JCHS MISSION, VALUES & History

OUR MISSION

JCHS develops the promise of each individual through the strength of community. We empower students to embrace their unique Jewish identities, express empathy, delight in lifelong learning, and improve the world.

OUR VALUES

JCHS is a unique college preparatory high school committed to integrating deep learning, universal wisdom, and Jewish values.

  • Deep learning: Learning that is intrinsically motivated and is the result of complex thinking, collaborative practice, integration, and reflection. It is both grounded in concrete knowledge and infinite in application.

  • Universal wisdom: Wisdom inclusively drawn from across disciplines, cultures, and history–whether secular, religious, or Jewish. Universal wisdom honors diverse viewpoints derived from common values.

  • Jewish values: Those values that are drawn from, but not necessarily exclusively identified with, the Jewish tradition–a tradition that is diverse and represented by many voices.

OUR ISRAEL MISSION

Identification with the State of Israel plays a central role in the mission of the Jewish Community High School of the Bay (JCHS) to shape a strong Jewish identity in its students, both in their time here and later as adults. We seek to forge connections that are positive, lasting, and personal between each student and Israel. JCHS supports the centrality of Israel for the Jewish people as it provides both religious and cultural inspiration and recognizes it as the national homeland for the Jewish people.

We want JCHS graduates to understand the interconnection of the Jewish people in Israel and the Diaspora, and to develop a sense of personal responsibility for the continuation and strengthening of Klal Yisrael (Jewish Peoplehood). We provide the means to create this understanding and ongoing relationship with Israel through the academic study of Israeli history, both ancient and modern, politics, current events and culture, Hebrew language and literature, as well as through experiential activities.

OUR HISTORY

JCHS began as a powerful dream imagined by visionaries Nancy Zimmerman Pechner and Noah Alper, who were committed to creating a vibrant, challenging, and nurturing place for their teens to learn.

Our school opened in the fall of 2001 on the grounds of Congregation Kol Shofar in Tiburon, California, with a freshman class of 21 students.

In the fall of 2002, we moved into our current, permanent home in San Francisco. The site was purchased and renovated through the generosity of Keren Keshet – The Rainbow Foundation, a New York-based foundation dedicated to Jewish education.

We have thrived thanks to the encouragement and resources provided by Mem Dryan Bernstein, Arthur Fried, and Keren Keshet – The Rainbow Foundation. In the coming years, we are committed to drawing upon that encouragement and leadership to educate the next generation of Jewish leaders.