BCHA is unique. Special things happen in our warm, accepting, supportive school environment, where students achieve their goals, fulfill their dreams and build friendships that last a lifetime. Student progress in the classroom is exciting and celebrated. Torah values are instilled and nurtured. Graduates go on to college success, professional achievement, and personal lives connected to Judaism, learning and leadership.
In the more than six decades since our school’s inception we have served the Jewish community of Fairfield and Westchester counties long enough to see our alumni bear out our mission in Jewish communities worldwide. Jewish continuity and Jewish communal leadership motivates their personal and professional lives, with great happiness and satisfaction, consistent with the King David’s holy charge, עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־הֹ בְּשִׂמְחָ֑ה בֹּ֥אוּ לְ֜פָנָ֗יו בִּרְנָנָֽה serve God with happiness, come before him with joy.
At BCHA, we welcome, recognize and appreciate families from different backgrounds who choose our school for a wide variety of reasons. For some, the emphasis is on Torah study, for others it is about connection to Israel. Others send their children to learn the traditions, history and heritage of our people. We have families who prioritize excellence in general studies; reading, writing, STEM, history, art, music, and social studies. Many choose our school to have their children learn in a safe and nurturing environment where emphasis is placed on respect and kindness for each other, every day. For others, it is about the students getting into their first choice of college or other post-high school program. Ultimately, our school is about the sum of all these things for all our families. That is why our school attracts families from across the Jewish denominational spectrum while respecting our guidance by the principles of Modern Orthodoxy.
We are, in actuality, a family. Year after year, we count among our parents numerous alumni. In a number of instances both parents of a current student are BCHA alumni. We also have many teachers who are graduates of the school. Our Director of Curriculum, Faculty and Staff Development was a student, a teacher and remains a parent of current students. Our Head of School, who I know quite well, is an alumnus, the parent of alumni and the grandparent of a current Pre-K student. The basis for all of these multi-generational connections is that students who attend BCHA want their children to have the same wonderful and successful experience as students that they themselves had. Without a doubt, this is the highest compliment any school can be paid.
We succeed because our faculty consists of incredibly creative and knowledgeable educators who are passionate about teaching and learning everything they can about every student, finding the best way for them to accomplish all of their learning goals and inspiring them to accomplish further goals that they set for themselves. Throughout our grade levels our students are inspired to discover their own interests, talents and abilities. They are then guided to pursue those interests, talents and abilities and to absorb knowledge from those qualities that are within themselves. The result is learning with joy and a great sense of accomplishment.
The Torah teaches us והלכת בּדרכיו, literally that we must, “walk in his [God’s] ways. How do we do that? As the Talmud teaches, “just as He is merciful, so too should we be merciful; just as He is kind, so too we should be kind.” This gives us the understanding that if our lives have a consistent ethical direction we will have the strength to meet our challenges, overcome our failures and appreciate God’s role in our successes. At Bi-Cultural, we believe that our children’s future is secured by the knowledge of their heritage.
These are some of the core values of our school. I hope that you will visit us so that you will see firsthand how we transmit and nurture these values in an environment of joy and happiness each and every day. We welcome the opportunity to provide this education to your children and to your family, as well.
We look forward to meeting you!
Rabbi Tzvi Bernstein
Head of School
What’s so amazing about Bi-Cultural Hebrew Academy? We’d love to show you!