HDS students, parents, and faculty, led by director Zena Sulkes, celebrate the dedication of the Zissman Torah scroll, 1999.
The Talmud forbids touching the Torah parchment with bare hands as a matter of respect and in order to not smudge the handwritten letters. Students honor the mitzvah of reading Torah each week using this Torah scroll, which was originally dedicated in 1999 by the Zissman family. The Torah was restored in 2014 by a soferet Rachel Salston. Theprivilege of learning from a Torah has been a valuable experience for the HDS/JAO community. The Torah, which is on permanent loan from the TOP Foundation, has also been loaned to other agencies such as Central Florida Hillel for use during Jewish holidays.
Edward Zissman
Dedication ceremony for the Hebrew Day School’s Maitland campus first expansion, 1990.
The Hebrew Day School of Central Florida (HDS) opened in 1977 at Temple Israel as a Community Jewish Day School to educate Jewish children from all branches of Judaism. Some founding families who enrolled their children include: Bierman, Goss, Israel, Jacobson, Jeser, Kerstein [Zerivitz], Licht, Loberant, Sale, Schwartz, Ser, Simons, Volpert, Zatz and Zissman. The school relocated to the Maitland Campus in 1986 and, during the 1990s, there were two expansions. L-R: Zelig Wise, Bobbi Wise, Edward Zissman and Phyllis Zissman
Edward Zissman
Marc and Henrietta Katzen develop and fund the Katzen Apple Technology Program at theJewish Academy of Orlando.
The program provides every JAO student with Apple technology and the school with digital whiteboards, Apple TVs, and the awardwinning television production studio where students create and broadcast a daily news program. The school was awarded the Apple Distinguished School Award for demonstrating Apple’s vision of exemplary learning environments by making Apple technology an integral part of the curriculum. Composite: (clockwise from top left) JAO students with their Apple technology; Marc and Henrietta with Director of Technology Linda Dombchik receiving the Apple Distinguished School Award; TV studio control room; Award of Excellence, 2013.
HDS/JAO Archives
Blessing the Shabbat challah, 2013.
Students celebrate Shabbat and other Jewish holidays and festivals. This part of the curriculum serves as an opportunity to learn new prayers, songs, crafts, recipes and other traditions that connect students to Jewish communities throughout their history and the world. Students also participate in daily morning prayers, learning rituals and Hebrew language skills.
L-R: Josh Weiner, unknown, Noah Gordon, Noa Gabbai , unknown, unknown, and Isaac Ben Simon
David Basher, A Magic Moment
Wearing pink in support of breast cancer research, JAO students rally around many causes, both Jewish and secular, 2013.
With a diverse student body committed to academic excellence and Jewish pride, students, faculty and families come together to learn and participate in a wide range of activities. One critical teaching is tikkun olam, a Jewish concept defined by acts of kindness performed to perfect or repair the world. As part of this experience, they participate in mitzvah activities such as visiting nursing homes, planting trees and donating to local charities. They have regular sessions with students of other faith-based schools. Various student musical groups perform at events throughout the greater Orlando area.
Vicki Freed
JAO eighth-grade students visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem on their school trip to Israel, 2013.
JAO students participate in travel experiences to learn more about their country and world. The sixth grade trip explores Savannah, GA; the seventh grade visits Williamsburg, VA; and the eighth grade class goes to Israel. They discover the people and places that they’ve studied. Many students and families have created additional travel opportunities to participate in events such as the Washington, DC, March for Soviet Jewry or to celebrate a bar or bat mitzvah and other life milestones. Technology allows the students to interact with students from these locales before and following the visits.
Front L-R: Rachel Brown, Shira Weiss, Estrella Varnagy, Rebecca Lewis, Jordan Greenberg; back L-R: Rachel Henig, Sophie Libow, Idit Lotringer (teacher) and Josh Finklestein
Idit Lotringer