Get in touch
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3900 Fabian Way
Palo Alto, CA 94303
- (650) 213-9600
- http://www.kehillah.org/
“Kehillah” means “community” in Hebrew, and in just ten years Kehillah Jewish High School in Palo Alto has grown from a 9th grade class of 33 students to a vibrant community of 153 students in grades 9 through 12. The school has experienced multiple years of double-digit enrollment growth and has nearly reached its goal of over 200 in the student body. Kehillah is Silicon Valley’s only co-ed Jewish high school, and its students emerge as independent, critical thinkers meaningfully engaged with the issues of our times.
Who Are Kehillah Students?
Kehillah welcomes the full diversity of the Silicon Valley’s Jewish community and non-Jewish community. The families of Kehillah students come from not only the U.S., but also from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada and the Middle East. Students’ first languages include Russian, Hebrew, Spanish and French as well as English. They live as far south as Morgan Hill, as far north as Burlingame, and as far east as Castro Valley and Fremont. Approximately half attended public school through 8th grade, and the other half attended private middle schools. At Kehillah, students from these many places and backgrounds come together to form an energetic student body eager to learn from their teachers, from Jewish texts and from one another.
What Do They Study?
Like its sister independent high schools, Kehillah offers excellent academics, including honors and AP level courses in all disciplines. A full array of elective courses includes rock band, guitar, music theory, theater, photography, digital art, studio art, painting, alternative media, journalism, yoga, fitness, film review, and more. Ancient and modern languages are offered, including Spanish, French, Modern Hebrew, Latin and ancient Greek. Students also study Jewish texts and commentaries. In doing so, students not only learn about or deepen their understanding of Judaism, but explore how Jewish values such as kindness, learning for its own sake, and ethical living have guided humanity through the millennia and continue to speak to the issues of our times. Each semester, students choose from engaging courses such as “The Origins of Human Violence,” “The Ethics of Living and Dying” and “Comparative Religions.”
How Do They Learn?
In the classroom, Kehillah students are active learners. In classrooms of six to 18 students, teachers fully engage students, drawing each into the class discussion or activity. Every Kehillah teacher knows every Kehillah student. Teachers both nurture and challenge their students to achieve and excel. Students meet twice a week with their academic advisors in an advisory group of 8 to 10 students. Advisors follow their advisees’ progress and guide their academic path.
Where Do They Study?
The Kehillah campus is bright, welcoming and beautifully equipped. The school’s science labs, art studio, computer lab, and media lab are state-of-the-art. The black box theater and music studio are also hubs of student activity. Each classroom is equipped with interactive, touch-sensitive SmartboardsTM. In math classrooms, students write and solve equations directly on classroom desks with dry erase surfaces. Kehillah treats the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center (JCC) across the street as part of its campus. All students receive memberships to the JCC, and the gymnasium and pools serve as home of the Kehillah Rams volleyball, basketball and swim teams. Kehillah also has soccer, cross-country, ultimate Frisbee, golf and tennis teams. All are welcome to play – there are no “cuts” at Kehillah.
Why Do Students Choose Kehillah?
At Kehillah, the school works hard to ensure its students enjoy the right balance of study, relaxation and reflection. Students enjoy six weekly “prep periods,” during which they can study and complete homework, socialize in the student lounge, visit the JCC, meet with teachers or simply listen to music and recharge. Twice a week students engage in sessions of prayer, reflection and spiritual expression. Students choose from options such as traditional prayer, ethical discussion, meditation and art. Weekly assemblies afford time for school-wide experiential learning on a variety of subjects as well as presentations by guest speakers.
“Repair of the world,” or social action, is a central Jewish value and an essential part of student life at Kehillah. Each class takes a unique service-oriented trip. These learning experiences have included a civil rights tour of the American South, hurricane relief work in Mississippi, and a national youth conference on homelessness in Washington, D.C. The junior class trip is a 2-3 week experience in Israel, also featuring community service. Kehillah has several lunch time clubs dedicated to raising funds and awareness of global poverty, the health of the planet, animal rights, etc. The student body takes one day off of school each year to work for various service groups throughout the local area, and students are expected to complete 20 hours of individual community service each year.
Universities recognize that students from Jewish high schools excel in college. Kehillah’s first six graduating classes have been accepted to more than 180 colleges and universities. Kehillah students have been accepted to every University of California campus, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, among others. Students receive one-on-one, personalized college counseling and are encouraged to meet with the some of the 40 or more college representatives that come to campus each year. Kehillah alumni have fared exceedingly well in college. Because they became so comfortable working with their teachers in high school, Kehillah alums seek out professors during office hours. They look for and find smaller communities of students with like interests and find ways to become as engaged and involved as they were at Kehillah. “Kehillah alumni tend to become favorites among their professors,” says Susan Solomon, Director of College Guidance at Kehillah. “They are the students raising their hands, adding to the discussion seminar and visiting with the professors after class.”
Who Are Kehillah Students?
Kehillah welcomes the full diversity of the Silicon Valley’s Jewish community and non-Jewish community. The families of Kehillah students come from not only the U.S., but also from Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada and the Middle East. Students’ first languages include Russian, Hebrew, Spanish and French as well as English. They live as far south as Morgan Hill, as far north as Burlingame, and as far east as Castro Valley and Fremont. Approximately half attended public school through 8th grade, and the other half attended private middle schools. At Kehillah, students from these many places and backgrounds come together to form an energetic student body eager to learn from their teachers, from Jewish texts and from one another.
What Do They Study?
Like its sister independent high schools, Kehillah offers excellent academics, including honors and AP level courses in all disciplines. A full array of elective courses includes rock band, guitar, music theory, theater, photography, digital art, studio art, painting, alternative media, journalism, yoga, fitness, film review, and more. Ancient and modern languages are offered, including Spanish, French, Modern Hebrew, Latin and ancient Greek. Students also study Jewish texts and commentaries. In doing so, students not only learn about or deepen their understanding of Judaism, but explore how Jewish values such as kindness, learning for its own sake, and ethical living have guided humanity through the millennia and continue to speak to the issues of our times. Each semester, students choose from engaging courses such as “The Origins of Human Violence,” “The Ethics of Living and Dying” and “Comparative Religions.”
How Do They Learn?
In the classroom, Kehillah students are active learners. In classrooms of six to 18 students, teachers fully engage students, drawing each into the class discussion or activity. Every Kehillah teacher knows every Kehillah student. Teachers both nurture and challenge their students to achieve and excel. Students meet twice a week with their academic advisors in an advisory group of 8 to 10 students. Advisors follow their advisees’ progress and guide their academic path.
Where Do They Study?
The Kehillah campus is bright, welcoming and beautifully equipped. The school’s science labs, art studio, computer lab, and media lab are state-of-the-art. The black box theater and music studio are also hubs of student activity. Each classroom is equipped with interactive, touch-sensitive SmartboardsTM. In math classrooms, students write and solve equations directly on classroom desks with dry erase surfaces. Kehillah treats the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center (JCC) across the street as part of its campus. All students receive memberships to the JCC, and the gymnasium and pools serve as home of the Kehillah Rams volleyball, basketball and swim teams. Kehillah also has soccer, cross-country, ultimate Frisbee, golf and tennis teams. All are welcome to play – there are no “cuts” at Kehillah.
Why Do Students Choose Kehillah?
At Kehillah, the school works hard to ensure its students enjoy the right balance of study, relaxation and reflection. Students enjoy six weekly “prep periods,” during which they can study and complete homework, socialize in the student lounge, visit the JCC, meet with teachers or simply listen to music and recharge. Twice a week students engage in sessions of prayer, reflection and spiritual expression. Students choose from options such as traditional prayer, ethical discussion, meditation and art. Weekly assemblies afford time for school-wide experiential learning on a variety of subjects as well as presentations by guest speakers.
“Repair of the world,” or social action, is a central Jewish value and an essential part of student life at Kehillah. Each class takes a unique service-oriented trip. These learning experiences have included a civil rights tour of the American South, hurricane relief work in Mississippi, and a national youth conference on homelessness in Washington, D.C. The junior class trip is a 2-3 week experience in Israel, also featuring community service. Kehillah has several lunch time clubs dedicated to raising funds and awareness of global poverty, the health of the planet, animal rights, etc. The student body takes one day off of school each year to work for various service groups throughout the local area, and students are expected to complete 20 hours of individual community service each year.
Universities recognize that students from Jewish high schools excel in college. Kehillah’s first six graduating classes have been accepted to more than 180 colleges and universities. Kehillah students have been accepted to every University of California campus, Stanford, Yale, Harvard, and Princeton, among others. Students receive one-on-one, personalized college counseling and are encouraged to meet with the some of the 40 or more college representatives that come to campus each year. Kehillah alumni have fared exceedingly well in college. Because they became so comfortable working with their teachers in high school, Kehillah alums seek out professors during office hours. They look for and find smaller communities of students with like interests and find ways to become as engaged and involved as they were at Kehillah. “Kehillah alumni tend to become favorites among their professors,” says Susan Solomon, Director of College Guidance at Kehillah. “They are the students raising their hands, adding to the discussion seminar and visiting with the professors after class.”
