SPARKS
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Nicole Gann, President, P’16, ’19, ’24
Richard Bennett, Clerk, P’26, ’28
Uri Nurko, Treasurer
Liora Altman-Sagan ’12
Galit Div, P’25, ’27
Rachel Fish, P’23, (’25), ’27, ’28
Robin Friedman
Natty Hoffman, P’28, ’31
Liz Levin, P’30, ’32
Amram Migdal, P’28, ’31
Mark Ravera, P’23, ’26
Jaka Saarony, P(’20, ’22, ’25)
Hila Ganor Schindel, P(’24, ’26, ’28)
Rose-Jane Sulman, GP(’28)
Arnee R. Winshall, Founding Chair
Letter from Shira Deener, Head of School
Iwish I had been a fly on the wall listening to the conversations that took place over 30 years ago when JCDS was just a dream. I imagine post-its and Sharpies with keywords like “innovative, child-centered, haimish, Hebrew language, inclusive.” What was the vision of our devoted founders? School would become an extension of home. A place where students walk the hallways with ease and comfort. Hebrew would be experienced as a living language. Students would learn to function in it, making it a tool to strengthen their ties to Israel.
Respectful curiosity, humility, and empathy would become the lenses through which students would view the world. The school would function as a laboratory for what is now known as intentional pluralism; where learning how to think, not what to think, was central to its mission. This bold vision became the blueprint for JCDS and still guides us 30 years later.
As the best ideas take time to percolate and fine-tune, the rabbis remind us that
. (at 30 we reach the prime of our strength). We are a school that Opens Hearts, Opens Minds, and Opens Worlds for our students. Academic excellence is where we begin.
Students practice their ideas, question their peers, learn to collaborate and communicate, and emerge with a better understanding of the lived experiences of those around them. Imagine how it feels to be a middle school student learning about the Holocaust and discussing current events in the Middle East, and then you visit with peers at our partner schools — Alhuda Muslim School and the German International School of Boston. These visits have been a wonderful opportunity for our students to practice building bridges of understanding and making new, human, connections.
Our students develop into courageous civic participants who have the confidence to become effective change agents and leaders. Earlier this year, I entered my office to find a pile of petitions written by 2nd graders who campaigned for more recess and permission to bring stuffed animals to class. And that is why I enjoyed the smell of oil permeating our hallways after students made falafel to raise money for lone soldiers and Israeli families post-October 7th and that is also why Pride stickers are available to students to adorn shirts and backpacks as a reminder that we believe everyone is created B’tzelem Elokim (in the image of G-d).
As we celebrate our 30th year, our leadership has named four key goals for our future: increase enrollment, attract and retain the very best teachers in General and Judaic studies, make key upgrades to our building and grounds, and increase Flexible Tuition funding so that JCDS remains accessible. In the coming months, you will hear more about our strategic plan to ensure the vibrancy of the school into the future.
Everyone in our community plays a role in helping JCDS thrive. At the heart are our amazing educators. In the pages that follow, it is our pleasure to celebrate one particular teacher who is part of the very foundation of JCDS — our only teacher who has taught every student who has ever walked through our doors for 30 years, and who has contributed immeasurably to the spirit of JCDS — our beloved Hebrew and Art teacher extraordinaire, Vered Singer.
Vered leads with warmth and makes her studio a sacred sanctuary for students. Through brush, paint, and canvas, she continues to open the hearts, minds, and worlds of our students.
JCDS Through the Years
The story of JCDS starts with a spark which led a small group of dedicated parents to come together to plan for a new kind of Jewish day school. The hallmarks of this school would be pluralism, both of observance and worldview, small size, academic innovation, reflective teachers, and an engaged community that would nurture each child individually. In this joyful and dual-language environment, each child’s flame would be kindled.
Thanks to generous philanthropy and wise leadership, the first pluralistic Jewish day school in the Boston area opened in 1995 with four teachers, two administrators, seven trustees and 11 students in two multi-age classes spanning kindergarten through fifth grade. Over the years, JCDS has grown steadily, reaching the current enrollment of approximately 180 students in kindergarten through eighth grade. In 2003, we moved from our first home in The First Unitarian Society in Newton, to our current five-acre site in Watertown, a convenient location that draws families from over fifteen communities, including Boston, Cambridge, Brookline, and Newton.
Thirty years of experience show that children who graduate from JCDS grow into the adults who embody the goals in
our mission statement: they are informed by Jewish values and culture, they will make a difference in their communities and in the world, and they live the JCDS Habits of Mind and Heart. JCDS graduates possess self-assurance and humility that engender comfort and ease when among diverse people in their workplaces and social lives. They have grit and kindness and are resilient adults who, each in their own unique way, exhibit compassion and a deep caring for others.
As our community begins its 30th year, we are honored to be the stewards of what was once a radical idea for a new kind of Jewish Day School, but today is seen as a model for a pluralistic, Zionist and academically excellent institution. At JCDS, we teach our students how to think, and not what to think. Within our values based, academically rigorous environment, our students are taught the habits, and given the tools needed to succeed in this fast-paced and everchanging world.
Please enjoy our 30th anniversary edition of Nitzotzot, as well as our tribute to Vered Singer, beloved JCDS art teacher, who has touched the lives of every student to come through our school since its inception.
Matters of Taste 2025
Please enjoy this video celebrating our first 30 years!
In Perkei Avot, it states that 30 is the age of strength, and 30 years of JCDS strength was certainly recognized and celebrated on Saturday evening, March 8th, at our annual fundraising event, Matters of Taste.
Bedecked with ribbons and bouquets of yellow flowers in deference to the chatufim, (hostages) and illuminated by sparkling homemade light fixtures, our school gymnasium was magically transformed into a beautiful ballroom where guests arrived to the warm sounds of live Jewish and Israeli music and the wafting scents of Israeli delicacies.
Beloved art teacher, Vered Singer, was the evening’s honoree, acclaimed for her 30 extraordinary years teaching at our school. Vered touched every student who ever attended JCDS, and how delighted we were that so many of them returned as guests to celebrate her.
Matters of Taste was a joyous and elegant affair with an overwhelming turnout. We encourage you to mark your calendars for next year’s gala, scheduled for March 7, 2026, as we continue to celebrate, and be ever-grateful for, JCDS!
Growing up, I didn’t know Jewish Day Schools existed. I went to a small private school for K-8, graduating in their inaugural 8th grade class of five students total. We had peacocks roaming freely, a school bus that my dad helped salvage from a junkyard, and my mom was my 8th grade Spanish teacher. Suffice it to say, I always figured my kids would go to a large public school.
Some of you might know that I married into a day school family. I kind of understood that I would have to give it a fair shot.
About 21 years ago, I was sitting next to Sari Korman in our Me’ah class, when she told me about this wonderful pluralistic Jewish day school — JCDS! In the fall of 2006, we finally toured. We were sold by the beautiful and meaningful art projects on the walls (thank you, Vered!) and by the engaged learning in each of the classrooms. We could see that the students felt encouraged to share their views and to ask questions. Josh and I knew then that JCDS was the place for our kids.
Over our children’s combined 17 years at JCDS, they learned (among many other things): to work collaboratively and disagree respectfully, to be Jewishly literate and strongly connected to Israel, to embrace nuance, and to speak Hebrew — all while making lifelong friends.
We’re so grateful our children could have this amazing experience at JCDS — I now believe that Jewish education is the best way to ensure that all of our children are knowledgeable and proud Jews.
As we celebrate this milestone of JCDS’s 30th year, I am so grateful to Arnee and Walt Winshall for having the vision to found this wonderful, pluralistic school we all love. We wouldn’t be at this moment without all of you: thank you for your unending support of JCDS.
Vered Singer’s Remarks from Matters of Taste 2025
Iam often asked “what is it like for you to be in the same place for so many years?” So let’s start from the beginning...
One day my husband, Ilan, saw an ad in the newspaper looking for a Hebrew teacher. He told me “Come on, go for it.” I applied and was invited for a job interview. I arrived, I was interviewed and, truth be told, at the end of the interview, I left feeling not so great about how it went. I told Ilan “there’s no way I got accepted.” Days passed and no one got back to me. And that was that. We forgot about it and went back to our lives. Then, at the end of August, when my family and I were on vacation in Israel, I received a phone call from Arnee. She said to me “Oh Vered, I’m so glad you’ll be working with us.” And as you can see, I’m still here. In my professional life journey, I chose to study and teach art out of a desire to understand the world through colors, shapes, and personal creation.
I came to JCDS in 1995. We started with 11 students from kindergarten to sixth grade. We all knew everyone by sight and by name. There were many meetings, parties, events, and good reasons to learn, celebrate, and be happy together. I am proud that part of the tradition that began back then, in 1995,
has been preserved to this day at our school. Yes, part of the tradition has changed in one way or another, but the roots have deepened and the fruits have ripened over the years.
Art is who I am. Art is a window to a place of peace and quiet or a door to stormy and gusty winds. The main and most important motto for me is that the art room is a place to relax and fly with imagination as far and high as possible.
It is important to me to introduce the children to a wide variety of works of art so that they can express their impressions in artistic language and in an experiential way. During the process, the creation becomes meaningful and a connection is created between the artist and the student.
I am happy and humbled to have been a part of Arnee’s and Walter’s vision to establish a school that is not like the others.
Not everybody gets the chance to be part of an idea that started as a dream but I was given this opportunity. How lucky am I to have witnessed that every so often, with a heart full of resilience, strength, and persistence, dreams do come true.
By Joanne Baker and Dorit Zmiri
One magnific and specific definition of magician, Is a person of exceptional ~ incomparable ~ flair, Who is gallant, holds great talent: who is lauded and applauded, This is Vered, our beloved, teach-of-art, extraordinaire!
Non-judgmental, sweet and gentle, with a modesty abounding –Vered Singer is a bringer of such gladness to the arts –In her classes, she amasses, greatness from each of her students, As they paint, create, design, using their knowledge and their hearts.
When Covid struck, kids were amuck and life was complicated –Our Vered got to work and Youtube classes she created –For every single age group was a project done at home –And not a JCDS kid was doing art alone!
Every child’s work, regaled, no one ever feels they’ve failed –Yes, your students see themselves as budding artists who display –Curiosity astounding; exploration, fun, abounding –Vered dearest, you are peerless, thirty years, you’re here to stay!
Motifs, Matisse, in Gan Nitzan – Roy Lichtenstein in first –In second, Klee then Calder’s glee, Kusama’s dots bring mirth! O’Keefe, Keith Haring, Monet, Manet, and Nachum Gutman, too –Their work you spiral, there’s no denial, how much the kids here do!
From Watertown to Holy Land, our Vered’s teaching spans –Connect she did – through E4E - kids working hand in hand, Our Vered is a master, does everything with graceOur Vered is our sweetest Rose, ~~~ JCDS, her vase!
Learning to Remember/Remembering to Learn
Renowned Jewish educator, Avraham Infeld, once said that “the verb that appears more than any other verb in our culture is the verb yizkor…zachor…zecher… zikaron…remember remember remember remember! If I was asked to describe in one sentence who is a Jew, I would say ‘a Jew is one who is strictly forbidden from suffering from amnesia.’” Indeed, the Jewish people have a long and storied history as “receivers of memory.” But simply knowing that we must remember, and understanding how to remember and, beyond that, how to share those memories…those are skills that must be learned.
When our 8th graders departed for Washington, D.C. last December (along with an intrepid cadre of their teachers), it was with a goal both simple and complex: to learn how to remember.
The group spent their week exploring the hallowed halls of the Smithsonian and other historic landmarks and monuments in the city. From the Lincoln Memorial, to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, to the Library of Congress and the National Gallery of Art, to the Air and Space Museum and the Museum of African American History and Culture, students were able to immerse themselves in the myriad of ways that stories of the past are
told in the present, and how the lessons of the past make their way to us. They took the time to analyze and think deeply about the choices the creators of these places made, the intricacies of the layout and design, and the flow and immersiveness of the stories. By taking the time to slow down and look closely, they were not only able to better understand the history being presented to them, but to appreciate their own role as the next generation that will inherit these memories.
As JCDS 8th grader Liora reflected, “It felt very powerful to actually feel the feelings through their quotes and the recordings of their voices, instead of just reading facts that [other] people researched. It really made you understand the way things happened and why they actually happened.”
Once the group returned home, the real work began. The D.C. trip had a goal not only to teach different ways to remember, but also to equip and inspire our students as they embarked on a journey to make their own memories. And while creating personal Holocaust memorials is an admirable goal in and of itself, our project has an important additional layer to it: the precipitous rise of Holocaust denial and antisemitism in the United States.
by Josh Mocle, Sixth - Eighth Grade Social Studies Teacher; Esh Advisor
According to even the most conservative estimates, instances of Holocaust denial have been steadily increasing, driven particularly by members of younger generations. Survey data indicates that one in five young Americans between the ages of 18-29 believe that the Holocaust was a myth. Furthermore, younger people are five times more likely to consider the Holocaust a myth than those over the age of 65. Most distressingly, these numbers do not change, and in some cases worsen, in areas of the country where Holocaust education is a mandated part of school curricula. Many theories exist as to why this is the case, with misinformation spread on social media and a lack of personal connections to, and relationships with, Holocaust survivors chief amongst them. While many initiatives have arisen over the last few years intended to tackle this precise challenge (social media period pieces, interactive holograms of survivors, and digital museums inside video games), none has made the desired impact as of yet. It seems like making the lessons of the Holocaust matter to young people is getting harder and harder. But, if young people represent a challenge to Holocaust education, then perhaps it is with young people that we can find a solution.
It was from this simple idea, in partnership with our longtime collaborators at Facing History and Ourselves, that we created a unique experiment in cross-curricular design
and project based learning that we are calling “Unpacking History: A Mobile Holocaust Memorial.”
Utilizing what they learned in Washington, what they learned during our four-month Holocaust and Human Behavior curriculum, and powered by our Sadna (Makerspace), students were tasked with developing, drafting, and ultimately constructing mobile museum exhibits that each answer the question “what do young people need to know about the Holocaust in order to combat hatred in the present?” The result is six beautiful exhibits, each one as unique and powerful as the students who built them, and each housed within an antique suitcase that can be easily transported to other schools and organizations with ease. It is one thing for a child to learn about the Holocaust from a teacher in a Social Studies class. It is another thing entirely to learn about it directly from their own peers.
It is our fervent hope that the incredible work of our students, designed to stand the test of time, can help meet the challenge of Holocaust denial in the 21st century. We don’t yet know how this exhibit will land with young people outside of our community, but if our grand opening with the eighth graders from the German International School of Greater Boston is anything to go by, our students may be propelling us to a stronger, more united, less hateful world.
(with research help from Eve M ’25 Lia DC ’25)
Early Days to Today, A Timeline
Jewish Community Day School Founded
Hamutal Gavish becomes first Head of School
Move to larger space on Lenglen Road in Newton
Conception and implementation of Flex Tuition
Expansion Middle School
2017 1999 2016
JCDS Blaze boys win Boston Area Jewish Day School basketball tournament
3rd through graders each Chromebooks during the
JCDS celebrates its first graduating class
JCDS moves to 57 Stanley Ave.
Name of school is changed to JCDS
JCDS receives AISNE accreditation
Middle School advisories through 8th receive Chromebooks to use day
Experiencing the Four Seasons Through Touch, Smell, and Sound
How lucky we are to have Gore Place right across the street from us! Not only does this early 19th-century estate offer our teachers a place to stroll during a break or a window into sheep shearing, but it is also packed with educational opportunities from which we benefit every year.
With a spark of creativity, a collaborative spirit, and a generous Just Imagine Grant from the Beker Foundation, a new interdisciplinary program was initiated this fall. Our Gan Nitzan (Kindergarten) class enjoyed a four-part hands-on learning experience, in which they listened and responded to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons during music class with Elah, worked on season-specific Hebrew and English vocabulary in the classroom, and interpreted the seasons in Israeli dance with Alla. Each unit concluded with a trip to Gore Place, where they learn about nature’s wonders related to each season.
Our Nitzanim (Kindergarteners) enjoyed an unseasonably warm fall day at Gore Place in November for the first of their field trips and experiential learning. They gained an appreciation for the many natural wonders particular to the fall season with the Gore Place educators. Our students gleefully jumped into piles of leaves. They partook in a scavenger hunt in search of rounded and pointed oak tree leaves, maple leaves, black walnuts, chestnuts, acorns, and pinecones. They practiced sorting by attributes, including color, size, and shape, and created their own imaginary animals using the materials they collected. The children enjoyed songs and stories in the barn, and were overjoyed by the close-up observation of goats, sheep, chicken, and guinea fowl. This incredible interdisciplinary learning experience culminated in a bumpy and joyful tractor ride throughout the property.
The January winter field trip to Gore Place began with a new scavenger hunt around the grounds to collect signs of winter. Nitzanim noticed animal tracks in the snow, pretended to be squirrels hiding their peanuts for the winter, and played a fun game where they pretended to be hibernating bears. Students warmed up inside for a story, a craft, and made bird feeders out of pine cones, sun butter, and bird seed. The special morning ended with a warm cup of hot chocolate.
On a cold, rainy day in April, Kindergarteners bundled up in boots and raincoats for the spring visit to Gore Place. While the weather felt more like winter than spring, the kids enjoyed splashing in puddles while noticing the first flowers and buds on the trees. Students learned what spring looks like on a farm, and how the sheep are cared for as the seasons change. They enjoyed a program about sheep shearing, had the chance to clean and card some wool, spin the wool into yarn, and, finally, learned to weave on a loom. The visit ended with a trip to the pasture to see the sheep grazing in the misty weather, and count five new lambs. It has been a wonderful partnership, and we look forward to our summer visit.
Staying Connected: Alumni Reflections
Chera Garlick (’08) and Jesse Garlick (’06) shared these remarks at the 2025 Matters of Taste:
Chera: In 2004, when our family moved to the Boston area and were warmly welcomed into the JCDS community, our lives were changed at the neshama, soul, level. I quickly understood the power of learning and growing within a school that felt like home and with people who felt like family.
Jesse: Before I came to JCDS, I struggled mightily with self expression and how to feel comfortable within my own skin. But after just one day at the school, I knew that I had found my place. Through my time at JCDS, I found a community that allowed me to express my silly, joyous self and share that with others.
Chera: Five years ago, I joined the JCDS Learning Services Department as a Middle School Learning Specialist with an opportunity to nurture the growth of the exceptional and curious young learners in our community. Becoming a part of the faculty here enriched my professional development building upon the transformation that began in 2004.
Jesse: Just like Chera, I returned to the school recently to teach Shakespeare, one of my great passions as an actor and theater educator, to students in 6th grade. I am now looking to expand on opportunities for selfexpression offered at JCDS with the Jewish Journeys Play Project. This project, currently being piloted at JCDS, will allow seventh and eighth graders to perform classic scenes from the American Jewish Theater canon with guidance and direction from me. The brilliance, creativity, and joy of the students was evident through our first few classes, and they could not wait to share their scenes with a wider audience in April.
Chera: Jesse and I are who we are today because of this special community.
Jesse: And we are so grateful to take part in building JCDS up to be a place that is going to be wonderful for many years to come.
Letter from Shoshanna Goldberg, Director of Development
At JCDS, we view philanthropy as an investment in our children, our values, and our collective future. Every contribution— whether through time, financial support, or volunteer participation—helps us provide an exceptional education that nurtures curiosity, fosters Jewish identity, and inspires a lifelong love of learning.
While our primary goal is to raise funds to strengthen JCDS for current and future students seeking a world-class Jewish education, development is also about empowering our supporters to make a positive impact in the world. Every student’s progress through our curriculum, every conversation in the parking lot among parents, and every visit from grandparents and special friends strengthens JCDS for the next generation.
We have been incredibly fortunate over the past several years to have Sari Korman generously dedicate her time, talents, and hard work to JCDS as our Director of Development and Major Gifts. It is because of her unwavering commitment to, and love for, our school that JCDS is on the solid foundation we enjoy today. While we are saddened to say goodbye to Sari in her professional capacity, we are deeply grateful for her years of service and wish her the best of luck in her next chapter.
For 30 years, JCDS has thrived thanks to the unwavering support of our community. Please consider continuing or increasing your philanthropic support of JCDS, helping us move from strength to strength as we look toward the next 30 years.
By Joanne Baker
Words diminish the spirit and dedication of Barbara Skydell Safran, who, with her keen wit, love for children, advocacy of Jewish education, and extraordinary writing ability, became the original Director of Communications at JCDS. In the school’s early pioneer days, when everyone held their own official position and a dozen others, Barbara fervently oversaw all fund-raising events, assumed the role of school photographer, was a discerning writer, and the reviewer and editor of every piece of written and visual material shared with the public. Perhaps of even
greater significance, Barbara established our first marketing committee and was responsible for creating Nitzotzot, this very publication that has so beautifully grown and reflected our school and its mission since its first edition in 2002.
Barbara Skydell Safran died on 20 April / 22 Nisan. Remembered as a spirited, savvy, salty, fiercely loyal, incredibly intelligent and humorful woman; she will be dearly missed.
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