Resident Schools
Ansche Chesed has a longstanding connection to two independent Jewish schools which have long made their home at Ansche Chesed. One is the Yaldaynu, the oldest Jewish preschool on the Upper West Side. The other is the Havurah School, where the arts are used to teach students a wide range of Jewish subjects.
Yaldaynu
Yaldaynu offers children in Pre-K a warm, nurturing environment that encourages pupils’ intellectual, emotional, physical and social growth.
In keeping with the school’s name, Yaldaynu (our children), we cultivate Jewish identity and values in a relaxed, developmentally appropriate way. Children are introduced to Shabbat, the Jewish holidays, and Israel through art, music, stories, and cooking. Holiday celebrations for school families give children a sense of community and reinforce their Jewish heritage. Friendships formed among Yaldaynu families continue long after the children have moved on.
Families of all levels of observance are welcome at Yaldaynu and religious practice among Yaldaynu families mirrors the pluralism of the Upper West Side’s Jewish community.
For more information, contact Director Menucha Goldstein at office@yaldaynu.org. Or find out more info at www.yaldaynu.org.
Havurah School
The Havurah School is an independent, self-supporting program that has been in residence at Ansche Chesed for more than 20 years. Students from Kindergarten through Grade 7 learn a wide variety of Jewish subjects, primarily through the arts. Improvisation of Bible stories, painting and drawing, work in clay, movement, creative writing, music and debate are just some of the tools and techniques we use to help children understand experientially, the Torah, the holidays and the great themes of Jewish life, tradition and philosophy.
For more information, contact Director Jerry Raik at HavurahSchool@gmail.com or 212-662-3436.
