Kohelet Yeshiva High School has received the largest gift in its school’s 15 year history. The gift from the Kohelet Foundation consists of $7.5 million of unrestricted funds will help offset the school’s operational expenses over the next five years. An additional $1.1 million has also been provided to fund the high school’s new Matmidim Program and its STEM Research Initiative.

In explaining the Kohelet Foundation’s decision to further invest in the high school, David Magerman, Founder and President of the Kohelet Foundation said “Kohelet Yeshiva High School represents the very best of Modern Orthodoxy and the future of our community. Its commitment to Halacha and authentic Torah study for both young men and young women, its proudly Zionist ideology and its unwavering commitment to preparing students for the highest level of university and graduate study, is what our community and our people need if we are to survive and to thrive.”

The newly launched Matmidim Program is aimed at encouraging students to extend their Torah study beyond the school day by participating in national Talmud and Bible competitions as well as in Torah-focused summer programs. Its new STEM Research Initiative offers students who are passionate about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math the opportunity to master the skills necessary to conduct high-level academic research in a field of their choosing before they graduate high school.

Since 2009 and with little fanfare, the Foundation has contributed tens of millions of dollars to the Jewish day school field, becoming a leading donor in Greater Philadelphia and nationwide. “We hope the Kohelet Foundation’s gift will be a clarion call to the entire Jewish community,” Rabbi Dr. Gil Perl, Kohelet’s Head of School, told eJP.

About the Kohelet Foundation: The Kohelet Foundation is a private foundation whose goal is to transform the field of Jewish day school in the Philadelphia region and nationally. The foundation’s work is varied and includes building communities of collaboration, understanding day school affordability, transformation to blended learning, strengthening transparent business models, incentivizing parents to choose day school and promoting a progressive approach to education.