|
The E.S.H.I. Family | |
Welcome Memories Community Center West Valley Reunions Forums Sister Site Contact us
|
|
The E.S.H.I. Family | |
|
K-8th Grade on 7+ Acre Campus 5850 Fallbrook Avenue Woodland Hills CA. 91367 Phone:(818) 712-0365 Fax: (818) 884-3000 A traditional Jewish Day School |
|
|---|
By Sylvia J. Danzer
from "The Jewish Press", September 19, 1997
"In 1983 a group of balabatim from the fledgling Beit Hamidrash of Woodland Hills, CA formed a new Elementary Hebrew Day School, in a small converted house in Woodland Hills, to accommodate the needs of the growing community. They named their new school in memory of Rabbi Max D. Raiskin, the principal of the East Side Hebrew Institute of the Lower East Side of New York, and the Rabbi of one of the school founders. Today the school, which has grown tremendously since its humble beginnings, is located on 7 and 1/2 beautiful acres at 7254 Oso Avenue, Woodland Hills, a safe and beautiful area in the West San Fernando Valley.
"Rabbi Raiskin, Z"l, Who passed away about 18 years ago, shortly after making Aliya with his wife and 8 children, had a profound influence on his students, among them Shul president and founder, Alan Shapiro, and actor Paul Reiser, of TV fame. They spearheaded fund-raising drives along with other former students of Rabbi Raiskin, and the school became a reality. Its philosophy, like that of Rabbi Raiskin, and his former students, is to always provide a loving and nurturing environment for the Jewish child. The philosophy has made the school a truly bright star, on the west coast.
..."The teacher to student ratio is small, about 15 students to a class, further enabling the teacher to give slower students more attention when needed. It also allows the teacher the opportunity to get to really know each child, and to help nurture their specific strengths and understand their weaknesses, and needs.
"Parental involvement is the norm, rather than the exception. Parents volunteer in all areas to make the school feel more like a large, loving, heimish family, rather than a cold, austere uncaring institution. Students and parents are treated like human beings rather than just warm bodies with a checkbook. In fact, no child is ever turned away from the opportunity of receiving a Torah Education due to financial need. This is a very refreshing approach in the Yeshiva Day School world of today, where parents of potential students are often scrutinized by their checkbook balances, rather than their yearning to teach their child Yiddishkeit and proper values.
"Since its inception, West Valley Hebrew Academy has put tremendous emphasis on the secular part of the education as well as Torah. They are acutely aware that their students will someday be leaders in their community. The secular studies teachers use very innovative ideas in teaching the students their secular subjects. This year they added a brand new computer program. Each child in each grade has his/her own computer for learning both computer proficiency as well as their subject materials. This will enable each child to function efficiently in our ever-growing computer based world.
Proper values for the Jewish child, are integrated with Science, Math, Social Studies, English and even Physical Education, so that the child learns to think and live Jewishly, regardless of which subject he's learning, or which activity he's involved in..."
