By Amy Holtz
Director of Development

Southern Connecticut Hebrew Academy (SCHA) opened in 1946 in New Haven, and moved to its present location in Orange in 1967. Currently with 270 students enrolled, including 32 students in the girls only high school program, the school offers programs for children starting at 15 months old through eighth grade and is available to any Jewish child regardless of financial circumstances. Geographically, students come from all over Connecticut, from Stamford to Guilford to Hartford and beyond. Some of the high school girls come from Massachusetts, New York and as far away as Colorado, and board locally through home hospitality.

SCHA’s mission to inspire leaders and empower learners through Torah and academic knowledge to make our world a better place, is achieved through providing a warm, loving and nurturing environment where each child is able to grow and blossom, rooted in core Jewish values and devoted to academic excellence. The regular school day runs from 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m., and offers before and after care as well as enrichment programs in yoga, music, cooking and more. Seventh and eighth grade students travel to Israel every other year and the high school girls travel to Poland and Prague. The cost of these trips is in addition to tuition, and funding is provided through a combination of family contribution, student fundraising, and the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven. SCHA offers a dual curriculum of secular and Judaic studies including art and music programs that emphasize Hebrew immersion and rich STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) courses.

Your contribution in support of the Jewish Federations’ Annual Campaign assists SCHA with providing financial assistance for students to attend the school. Sixty–five percent of SCHA’s students receive some financial assistance, which can be anything from a small subsidy to a full scholarship. Through dollars from the Federation and the Foundation, SCHA is able to share a social worker with Ezra Academy who is there to aid and assist students. The Federation is pleased to support SCHA, but can only do so with your generous pledges to our campaign. Your generosity ensures that any Jewish child that wants to attend the SCHA program can participate.

Support the Annual Campaign of the Jewish Federation of Greater New Haven and help to fund community-wide programming that aids people in need here at home, in Israel and around the world, as well as nurtures and sustains programs that enrich our Jewish community. From feeding the hungry to helping the unemployed, from supporting families with special needs to funding Jewish education and Israel experiences, the Jewish Federation is focused on addressing the most pressing issues facing our community every day.