When 230 students return to classes at The Shefa School tomorrow, they’ll do so in a brand-new, $100 million building on the Upper West Side. This exciting move marks the beginning of a new chapter for the school, which specializes in teaching students with language-based learning disabilities such as dyslexia. The school recently completed its transition into the renovated building at 17 West 60th St., a process that started in late August.
The Shefa School, a pluralistic Jewish day school, now enjoys upgraded amenities that include science labs, indoor and outdoor gyms, a rooftop garden, and multiple libraries. The new facilities are designed to meet the needs of students, particularly kids with learning disabilities, and provide a vibrant, engaging environment for both academic and social growth.
“We’re both at the end of an amazing journey and really just the beginning of this next chapter,” said Ilana Ruskay-Kidd, Shefa’s founder and head of school, reflecting on the monumental achievement in a recent interview with The New York Jewish Week.
In 2022, the school took a bold step by purchasing a 99-year ground lease for a 12-story building near Columbus Circle, which had not been occupied in over 40 years. The price tag for this acquisition was $49.5 million, and the school was granted $65 million in municipal bonds to support the renovation project. An additional $30 million is being raised through a capital campaign, which will help fund both the school’s expansion and its mission to serve students with learning disabilities.
The Shefa School first opened its doors in 2014 at Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side, with only 24 students across four grades. By 2016, the school expanded to 40 E. 29th St., with 80 students. Since then, the school has seen rapid growth, reaching 230 students today. With the new 75,000-square-foot building, Shefa will be able to accommodate up to 350 students, further expanding its reach to kids with learning disabilities who need specialized education.
“From the beginning, we always felt that our mission was, yes, to open a school, but also to change the conversation,” Ruskay-Kidd explained. “However many students we’re going to serve, that’s still only the teeniest, teeniest fraction of 15 to 20% of the general population that has a learning disability,” the most common of which is dyslexia, she added. This statement reflects the school’s larger mission to raise awareness and foster inclusivity for all kids with learning disabilities.
Emily Raviv, a parent whose daughter started sixth grade at The Shefa School last year, shared her family’s transformative experience. Prior to enrolling at Shefa, Raviv’s daughter struggled with “lots of frustrations and challenges” at another Jewish day school, where her learning disabilities made it difficult to thrive academically and socially. Changing schools to Shefa has had a profound impact on her child.
“All the different facets of her are seen in each and every subject, and what they’re trying to help her with is reinforced in every class that she goes into each day,” Raviv explained. “It was really the first time that we felt seen as a family, that we felt truly supported as a family, and I felt like I had partners in this process. It was a pretty incredible feeling.”
Raviv and her daughter have been involved with the school’s new building over the summer, helping to plant the rooftop garden and familiarizing themselves with the space. The experience has given Raviv’s daughter “a stronger sense of ownership and stewardship and pride,” she noted. “I’m really hopeful that going into this year, we’re just building on that success.”
A key factor in the school’s success has been its capital campaign, which has drawn support from a diverse group of individual donors, families, philanthropies, and foundations — including some donors who do not have children at the school. The broad support for Shefa highlights its role as an important community resource.
“People really see this as a community resource, just like how you would want a good hospital, even if [you] never actually have to use it,” Ruskay-Kidd said. “Part of the beauty of this project has been the broad communal support.”
Robert Frost, the Shefa School board president and a commercial real estate investor, is one such donor who doesn’t have children at the school. He was drawn to the project because of his belief in creating an inclusive Jewish community. “The real thing that attracted me to being involved was this notion that Judaism should be inclusive,” he said, explaining his desire to help create a space where kids with learning disabilities don’t have to choose between getting the education they need or the Jewish community they want.
“One has nothing at all to do with being Jewish, which is giving kids who don’t learn the same way as others the services they need,” Frost emphasized. “At the same time, why should they be excluded from having a Jewish education and upbringing if that is what is important to them, just because they don’t learn in a traditional way?”
This sentiment aligns with one of the Shefa School’s core goals: to ensure that students feel supported and proud of their Jewish identity, even if they have struggled in the past. Ruskay-Kidd explained, “One of the biggest motivations for us was that we wanted children and families to feel the Jewish community was a place where they could feel good about themselves and where they could thrive.”
The new building is an embodiment of this vision. It offers students a beautiful and supportive environment, where they can receive the education they need while remaining connected to their Jewish community. “It affects how you feel about yourself and your community — if your experience there is a place of failure and of defeat. Part of the beauty of this new building is that they can get what they need within a beautiful, gracious Jewish community,” Ruskay-Kidd said.
She is particularly excited about the creation of the Shefa Center, a professional development and training hub for teachers, administrators, and educators at mainstream schools across the city and the country. The Center will offer consulting, workshops, and lectures to help educators better serve children with learning differences. Additionally, research will be conducted using Shefa’s student population, with current studies focusing on learning Hebrew.
“While we obviously believe in our approach and what we’re doing here at Shefa, building a standalone Jewish day school for kids with language-based learning disabilities may not be the answer if you’re in Pittsburgh or another community which has fewer Jews,” Ruskay-Kidd said. “We want to help them think about ‘how do you make your own day school better?’ We really like to problem-solve with them for what makes sense in their community, which may not be exactly the same as here in New York City.”
Ruskay-Kidd also noted that several other programs and schools like Shefa have grown in recent years, including Torah and Learning Academy in Belle Harbor, Queens, and Yeshivat Shalshelet in Tenafly, New Jersey. These schools are helping to meet the needs of more kids with learning disabilities, allowing families to access specialized education closer to home.
For Raviv, the most exciting part of the new building is its size, which will allow for a greater sense of community. “Shefa’s previous building only had a small gym and no auditorium,” she said. “What I was really craving was the opportunity to meet other families and to feel connected to the school and what the kids were doing, but they just didn’t have the facility to accommodate that.”
Now, in their new space, families have the opportunity to connect, learn, and grow together. The building’s design, which is light-filled and tailored to the needs of kids with learning disabilities, is already having a positive impact on the Shefa community. “It’s just amazing to be in this new building, which is this light-filled space that was designed specifically for these kids’ needs,” Raviv said.
According to Ruskay-Kidd, the school’s new home is a literal reflection of its name, Shefa, which means “abundance” in Hebrew. This reflects the school’s approach of emphasizing the strengths and potential of its students. “We want children, their parents, their teachers and their community to remember that these students have abundant blessings and gifts and strengths, and not to lose sight of that,” Ruskay-Kidd concluded.
Get Started with Expert ABA Therapy in NYC
If you’re looking for dedicated support from experienced professionals, A Better Way ABA is here to help. Our skilled ABA therapists in NYC are committed to providing individualized therapy tailored to meet the unique needs of each client. Whether you’re seeking early intervention or support for ongoing challenges, our team works closely with families to foster growth and development. Let us guide you every step of the way. Reach out today to learn more about how our ABA therapy can make a lasting difference for your child. Contact us now and start your journey toward success!