The King David Schools are a network of
Jewish day schools in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, South Africa, offering nursery through high school education. There are three campuses across Johannesburg:
Linksfield,
Victory Park, and
Sandton
Sandton is an upscale commercial and residential district north of the city of Johannesburg, South Africa. It forms part of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality. The name of the city came from the combination of two of its suburbs, ...
; "each school has an atmosphere of its own serving the specific community". The schools are under the auspices of the
South African Board of Jewish Education
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþaz ...
.
King David aims to deliver "an excellent general education together with the study of
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
,
Jewish Studies
Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (esp ...
and the living of the
Jewish calendar
The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel. I ...
and
year cycle" and to produce "graduates who are ''
mensch
( yi, מענטש, ''mentsh'', from Middle High German , from Old High German ''mennisco''; akin to Old English ''human being'', ''man'') means "a person of integrity and honor".
According to Leo Rosten, a is "someone to admire and emulate, som ...
en'', confident and equipped to pursue any opportunity they wish to, who are proud of their Jewish heritage and its traditions, who have a love for learning, and a determination to contribute to their society."
The Linksfield campus, in
northeastern Johannesburg, was established in 1948 as South Africa's first Jewish day school (the high school was founded in 1955); see
further
Further or Furthur may refer to:
* ''Furthur'' (bus), the Merry Pranksters' psychedelic bus
* Further (band), a 1990s American indie rock band
* Furthur (band), a band formed in 2009 by Bob Weir and Phil Lesh
* ''Further'' (The Chemical Brothers a ...
under
History of the Jews in South Africa
The history of the Jews in South Africa began during the period of Portuguese exploration in the early modern era, though a permanent presence was not established until the beginning of Dutch colonisation in the region. During the period of ...
. Many of the original buildings of the high school from 1948 still exist on the campus. As a relatively large school, King David Linksfield fields strong teams in several sports. The Victory Park campus (primary school, 1960; high school, 1964) serves
northern and
northwestern Johannesburg. It has fewer students than Linksfield. The Sandton campus, a primary school, is the most recently established (1982), and feeds into both high schools. Each campus also has its own
nursery school
A preschool, also known as nursery school, pre-primary school, or play school or creche, is an educational establishment or learning space offering early childhood education to children before they begin compulsory education at primary school ...
.
The schools write the
Independent Examination Board
Independent Examinations Board
The Independent Examinations Board, or IEB, is a South African independent assessment agency which offers examinations for various client schools, mostly private schools. It is most prominent in setting examinations ...
examinations for
Matriculation
Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination.
Australia
In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...
; pass rates are very high, and pupils are often amongst the top-ranked, nationwide. The King Davids also achieve in various cultural activities, and, particularly Linksfield, in sporting activities. Each school is involved in several outreach and charity programs, focused on the Jewish and broader communities, including (matriculation) support and enrichment programs for Schools in
Alexandra
Alexandra () is the feminine form of the given name Alexander (, ). Etymologically, the name is a compound of the Greek verb (; meaning 'to defend') and (; GEN , ; meaning 'man'). Thus it may be roughly translated as "defender of man" or "prot ...
and
Soweto
Soweto () is a township of the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for ''South Western Townships''. Formerly a s ...
. Many King David alumni are noted for their achievements, in South Africa and internationally – see Links below.
Although only a small minority of the pupils are observant – Johannesburg has several Religious day schools – the schools are (nominally)
Orthodox
Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to:
Religion
* Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pa ...
. Practically, no school activities take place on
Shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
or on
Jewish Holidays
Jewish holidays, also known as Jewish festivals or ''Yamim Tovim'' ( he, ימים טובים, , Good Days, or singular , in transliterated Hebrew []), are holidays observed in Judaism and by JewsThis article focuses on practices of mainstre ...
, all catering is Kosher, and the school day begins with ''Shacharit'' (Morning prayers). Educationally, each school has a
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as ''semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of ...
on staff,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
and/or Jewish Studies are compulsory subjects until
Grade 11 (Form IV), and the schools offer a "
Beit Midrash
A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...
stream" – established by
Chief Rabbi
Chief Rabbi ( he, רב ראשי ''Rav Rashi'') is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities. Since 1911, through a ...
, Dr.
Warren Goldstein
Chief Rabbi Dr. Warren Goldstein (born 1971) is the Chief Rabbi of The Union of Orthodox Synagogues of South Africa since 2005. Born in Pretoria, he currently lives in Johannesburg. He is the first Chief Rabbi of South Africa who was born in ...
– for Grade 10s and 11s who choose this over the regular Jewish Studies classes. The schools are also served by "the DIJE" (Division of Informal Jewish Education), offering programmes which "complement the formal classroom and allow learners to engage with and experience their Judaism". "Encounter", for Grade 11s, is the DIJE's premier educational programme – it aims to "create a domain of conversation in which the participants are able to question, learn about and understand the relevance of Judaism in today's modern world."
An interesting fact is that the two high schools were headed by
identical twin
Twins are two offspring produced by the same pregnancy.MedicineNet > Definition of TwinLast Editorial Review: 19 June 2000 Twins can be either ''monozygotic'' ('identical'), meaning that they develop from one zygote, which splits and forms two em ...
brothers, Elliot and Jeffrey Wolf, from the early 1970s through the 1990s; their involvement with the King Davids has continued since retirement, and they have devoted a combined 75 years to the schools.
The King David Schools' Foundation (KDSF) is active in
fundraising
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
, with a dual focus on outreach and subsidies/scholarships. Relatedly, it also acts as an
alumni association
An alumni association or alumnae association is an association of graduates or, more broadly, of former students (alumni). In the United Kingdom and the United States, alumni of universities, colleges, schools (especially independent schools), ...
through monthly e-newsletters, reunions and other fundraising events. KDSF was founded in 1994 under the auspices of the SABJE, as a registered non-profit organisation.
Notable alumni
Linksfield
*
Danny K
Danny is a masculine given name. It is related to the male name Daniel. It may refer to:
People
* Danny Altmann, British immunologist
*Danny Antonucci, Canadian animator, director, producer, and writer
*Danny Baker (born 1957), English journali ...
(full name Daniel Koppel), singer, songwriter and actor
*
Shaun Rubenstein
Shaun Rubenstein (born 5 November 1983 in Johannesburg, Gauteng) is a South African canoer and Olympian.
Career
As a junior canoeist, Rubenstein competed in all forms of the sport, from sprints to river marathons. He was a member of the South A ...
, canoer and Olympian
*
Adrian Gore, businessman and entrepreneur, founder and group chief executive of
Discovery Limited
Discovery Limited is a South Africa-based financial services group that is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) with its headquarters in Sandton.
Overview
Discovery Limited engages in long and short-term insurance, asset managem ...
*
Dan Stein, Professor and Chair of the Dept of Psychiatry and Mental Health at the University of Cape Town
*
Gail Louw, playwright
*
Larry Cohen
Lawrence George Cohen (July 15, 1936 – March 23, 2019) was an American screenwriter, producer, and director of film and television, best known as an author of horror and science fiction films — often containing police procedural and ...
, professional footballer
*
Jonathan Kaplan
Jonathan Kaplan (born November 25, 1947) is an American film producer and director. His film ''The Accused'' (1988) earned actress Jodie Foster an Oscar for Best Actress and was nominated for the Golden Bear at the 39th Berlin International ...
, international rugby union referee
Victory Park
*
Akiva Tatz
Akiva Tatz is a prominent South African Orthodox rabbi, inspirational speaker and writer who is heavily involved in Orthodox Jewish outreach. He is also a doctor and world-renowned expert in Jewish medical ethics.
Biography
Rabbi Dr. Akiva Ta ...
, Orthodox rabbi, inspirational speaker and writer
* Lance Metz, mountain climbers
*
Max Price, former vice-chancellor and principal of the University of Cape Town
*
Andrew Kuper
Andrew Kuper is a South African-Australian serial entrepreneur and investor in emerging markets. As a pioneer of Profit with Purpose business, Kuper has been credited with the birth of a virtuous new asset class. He is the founder and CEO of L ...
, founder and CEO of
LeapFrog Investments
LeapFrog Investments is a private investment firm that invests in high-growth financial services and healthcare companies in emerging markets. Since inception, LeapFrog has attracted over $2 billion USD from global investors. The firm's investmen ...
*
Debbie Berman
Debbie Berman is a South African film and television editor. She is best known for her editing work on multiple movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including '' Spider-Man: Homecoming, Black Panther,'' and ''Captain Marvel''.
Life and ca ...
, film and television editor, best known for her work on the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
.
See also
*
Jewish education in South Africa
*
Jewish day school
* Johannesburg based Jewish day schools:
**
Torah Academy School, Johannesburg
The Torah Academy is a Chabad Jewish day school in Johannesburg, South Africa. It comprises a boys' high school, a girls' high school (on a separate campus), a primary school and a nursery school. The Mission of the school is to "provide and prom ...
**
Yeshiva College of South Africa
The Yeshiva College of South Africa (''Yeshivat Beit Yitzchak''), commonly known as Yeshiva College - and formerly known as Yeshivat Bnei Akiva - is South Africa’s largest religious Jewish Day School.
The school is headed by Mr Rob Lonsince 20 ...
References
External links
Listing of all component schools**King David Linksfield
12**King David Victory Park
12**King David Sandton
12King David Schools' Foundation, kdsf.org"Dynamic Davidians" @ kdsf.org
{{Authority control
Jewish day schools
Jewish schools in South Africa
Schools in Johannesburg
Jews and Judaism in Johannesburg
Educational institutions established in 1948
Orthodox Judaism in South Africa
1948 establishments in South Africa