Metro-West Jewish Day School Welcomes the Central Massachusetts Community

Staff, parents and board members of Metro West Jewish Day School (MWJDS) in Framingham were pleased to welcome Jewish Federation of Central Mass (JFCM) President Natalie Rudolph, and JFCM Executive Director Howard Borer to at a special event on Thursday morning, “Celebrate Worcester Day.”

An effort to strengthen and broaden the two communities’ bonds, guests were greeted by the school’s new leadership, Behzad Dayanim, head of school, Renée Finn, founding chair, as well as Jody Comins, president, and board member Hope Casey, both MWJDS parents.

Worcester Day Participants (l-r): Joy Lapidus, Natalie Rudolph, Howard Borer, Diane Brown, Behzad Dayanim, Jody Comins, Hope Casey, Deborah Sinrich.

Together with current parents from Worcester, Joy Lapidus, David Seifer, and Deborah Sinrich, the group visited our vibrant classrooms and learned more about the school’s vision and future.

Comments Howard Borer, “Natalie and I were warmly welcomed by the leadership team at MWJDS and learned a great deal about the school. We were particularly impressed by our visits to the classrooms to see what is actually being taught. We look forward to working with MWJDS along with our own community’s Yeshiva in strengthening Jewish education for all ages.”

MWJDS benefits from and shared the morning with four faculty members from the former Worcester Schechter/NJA School, some of whom are Worcester area residents: Gretchen Marks Brandt, Director of Teaching and Learning; Diane Brown, Music Teacher; Patti Kelly-Bernhard, Art Teacher, and Tali Mugg, Jewish Studies Teacher, and recent winner of the Grinspoon award for Excellence in Teaching. The school also annually hosts the JFCM Israeli emissaries, so ably coordinated by Liz Baker, who share the joy of Israel every week with our curious students.

MWJDS is a pluralistic school that welcomes students in grades K through 8 and will graduate its first class in 2013. The school offers a regularly scheduled minibus Monday through Friday to and from the central Worcester area. Students of all observances study and learn in an environment of academic excellence in which ancient text and modern curriculum are woven together. MWJDS inspires proud, knowledgeable, responsible Jews empowered to strengthen communal life in Metro-west and beyond. The MWJDS community supports lifelong learning and a firm commitment to social justice. We celebrate our differences and our similarities as we embrace our diverse community.

For more information about MWJDS, visit our website www.mwjds.org or contact Risa.Werblin@mwjds.org.

(This story first appeared on www.jewishcentralvoice.com )