About Us

Our History
The Abraham Joshua Heschel School was founded in 1983 by Peter Geffen. With the encouragement of Rebecca Shahmoon Shanok, founding president of the Board of Trustees, and the support of Rabbi Judah Nadich (the then rabbi of  Park Avenue Synagogue), as well as many other supporters, the School opened with 28 students. The School created a new model of Jewish day school education, one that places a high value on academic excellence, intellectual exploration, a creative and active learning style, and integration of Jewish and General studies, along with a sense of responsibility for the community within the School and beyond.

Our Namesake: Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel z”l* (1907-1972)
The Abraham Joshua Heschel School is named to honor the memory of one of the great rabbis of the 20th century. Rabbi Heschel was born into a Hasidic dynasty and spent his early years completely immersed in the texts, thought, and rhythms of traditional Eastern European Hasidic life. As a young man he studied in Berlin, receiving a Ph.D. in philosophy from Humboldt University while studying and teaching at both orthodox and reform rabbinical seminaries. His move from Eastern to Western Europe, from yeshiva to university and within the different Jewish schools of thought reflected his belief in the critical importance of bridging disparate worlds. Once in America, Rabbi Heschel continued his work of bridging worlds and of educating people to engage in a process of internalizing religious traditions in a meaningful way.

Witnessing the growing alienation of modern society, especially in the wake of World War II, Heschel came to see the internal and social imperatives of Jewish tradition as critical for world healing. He taught how Jewish observance nourishes the Jewish soul and creates a spiritual impulse toward social justice in all communities. Rabbi Heschel wrote:

“Every human being has something to say, to think, or to do which is unprecedented. Being human is a novelty, not a mere repetition or extension of the past, but an anticipation of things to come… A person has the capacity to create events.”

Rabbi Heschel taught by action as well as by text. He marched for civil rights alongside Dr. Martin Luther King. He initiated concern for Jews suffering in the Soviet Union. He petitioned the Pope personally, and successfully influenced the historic change in the Church’s teachings about Judaism and the Jewish people. He was a leader of the religious community’s protest against the War in Vietnam. For Rabbi Heschel, the classic texts of our tradition (halakhah) provide laws which structure behavior, and the interpretive writings of our tradition (midrash) provide poetry for reflection.

*(zikhrono livrakha, may his memory be a blessing)

Our Growth
The demands of an expanding student population led to the purchase of a first building at 270 West 89th Street, followed by another at 314 West 91st Street that houses the Middle School (grades 6-8). The Heschel High School (grades 9-12) opened in September 2002 at 20 West End Avenue. This vibrant and nationally recognized school has over 725 students in Nursery through twelfth grade.

Our Students
The years spent at Heschel are a voyage of discovery during which students learn to seek, to question and to think for themselves while, at the same time, developing a genuine passion for learning. Creative, articulate, socially conscious critical thinkers, Heschel students are prepared to contribute to the larger community.