This spring, middle school students at RTA–Richmond Hebrew Day School will board a plane for Israel—a milestone that reflects years of learning, connection, and preparation.
Their plane will touch down at the dawn of Yom Yerushalayim, and they’ll head straight to the Western Wall to join hundreds in prayer at sunrise.
There, as the city wakes and songs rise from every corner of Jerusalem, our students will begin a journey that is both deeply personal and deeply communal.
The trip will include a visit to Hadera-Eiron, Richmond’s sister city, and the Bar Mitzvah of a former RTA student, now living in Israel.
These moments—both joyful and grounded in ongoing relationships—represent the heart of how we teach our students to connect with Israel. For many, this capstone experience will bookend the famous RTA kindergarten virtual Israel trip.
At RTA, we believe that Israel is not just a place where students study. It’s a place to care about, act for, and feel part of. It’s a place to visit, to support, and to celebrate.
Throughout the year, students across every grade level engage with Israel through immersive, hands-on learning that helps them build not only knowledge of our Jewish homeland, but a sense of belonging.
One powerful example is the SparkIL Free Loan Project, where middle school economics students researched Israeli businesses impacted by the war and selected recipients for interest-free microloans.
With support from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond, students applied economic principles while supporting real people in real need. During the trip, students will visit one of those businesses—closing the loop between theory and action, and seeing the human side of what they’ve learned.
Our commitment to supporting Israeli innovation also shaped our early adoption of Jotit, a digital platform designed in Israel that helps students manage tasks, stay organized, and build executive functioning.
By piloting Jotit before its national rollout, RTA had the opportunity to support a forward-thinking Israeli initiative—and offer our students meaningful tools to succeed in and out of the classroom.
From the earliest grades, our Hebrew curriculum is designed to help students develop comfort with the language, giving them the tools to connect with Israel’s people, music, media, and everyday life.
With the help of Tal Bahar, JCFR’s community Shlicha, a middle school cohort participates in Café Ivrit, where they get extra time to practice their Hebrew skills in real-world scenarios—playing games, asking questions, and exploring Israeli traditions.
These sessions bring the language to life and help our students see Hebrew not just as an academic subject, but as a living link to people their age across the ocean.
In every classroom, students also explore Israel’s story from multiple angles. They learn about the country’s geography and environmental leadership, studying how limited water resources led to global breakthroughs in desalination and drip irrigation.
They discover how the Negev is blooming, and how ancient cities hum with modern innovation.
They come to understand Israel not only as a homeland, but as a living, evolving nation.
That connection was especially poignant this year, when our school and broader community gathered on April 22 to dedicate the RTA gym in memory of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a former student.
Governor Glenn Youngkin gave the keynote address, and Hersh’s parents, Rachel and Jon, joined via Zoom. The ceremony was moving and meaningful—a moment to honor Hersh’s life, his connection to RTA, and the values he embodied. (The June Reflector will have details)
Whether they’re researching Israeli businesses, praying at the Kotel, or ordering lunch in Hebrew, our students are building lifelong bonds with Israel. And that is something we’re proud to nurture—now and always.
