Avi Chai Foundation

While non-haredi Jewish day school enrollment in general has been flat, the Montessori niche is growing.

Overall day school enrollment outside the fervently Orthodox yeshiva world was relatively stable this year,

Editor's Note: This is an updated version of an article posted Jan. 4, which contained some errors.

Overall day school enrollment outside the fervently Orthodox yeshiva world was relatively stable this year, despite concerns that the economy would spur sharp declines.

When Smadar Goldstein made aliyah 14 years ago, she didn’t anticipate long hours in front of a computer, a headset with earphones and microphone her constant fashion accessory.

“I wanted to teach Tanach,” she said, using the Hebrew word for the Bible. “But here, every Noach and Rachel is a Tanach teacher.”

At last, the Jewish community has its very own version of TED — sort of.

With recession-battered parents concerned about affordability, and with cheaper alternatives like summer camp and Hebrew charter schools in vogue among philanthropists, it makes sense that the so-called “value proposition” — making the case for why a day school education is worth the money — has become a buzz phrase in the Jewish day school world.

Less than three years after five Jewish “specialty” camps opened their cabin doors, the Foundation for Jewish Camp will help launch four, possibly five, additional special-themed overnight camps.

In its latest round of grants, The Avi Chai Foundation has demonstrated a new strategic approach to its funding, one that reflects the reality of a foundation preparing to spend-down its nearly $600 million endowment by 2020.