, who had helped create the school and had been interim Head of School until Rabbi Rothstein’s appointment.
The school attained the status of a beneficiary agency of
Jewish Federation
The Jewish Federation (JFED) is a secular Jewish non-profit organization found within many metropolitan areas across the United States with a significant Jewish community. They provide supportive and human services, philanthropy, financial grants ...
of St. Louis in 2015.
In 2016, the school received accreditation from
AdvancED
The Advanced Party (), otherwise known as the Advanced Association () was a liberal and centrist Zionist political association in Mandatory Palestine founded by several urban liberal Zionists. The party was founded in order to represent the voice ...
, a non-profit organization recognized by the
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education is a cabinet-level department of the United States government, originating in 1980. The department began operating on May 4, 1980, having been created after the Department of Health, Education, and ...
that accredits primary and secondary schools throughout the United States and internationally.
Curriculum and activities
The school defines itself as an Orthodox yeshiva high school offering an intensive Torah education from traditional Jewish sources with an emphasis on textual interpretation, ethical conduct and growth in Torah study as a lifelong process, along with a college preparatory program that prepares students as “productive, creative and secure citizens” of a modern technological society.
In addition to traditional classroom instruction by resident teachers for Judaic studies, a class in
Skype
Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...
.
The school offers traditional classroom learning for core classes, and encourages and supports students who may choose to take an occasional high interest elective course online through the
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...
, or other accredited agencies. Experiential learning plays a large role in the school's offerings.
Certificated classroom teachers offer a full range of secular courses and advanced honors courses, including Mathematics, Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Social Studies, Language Arts, World Languages, Personal Finance, Fine Arts, Robotics, and Health and Physical Education.
The school emphasizes the learning of
Modern Hebrew
Modern Hebrew (, or ), also known as Israeli Hebrew or simply Hebrew, is the Standard language, standard form of the Hebrew language spoken today. It is the only surviving Canaanite language, as well as one of the List of languages by first w ...
, both as a means to understanding classic Jewish texts and in recognition of its importance to the
Jewish people
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
as the language of the modern
State of Israel
Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.
The school also offers learning and discovery experiences through field trips and excursions. These have included community service at Project Backpack, the Jewish Food Pantry, the Wild Bird Sanctuary, and visits to the Thomas F. Eagleton United States Courthouse and to the
Donald Danforth Plant Science Center
The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center is an independent, not-for-profit research institute dedicated to plant science located in the Creve Coeur community of Saint Louis County, Missouri, United States. It was founded in 1998 by William Henry ...
, as well as to the
Missouri History Museum
The Missouri History Museum in Forest Park, St. Louis, Missouri, showcases Missouri history. It is operated by the Missouri Historical Society, which was founded in 1866. Museum admission is free through a public subsidy by the Metropolita ...
and the Holocaust Museum in Creve Coeur. In addition, students have benefited from tours of the control tower at
Lambert–St. Louis International Airport
St. Louis Lambert International Airport is the primary international airport serving Greater St. Louis, metropolitan St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Commonly referred to as Lambert Field or simply Lambert, it is the largest and List of t ...
, the
St. Louis Symphony
The St. Louis Symphony Orchestra (SLSO) is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra is the second-oldest professional symphony o ...
and various professional theater productions.
Administration
Rabbi Moshe Shulman served as interim Head of School from its opening in 2013. Dr. Brad Heger, formerly of the
Ladue School District
The Ladue School District is a public school district in Ladue, Missouri, with four elementary, one middle, and one high school, with a special Fifth Grade Center. The district serves 4,180 total students, and employs 280 full-time classroom ...
, is the Education Director for General Studies.
Rabbi Naftali Rothstein was principal from 2015 to 2019. Rabbi Daniel Freund was appointed principal in 2019.
The school was initially overseen by a seven-member Board of Directors. In 2015, a twelve-member Board of Directors oversaw the school.