In a major announcement about its upper school, the Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy (BCHA) is proud to announce a transformational gift from Trudy Elbaum Gottesman and Robert Gottesman of New York City.

Thanks to the Gottesman family’s philanthropy, every new ninth- and 10th-grade entering student (including current BCHA middle school students advancing to ninth grade) will receive 50% off tuition for all four years of high school, for the upcoming year (2025-2026) and the following year (2026-2027).

Their support will provide significant tuition assistance to incoming high school students, secure a new campus for the school, and strengthen the continued growth of Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy.

Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy is a co-ed, pre-K through 12th grade Jewish day school guided by the principles of Modern Orthodoxy. Located in Stamford, Connecticut, BCHA serves families that represent the broad spectrum of the Jewish community and is dedicated to cultivating knowledgeable, compassionate and confident Jewish leaders through a rigorous dual curriculum, strong community values, and a commitment to lifelong learning.

The Gottesmans learned about BCHA after joining the Beit Chaverim Synagogue in Westport, Connecticut. Robert Gottesman commented: “I met current and former high school students who were smart, mensches, and deeply committed to their Judaism. They all spoke about the excellent education they were receiving or had received attending Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy and the role the school had played in preparing them for the future. We strongly value a Jewish education, particularly a Jewish high school education.”

This major gift will help BCHA significantly increase its enrollment in the high school, and create a campus that will be a strong foundation for Bi-Cultural and the entire Jewish community of Fairfield County and beyond for many years to come.

“This gift reflects the Gottesmans’ deep commitment to Jewish education and their belief in the unique value BCHA provides,” said Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein, head of school. “We are incredibly fortunate to be the beneficiaries of this investment in our students, our school, and the Jewish community of greater Fairfield County.”

Rebecca Tipermas, a current parent of BCHA middle and lower school students, was extremely pleased to hear the news: “It is very exciting to see that the Gottesmans recognize how special Bi-Cultural is, and their commitment to building the school’s reputation as a pre-K to 12th grade institution is inspiring. We are grateful for the education our children have received thus far and are thrilled to see that the opportunity to continue at the school will now extend through their high school years.”

In the past 10 years, the Stamford Jewish community has grown enormously. The community offers its residents an eruv, mikvah, multiple synagogues and several kosher restaurants. And BCHA has capitalized on this growth, as it now has more than 400 students enrolled in the school.

The upper school has recently boasted several major accomplishments. Kira Doft, a 10th-grader who is part of BCHA’s Medical Scholars Program, recently published an infographic in the Medical Literacy Journal magazine and website examining the characteristics of sickle cell disease.

Adam Daniel, a junior, achieved perfect PSAT and ACT scores and was featured in the education section of the Connecticut Post.

The BCHA Chess Team claimed first place in the Rookly Jewish Day Chess League.

BCHA’s three student teams that participated in the CIJE-Tec VEX Robotics competition finished second, third and fourth out of 33 teams, showcasing their outstanding creativity, problem-solving skills and teamwork.

Max Ferits was named a candidate in the U.S. Presidential Scholar Program, which honors the nation’s most distinguished graduating high school seniors based on their outstanding academic achievements.

Earlier this year in February, 35 BCHA teens participated in the Dead Sea 10K and Marathon, an annual race event that took place in Israel. All expenses for this extraordinary Israel experience were covered for the student participants.

BCHA’s college track record has been outstanding. The high school offers 23 AP courses, and 100% of its seniors were accepted to the college of their choice, with the help of its stellar college guidance department. Some of the universities that its graduates have or will be attending are Yeshiva, Yale, Brown, Rutgers, Binghamton and Drexel, among others.

Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy extends its gratitude to the Gottesman family for their extraordinary generosity and partnership. This gift ensures that Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy will continue to flourish as a place of academic excellence, Jewish values, and leadership development for generations to come.

If you’d like more information about the high school and/or would like to arrange a tour, please contact Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein at [email protected].

Michael Feldstein, who lives in Stamford, Connecticut, is the author of “Meet Me in the Middle” (meet-me-in-the-middle-book.com), a collection of essays on contemporary Jewish life. He can be reached at [email protected].