On August 30, Academies at GBDS welcomed back its students for a new year at school. This school year marks Academies at GBDS’s 36th anniversary, a milestone that is not only a blessing, but also a reminder of the perseverance of the Jewish people and the role that Jewish education has in the future of the Jewish people.

Since the founding of Academies at GBDS in 1985, the institution has been committed to providing students with academic excellence in a traditional environment, fostering a community where Jewish families from every level of observance feel welcome. The main goal of Academies at GBDS is, and has always been, to promote and instill a love of learning, a strong Jewish identity and the building blocks for extraordinary futures. For 36 years, Academies at GBDS has upheld its commitment to ensure that any Jewish family who wishes to give a Jewish education to their child will receive one, regardless of ability to pay.

Academies at GBDS credits its amazing and loyal staff (many of whom have been working at GBDS for 20+ years), the incredible generosity of their donors, and strong core values for their continued success and longevity. Their core values have always been rooted in cultivating character, inspiring the mind, and nurturing the soul of each student. Academies at GBDS teaches important values such as respect (kavod), kindness (chesed), leadership (manhigut), character (derech eretz), wisdom (t’vuna), love of Israel (ahavat Israel), and so much more with the goal of academic and social-emotional growth in each student. GBDS also believes that it is important to have balance between general and Judiac Studies so that they can inspire a generation of secure, well-rounded individuals with mutually fulfilling identities as Americans and Jews. Although Academies at GBDS has grown from 17 students to over 125 over the past 36 years, it is still and will always be a small school with a big neshama.

By Joshua Shuster