A Retrospective: What Does 50 Years of DJDS Mean?

Let’s start with our origin stories…

Denver’s Jewish community has long grown out of other Jewish institutions. Temple Sinai and Temple Micah emerged from Temple Emanuel. Rodef Shalom came from BMH. And so, too, did the predecessors of DJDS: Theodor Herzl Jewish Day School (Herzl) and Rocky Mountain Hebrew Academy (RMHA). Without Hillel Academy, they would not have begun. 

Hillel Academy, founded in the 1950’s, was the only non-yeshiva Jewish Day school in Colorado. It was always traditional in practice, but in the 1970’s, it was shifting more observant. Led by three rabbis, Rabbi Eisenman at Rodef Shalom (Conservative), Rabbi Foster at Temple Emanuel (Reform), and Rabbi Goldberger at Temple Sinai (Reform), a vocal group of community members felt that there was a need for a school that was unabashedly Zionist and open to all Jews, regardless of their religious observance. The result was a grades one to six Liberal Jewish Day School, which changed its name to Herzl in its first year. In the early 80's, Herzl ran from kindergarten to grade 6 and moved to our current location, which has been renovated multiple times to accommodate growth.

RMHA came into being for several reasons. Hillel Academy began separating education by genders in middle school, leaving families who did not want this separation without a place for Jewish education. Additionally, there were no middle-of-the-road options for Hillel graduates other than a secular public school or a very observant yeshiva or Bais Yaacov. By 1978, a group of dedicated volunteers launched RMHA as a grades nine to 12 high school. By 1980, in order to build enrollment with Herzl graduates and to provide an observant, co-educational environment, RMHA expanded to include middle school. 

RMHA was originally housed at BMH, where it stayed for many years. Over time, they outgrew BMH and went on a long search for a permanent home. This included years at the JCC and at Beth Joseph. Only after the schools merged in 1998 did they find their permanent home on S. Wabash Street. Because the school was small, it developed an entrepreneurial spirit: If a student wanted something that wasn’t offered, they could work with the school to make it happen. That value was deeply ingrained in the school’s ethos and remains to this day.

The impact of 50 years in macro terms…

There are three significant areas in which the more than 5,000 students who have attended DJDS have had the most profound impact: Jewish communities across the world through the extraordinary professional work of alumni; memorable stories and activities that have turned into oral and physical traditions; and through the impact of the next generation. 

With the oldest alumni now in their early 60s, graduates have become community luminaries and leaders in business, technology, engineering, politics, the rabbinate, the arts, popular culture, media, and the Jewish communal and nonprofit sectors. DJDS alumni regularly appear on television and in film, and receive special awards on a regular basis.

Stories of alumni have trickled down to become part of the fabric of the school. From Color War (started in 1980 and still held annually), to the naming of our mascot after the Mogyorus brothers (from whom “Mogy's ball” also takes its name), to an improbable run for a state basketball championship, these stories and the pride evoked continue to inspire younger generations. Students strive to excel at color war, aspire to be Mogy, and pursue athletic success. Other stories are simply humorous, such as the RMHA graduating class of three, in which two dated and the other two got married.

Finally, alumni continue to shape the next generation of Jews. There are currently ______ children of alumni enrolled at the school, with several others having graduated. Hundreds of alumni have gone on to become educators, including many at DJDS. And, in the next few years, grandchildren of alumni will begin to enroll.

The impact of 50 years on a personal level…

As the son of one of RMHA’s first board members, the brother of two Herzl graduates, a Herzl graduate myself, and the parent of two DJDS K-12 alumni, my story is just one of so many who have seen the school positively impact lives. But as a teacher of 20 years at the school, it is my responsibility to ensure that the stories are still told, the history is still understood, and that the notion of L’Dor V’Dor, generation to generation, continues. L’chaim to the next 50 years!