RJDSRJDSRJDSRJDS
  • ABOUT US
  • EARLY LEARNING
  • ADMISSIONS
  • CALENDAR
  • PARENTS
  • SUPPORT
  • CONTACT US
  • DONATE

RJDS Celebrates 30 Years!

    Home Classic RJDS Celebrates 30 Years!
    NextPrevious

    RJDS Celebrates 30 Years!

    By Jordan Sukkau | Classic | 0 comment | 3 May, 2023 | 8

    RJDS celebrates 30 years

    Founding RJDS society members with their original photo: Cindy Rozen, left, Marvin Lithwick and Marilyn Jordan. (photo by Lianne Cohen Photography)

    On March 19, the Richmond Jewish Day School (RJDS) gymnasium became a fancy ballroom as students, alumni, school parents past and present, staff and others reconnected and shared stories of the “small community school with big dreams” as RJDS marks its 30th anniversary. The event was one of a series this spring to celebrate the special year.

    According to Cindy Rozen, who helped start RJDS, the impetus to build a Jewish day school in Richmond sprang from a 1989 report by the Jewish Federation of Greater Vancouver, which identified such a need in the southwest metropolitan area. A group of parents in Richmond convened and planned to implement a shared vision that their children should receive both a quality secular and Jewish education, believing it vital to reinforce Jewish values and traditions.

    “Starting a day school is fraught with many major challenges, such as finding funding, a location, students, hiring teachers, designing a curriculum, etc.,” Rozen said. “But, with the hard work and determination of the founding board members, the support of the Jewish community in Richmond and Jewish Federation – and, in particular, Ted Zacks and Bernard Pinsky – RJDS opened its doors.”

    As Shael Wilder, the first school board president, said in a short movie created by Heirloom Films in 2013 about RJDS’s early days, “We used to joke we were planning to open a Jewish day school with the minor obstacles of having no premises, no prospective students, no teachers, no administrative staff and no money.”

    RJDS’s first classes were taught in September 1992 in a single modular building situated in the parking lot of Congregation Beth Tikvah. There were 52 students, and it went from kindergarten through Grade 3. The school’s founders – which included Rozen, Wilder, Joan Cohen, Beverly Imerman, Bev Davis, Marilyn Jordan, Rabbi Martin Cohen, Marilyn Berger, Rozanne Kipnes, Marvin Lithwick and Faye Elias – were dedicated to seeing RJDS continue to grow.

    In 1998, the school moved to its current location on No. 5 Road, with more grades added in subsequent years. The modular building was brought to the site as well and, today, renovated and refurbished, it houses the RJDS Early Learning Centre.

    Throughout its history, the school has welcomed hundreds of students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, added new programs and services, and transformed in ways that could not have been imagined 30 years ago.

    photo - Left to right: Stacey Szeplabi, principal Sabrina Bhojani, Reesa Pawer and Batsheva Michaeli. Szeplabi, Pawer and Michaeli are part of the 30th birthday planning committee
    Left to right: Stacey Szeplabi, principal Sabrina Bhojani, Reesa Pawer and Batsheva Michaeli. Szeplabi, Pawer and Michaeli are part of the 30th birthday planning committee. (photo by Lianne Cohen Photography)

    “Through it all, the school has remained steadfast in our commitment to our core values. We believe that every student has the potential to achieve greatness, and we are dedicated to helping them reach their full potential by providing them with the tools, resources and support they need to succeed, in a caring and collaborative environment,” said RJDS principal Sabrina Bhojani in a speech at the March celebration. “Additionally, our commitment to Jewish values and traditions has remained a constant. Through a strong Jewish education, students can develop a deep and meaningful connection to their personal identity, the Hebrew language and the traditions and customs of their culture.”

    Bhojani emphasized, “We believe that a strong and supportive community is essential to the success and well-being of our students, and we work hard to foster this sense of community through our haimish [homey] environment each and every day.”

    From weekly Shabbat celebrations to annual school-wide holiday events, Bhojani said RJDS is continually exploring means to bring students, staff and families together in relevant and purposeful ways. “We believe that these connections are not only important for our students’ academic success, but also for their emotional and spiritual well-being. Over the years, this community has cared for one another through good times and bad. We have watched our students grow and thrive, and we have celebrated their achievements and milestones as if they were our own children,” she said.

    photo - Alumni students at the cocktail party, left to right: Matan Pawer, Adrian Freedman, Sydney Freedman, Zach Moss, Devin Gorski and Trevin Keil
    Alumni students at the cocktail party, left to right: Matan Pawer, Adrian Freedman, Sydney Freedman, Zach Moss, Devin Gorski and Trevin Keil. (photo by Lianne Cohen Photography)

    Looking ahead, Bhojani said the school is excited to keep building on the strong foundation it has established over the past 30 years. “We are committed to staying at the forefront of educational innovation, to providing our students with the tools and skills they need to succeed in a rapidly changing world, and to fostering a strong sense of community and connection to Jewish values and identity,” she said.

    “Although those first students did not have a proper building, gym or even computers, they all continued on to higher education,” noted Rozen. “Today, they are contributing to communities, both here in Canada and around the world – in the U.S., Israel, Europe and even India. We are so proud that, 30 years later, RJDS continues to enrich the lives of so many children who are our future.”

    Reesa Pawer and Stacey Szeplabi served as co-chairs for the RJDS 30th birthday planning committee, with Batsheva Michaeli, Lisa Altow and Rinata Yaffe as committee members.

    Sam Margolis has written for the Globe and Mail, the National Post, UPI and MSNBC.

    Click here to view the story on the Jewish Independent

    No tags.

    Jordan Sukkau

    More posts by Jordan Sukkau

    Related Post

    • Climate Warriors Recycling

      By Jordan Sukkau | 0 comment

      VISION The five 5th-grade students who participated in the Climate Action Youth Forum chose recycling as their project. Our school currently recycles, but many students are unaware of what items they can recycle, where toRead more

    • Alumni Spotlight – Courtney Cohen

      By Jordan Sukkau | 0 comment

      Hello! My name is Courtney Cohen, and I am a proud RJDS Alumni from the graduating class of 2001. I still remember like it was yesterday, receiving our grade 7 sweatshirts and climbing to theRead more

    • Richmond City Council Adopted an Anti-Racism Strategy

      By Jordan Sukkau | 0 comment

      Last night the Richmond City Council adopted the terminology and definitions in Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019-2022, which includes Discrimination, Anti-Asian Racism, Anti-Black Racism, Islamophobia and Antisemitism.   Richmond Jewish Day School would like to extend ourRead more

    • Alumni Spotlight – Carine Rozen

      By Jordan Sukkau | 0 comment

      My name is Carine Rozen, and I’m a proud member of the 3rd graduating class at RJDS in 1999 – the year we moved into the new beautiful school! Growing up in Richmond, I attendedRead more

    • Vancouver Jewish groups condemn Ye’s antisemitic comments

      By Jordan Sukkau | 0 comment

      Click here to view the video After rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, made antisemitic comments on a podcast, saying he “loves Nazis” and “likes Hitler,” Vancouver’s Jewish community says they’re fed up. CEORead more

    Leave a Comment

    Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    NextPrevious

    Recent Posts

    • Climate Warriors Recycling
    • RJDS Celebrates 30 Years!
    • Alumni Spotlight – Courtney Cohen
    • Richmond City Council Adopted an Anti-Racism Strategy
    • Alumni Spotlight – Carine Rozen

    Recent Comments

    No comments to show.
     
    At RJDS, a solid academic curriculum is the essence of what we provide. Offering small class sizes where individual attention is the norm, our students’ results are nothing short of exceptional.
     
    We acknowledge and thank the Katzie, Tsawwassen, Kwantlen and Musqueam First Peoples on whose traditional, unceded territories we live, work, and play.

    BLOG

    • Climate Warriors Recycling

      29 June, 2023
    • RJDS Celebrates 30 Years!

      3 May, 2023
    • Alumni Spotlight – Courtney Cohen

      21 February, 2023

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    Richmond Jewish Day School
    Y5 Creative
    © 2022 RJDS / All Right Reserved.
    • ABOUT US
    • EARLY LEARNING
    • ADMISSIONS
    • CALENDAR
    • PARENTS
    • SUPPORT
    • CONTACT US
    • DONATE
    RJDS