Jewish Studies
Respect, Empathy & Critical Thinkers
Our school aims to instil a sound educational foundation and Jewish identity in our children by encouraging a passion for lifelong learning, fostering a devotion to the study of Torah and a commitment to the land of Israel.
Umhlanga Jewish Day School students are given the knowledge and skills necessary to understand prayer and participate in communal and Jewish life.
The Durban Jewish community is extremely fortunate to have had the vision of Rabbi Dr Pinchas Zekry and the generosity of Dr Jonathan Beare in establishing our school.
Jewish Festivals
Our students all receive a hands-on Jewish education which is enhanced by having a synagogue right on the premises. Halacha is not something that is learned in a vacuum, but practically applied to the students’ daily lives.
All children are taught Torah at an age appropriate level and by age 8 they are able to read and translate from the Chumash. These younger children celebrate a weekly Shabbat ring, and the whole school participates in festivals such as Tu B’Shvat tree planting, a Purim Carnival, a Pesach Seder and a Rosh Hashana activities. The cycle of the Chag- gim gives structure to the Jewish school year. Students are immersed in the halacha and practicalities of each festival, and where appropriate cross-cultural learning takes place.
The Menorah – Our School Emblem
Hashem commanded Moshe Rabbeinu to make a Meno-rah; a seven branched candelabra, ornately decorated and hammered into a single piece of gold. Our Sages explain that the glory of the Beit HaMikdash should be enhanced by the light of Menorah, thereby causing the House of Hashem to be held in great reverence by all those who beheld it.
Shlomo HaMelech taught in Mishlei: Ner Hashem, nishmat Adam – ‘The lamp of Hashem is the soul of man’. The soul of a man is a lamp that longs to be kindled with the light of the Torah, and just like the Menorah, once ignited, the ame can only be passed from person to person, from teacher to student, in an endless chain reaching back to our forefa- thers who received the Torah from Hashem on Mount Sinai.
