The Bnei Akiva Schools of Toronto (BAS Toronto) consist of two

Modern Orthodox Jewish Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...

high schools, namely Ulpanat Orot girls school ( he, אולפנת אורות, link=no) and Yeshivat Or Chaim boys school ( he, ישיבת אור חיים, link=no) that are affiliated with

Bnei Akiva Bnei Akiva ( he, בְּנֵי עֲקִיבָא, , "Children of Akiva") is the largest religious Zionist youth movement in the world, with over 125,000 members in 42 countries. It was first established in Mandatory Palestine in 1929. History B ...

, located in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada.

Educational philosophy

Yeshivat Or Chaim (founded 1973) and Ulpanat Orot (founded 1975) identify with the

religious Zionist Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religious"), and in Israel, the ...

movement. Students are encouraged to regard

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

as the center of their spiritual and religious lives, and to spend the year after graduating learning in Israel at religious higher learning institutions. Yeshivat Or Chaim is the only Bnei Akiva

yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are s ...

located outside of Israel.

Curriculum

Both schools have a dual curriculum of Judaic and general studies for grades 9 through 12. General studies classes are held in English, and Hebrew studies classes are taught in both English and Hebrew.

Additional programs

Chessed Program: Bnei Akiva Schools has been running a charity program since the beginning of its establishment, named after "Chesed"; from the Hebrew "kindness. Activities have included "Pink Day", involving charity and wearing pink, for the sake of breast cancer awareness.

Athletics

All Bnei Akiva Schools teams go by the team name "Knights". Or Chaim has a varsity and junior varsity basketball team that plays in the TDCAA. The Ulpana Knights play in the private school league and compete in basketball and volleyball. Ulpana also offers one-day soccer and tennis tournaments to compete representing the Knights or competing in single or double games, respectively. Or Chaim also has a soccer team, a cross country squad and runs basketball intramurals during lunchtime, which is organized by the convenor. During the 2015–2016, 2016–2017, 2017–2018 and 2022-2023 school years the schools had sent a team to run the Jerusalem Marathon for the organization

SHALVA Shalva ( he, שַׁלְוָה, ''lit.'' Security) is a moshav shitufi in southern Israel. Located in the southern Shephelah near Kiryat Gat, it falls under the jurisdiction of Shafir Regional Council. In it had a population of . History The mos ...

Post High School

Following four years at Bnei Akiva Schools, many students attend

Yeshivot A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy are st ...

and

Seminaries A seminary, school of theology, theological seminary, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called ''seminarians'') in scripture, theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as clergy, ...

in Israel for a gap year. Some of these institutions include Yeshivat Torat Shraga, Yeshivat Torah V'Avodah,

Yeshivat HaKotel Yeshivat HaKotel ( he, ישיבת הכותל, lit=Yeshiva of the Western Wall) is a religious Zionist Hesder yeshiva situated in the Old City of Jerusalem. The yeshiva's building is located opposite the Temple Mount and overlooks the Kotel (W ...

Yeshivat Har Etzion Yeshivat Har Etzion (YHE; ), commonly known in English as "Gush" and in Hebrew as "Yeshivat HaGush", is a hesder yeshiva located in Alon Shvut, an Israeli settlement in Gush Etzion. It is considered one of the leading institutions of advanced Tora ...

, Yeshivat Sha'arei Mevaseret Tzion, Yeshivat Orayta, Yeshivat Reishit and Yeshivat Lev HaTorrah.

References

External links

Yeshivat Or Chaim & Ulpanat Orot Website
{{Jewish day schools in Canada 1973 establishments in Ontario Educational institutions established in 1973 Educational institutions established in 1975 High schools in Toronto Jewish schools in Canada Jews and Judaism in Ontario Orthodox Judaism in Canada Orthodox Jewish educational institutions Mesivtas Private schools in Toronto