Willow Glen Resident

Cover Story

Photograph by Vicki Thompson

Recite the Passage: Second-graders at Eitz Chaim (from left) Liora Kohanteb, Michal Lapin, Shayna Nueberger and Talya Kohanteb study the Amiddah, a silent Jewish prayer.

Life Lessons

Students combine faith with schooling

By Eli Segall

Willow Glen children recently returned to the classroom, filing into more than a dozen neighborhood schools to learn the three R's. Some children will receive this education with a slightly different twist.

At Eitz Chaim Academy, a Jewish private school in Los Gatos, Willow Glen children combine Judaic studies with mainstream learning in preschool through eighth grade.

Although the school is outside of their neighborhood, more than half of the academy's 60 students hail from Willow Glen, as do most of the school's 16-member faculty.

"We need to educate the whole person," says principal Chanie Lapin, whose husband Rafael was the former rabbi at Am Echad Congregation in Willow Glen. The two moved to Willow Glen from Israel in1992.

"It's important to be a Torah-observant Jew, but equally important to be a part of the larger society," Chanie Lapin says.

The academy divides each day equally between Jewish and general studies.

Rabbi David Zitter teaches Judaic studies to children in third to seventh grade. A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., who now lives in Willow Glen, Zitter gives each child a nickname to keep them focused and in good spirits.

"Our goal is to have them appreciate religious texts and enable them to study it on their own," he says.

Zitter starts each day with 30 minutes of prayers. Afterward, the older children study Talmud, books written in Hebrew and Aramaic that chronicle ancient discussions of Jewish law. Younger students, with the help of pictures and English translations, learn the Mishnah, another set of Jewish law and commentary written in Hebrew.

"The religious aspect of the school is very important to me," said Barbara Lerner, a Willow Glen parent with two sons at the school. "Growing up, I didn't know nearly as much as my kids do about Torah and Hebrew."

Kira Procaccia's two daughters also attend the school. She was drawn to the school by its small classroom size, between five to seven children, and the level of personal attention.

"God forbid the kid sneezes or coughs, they let you know. They pay attention," she says

The school follows traditional social and religious guidelines of Orthodox Jewish norms, including the wardrobe.

Boys and girls are separated for religious classes, but general studies are mixed. Under Orthodox tradition, modest dress is a requirement. At the school, boys and girls must wear a white or blue collared shirt and dark blue slacks. Girls may also wear a white or blue top, with sleeves that fall below the elbow and an ankle-length skirt. Boys are permitted to wear short sleeves.

Teachers also must dress according to Orthodox law. Shoulders must be covered at all times, and women must wear a dress or skirt that runs below the knees. Pants and shorts are prohibited.

Eitz Chaim follows strict California state educational standards, even though it's not a mandate for private schools.

"We're trying to bring the teachers and students up and above the best local public school districts," says Frances Gabbert, head of general studies. Gabbert is one of three non-Jewish faculty members on staff.

Eitz Chaim offers a variety of programs that mirror those in public schools: after-school homework help, art lessons, dance instruction, soccer games and computer classes. Middle school students formed a student council this year.

The council recently chose a new school emblem, reflecting the Hebrew name of the school, Eitz Chaim, which in English translates as tree of life. The emblem is a child reading a book underneath a tree.

From its roots

The school began as a preschool in the back yard of a Willow Glen home in 1992. Five years ago, it relocated to Congregation Shir Hadash on Shannon Road.

At its current location the school draws students predominately from families who attend Am Echad and Avahat Torah, two Orthodox synagogues on Meridian Avenue in Willow Glen. However, students come from as far away as Berkeley and Santa Cruz, as well as from Sunnyvale.

"We have Persians, Israelis, Russians, Americans--you name it," said Lapin.

Throughout its growth, the constant challenge faced by the school is how to maintain its high academic standards. Eitz Chaim must incorporate six hours of general studies, to meet California public schools standards, into three hours of class time.

Finkelstein said she lumps topics together instead of giving each subject individual time.

"It's because of time constraints," she says. "I try to fold writing into literature analysis, and focus on areas that overlap."

Gabbert said she is so short on time, she wakes up at 4:30 a.m. and doesn't go to bed until 10 p.m. Any time not spent in the classroom is spent on administrative work, correcting homework lessons, and buying needed books and supplies. She even dips into her own pocket, spending $3,000 on school textbooks, because the school doesn't have the funds.

"When I came here, they didn't have many books, " says Gabbert, a retired teacher who taught for 15 years in Campbell. "We needed them."

After middle school

Books are a minor problem compared to the tough decision parents have to make after their eighth-grader completes Eitz Chaim.

There are no high schools in the Bay Area that satisfy families who want to continue educating their children in an Orthodox Jewish environment.

There are 17 Jewish day schools throughout the Bay Area, including two high schools-- Hebrew Academy in San Francisco and Kehillah in Palo Alto. But these schools were not created for an Orthodox community.

This often forces families to send their children to cities such as Los Angeles, Cincinnati, Baltimore and Chicago, where Orthodox Jewish educational opportunities are available.

Lapin estimates 75 percent of families from Eitz Chaim have gone this route after their children graduate. Lapin herself sent a son to New York, a daughter to Silver Spring, Md., and another daughter to Los Angeles.

Smadar Lerner, an Eitz Chaim preschool teacher, has a 14-year old son in Vancouver, Canada, and a 16-year old daughter in San Diego. Both attend Orthodox Jewish high schools.

The decision to leave, though, was made by her children.

"We gave them a choice of public school, the two Jewish high schools, home-schooling or going away," she says. "They wanted a traditional Judaic education. We miss them, but we don't regret sending them."

Zitter has not thought about whether his three young children will go away for high school, but he hopes the area will one day have a religious high school for them and other local Orthodox Jews.

Community leaders say Jewish education is a top priority. Despite fewer schools than other areas of the country, Silicon Valley has indeed come a long way.

"More institutions are now able to provide a Jewish cultural context without compromising academic excellence," said Eleanor Dickman, director of development for Yavneh Jewish Day School in Los Gatos. "This is something the South Bay can be very proud of."

Barbara Lerner admits she occasionally thinks of enrolling her children in public school. The Willow Glen schools, she says, are top-notch and offer a great education.

But she remains committed to Eitz Chaim, and takes particular pride in the faculty and the school's mission.

"These kids are not just learning facts and figures," she says. "They are learning positive behavior and responsibility. That is just as important as learning about their heritage."

For more information, contact Eitz Chaim, 16555 Shannon Road, Los Gatos, call 408.402.0264.