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ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL SCHOOL

NEW YORK, NY · EIN 133091539 · Form 990 · FY2024 · NTEE B200 · Education · Very Large (>$50M) · heschel.org
revenue
$79.1M
expenses
$71.0M
net assets
$158.7M
employees
367
volunteers
275
program ratio
91%
mission · from form 990

THE ABRAHAM JOSHUA HESCHEL SCHOOL IS AN INDEPENDENT JEWISH DAY SCHOOL (CONTINUED ON SCHEDULE O)WHICH INCLUDES STUDENTS FROM A WIDE RANGE OF JEWISH BACKGROUNDS, PRACTICES AND BELIEFS.

profile · synthesized from sources

The Abraham Joshua Heschel School is an independent Jewish day school in New York City serving students from diverse Jewish backgrounds. It offers a rigorous dual curriculum in general and Judaic studies across middle and high school divisions. The school emphasizes pluralism, intellectual exploration, and social justice, integrating Jewish values with academic excellence and community service.

named programs · 5 · from sources

What they call their work

Hesed Days
Service-learning days where students engage in community service projects locally in New York City, focusing on social justice and tzedek.
High School Academic Program
Rigorous college-preparatory curriculum emphasizing critical thinking, close textual analysis, and student-centered inquiry across disciplines.
Middle School Israel Trip
8th-grade experiential trip to Israel focusing on historical, cultural, and contemporary connections to the land and people of Israel.
Shabbatonim
Annual student-led retreats for Shabbat celebration, bonding, and Jewish learning across grades and faculty.
Tefillah Program
Daily morning prayer services offering multiple minyan options including egalitarian, Orthodox, Sephardic, and thematic alternatives such as social justice and music minyanim.
activities · 6 groups

What they do

  • Jewish Dual-Curriculum Education 3 activities
    • Deliver a dual-curriculum model integrating Jewish and general studies
      Implements a curriculum that weaves together traditional Jewish texts, Hebrew language, and Jewish values with general studies, using research-based and inquiry-driven methods to foster critical thinking, engagement, and lifelong learning.
    • Operate a pluralistic Jewish day school serving Nursery through Grade 12
      Provides comprehensive education for over 1,000 students from Nursery through Twelfth Grade within a pluralistic and egalitarian Jewish framework, integrating general and Judaic studies to support intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual development.
    • Provide early childhood education with immersive Jewish experiences
      Offers a structured early childhood program for Nursery, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students that includes daily prayers, blessings, Hebrew instruction, acts of kindness, and holiday celebrations, with a balanced daily schedule supporting developmental needs.
  • Israel and Jewish Heritage Educational Travel 1 activity
    • Conduct educational trips and experiential learning programs
      Extends learning beyond the classroom through field trips across New York City and an 8th-grade educational trip to Israel designed to strengthen personal and communal connections to Jewish history, culture, and society.
  • Student-Led Identity and Enrichment Programming 1 activity
    • Facilitate student leadership and co-curricular engagement
      Offers students leadership opportunities through sports teams, clubs, social justice initiatives, arts programs, and event planning, including student-led Shabbaton and Rosh Hodesh programming.
  • Jewish Holiday and Shabbat Community Events 1 activity
    • Host school-wide Jewish life and community events
      Organizes regular and annual events including Shabbat celebrations, holiday observances, Rosh Hodesh programs, Shabbaton gatherings, and assemblies to build community and deepen Jewish identity and practice among students and faculty.
  • Structured Jewish Text Study Programs 1 activity
    • Integrate values-based learning and community service
      Instills Jewish values such as hesed (kindness) and tzedek (justice) through daily acts of service, community outreach, co-curricular initiatives, and organized activities at food pantries, nursing homes, and parks, fostering ethical development and communal responsibility.
  • Uncategorized 2 activities
    • Conduct institutional research and community engagement for strategic development
      Convened over 40 focus groups with more than 500 participants, including parents, students, faculty, and alumni, to inform school strategy and brand development as part of its fortieth anniversary.
    • Support student learning with research and creative resources
      Provides access to subscription research databases with citation tools and offers art courses that engage students with contemporary culture and technology through creative disciplines.
financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$79.12M
Contributions & grants$8.51M11%
Program service revenue$57.94M73%
Investment income$12.81M16%
Other revenue$-134K
expenses
Total expenses$70.98M
Program expenses91%
Admin / overhead7%
Fundraising2%
Salaries & benefits$41.16M
Grants paid out$17.25M
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$181.37M
Cash$10.13M
Investments$69.76M
Liabilities$22.66M
Net assets$158.71M
Liquid reserves13.5 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +18.7%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024

Who runs it

paid leadership · 8
NameTitleHours/wkCompensation
ARIELA DUBLER HEAD OF SCHOOL 40 $732K
LINDA HOLOF-SAPOSH ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL 40 $495K
ALAN SCHEFEN CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER 40 $478K
SUSAN KARDOS DIR OF INST. ADVANCEMENT THRU MAR 2025 40 $468K
LORI SKOPP MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD 40 $448K
SHARON SHOROFSKY MACK LOWER SCHOOL HEAD 40 $421K
RICHARD WISNIEWSKI DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES 40 $387K
DOROTHY DENBURG DIRECTOR OF COLLEGE COUNSELING 40 $364K
board members · 17
  • ADAM GITLIN — TRUSTEE
  • ADINA LEWITTES — TRUSTEE
  • AMY KALMANOFSKY — TRUSTEE
  • BEN ARCHIBALD — PRESIDENT
  • CORY WISHENGRAD — TRUSTEE
  • DAN SENOR — VICE PRESIDENT
  • DAVID MAYMAN — TRUSTEE
  • EMILY CASLOW GINDI — SECRETARY
  • ESTHER SAFRA SZAJMAN — TRUSTEE
  • ETHAN ORLINSKY — TRUSTEE
  • GEULA SOLOMON — TREASURER
  • IVAN LEHON — TRUSTEE
  • JACOB W BUCHDAHL — VICE PRESIDENT
  • JONATHAN LEWINSOHN — TRUSTEE
  • LAURA GUTTMAN — TRUSTEE
  • LORI ZBAR — TRUSTEE
  • SAMUEL E GOODMAN — TRUSTEE
relationships · 14

Who they work with

  • Alan B. Slifka Partner — Namesake of the Middle School program, indicating a foundational partnership or endowment relationship.
  • American Jewish Committee Archives Partner — Provides access to archival resources on American Jewish history for educational use.
  • American Jewish Historical Society Partner — Provides access to materials relating to American Jewish history for research and educational use.
  • American Jewish World Service Partner — Provides access to resources related to Jewish values and global justice for educational integration.
  • Jewish Women's Archive Partner — Provides access to a comprehensive historical encyclopedia on Jewish women for educational purposes.
  • Lea Ashear Partner — Early Childhood Head leading the division
  • Noam Silverman Partner — High School Head who leads the institution and communicates with prospective families.
  • Peter Geffen Partner — Founder who led the creation of the school in 1981
  • Responsive Classroom Partner — Uses Responsive Classroom methodology in the Lower School program.
  • Simon Wiesenthal Center Partner — Provides access to resources on the Holocaust and contemporary issues of hate for educational purposes.
  • The Anne Frank Center USA Partner — Provides educational resources on combating intolerance, anti-Semitism, and racism based on the legacy of Anne Frank.
  • The Jewish Museum Partner — Provides access to art and cultural resources at the intersection of Jewish culture for educational use.
  • The Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive Partner — Provides access to the largest collection of Jewish documentary films for educational use.
  • Yad Vashem Partner — Provides access to resources from the World Holocaust Remembrance Center for educational programming.
strategies · 3

How they approach the work

Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.

  • Embodied Jewish Living and Communal Responsibility
    methodology: embodied_jewish_living
    By encouraging students to lead community service and embody Jewish traditions daily, the school cultivates responsible global citizenship because experiential leadership and lived ethics deepen personal commitment and communal impact.
  • Pluralistic Jewish Education with Social Justice
    methodology: pluralistic_jewish_education
    By integrating Jewish tradition with pluralism and a commitment to social justice, the school fosters intellectual exploration, ethical growth, and communal responsibility because students are empowered to engage critically and compassionately with diverse perspectives within a values-driven framework.
  • Student-Centered Holistic Development
    methodology: student-centered_learning
    By using student-centered, inquiry-based, and developmentally appropriate practices, the school supports holistic development—intellectual, emotional, social, and spiritual—because learning is structured around respect, curiosity, and how children naturally grow and engage with the world.