Torah schools finish among South Africa’s top ten

GILLIAN KLAWANSKY

Beis Yaacov finished second with an average of 3.86 distinctions a student, while Torah Academy finished fourth with an average of three distinctions a student.

It disproves the notion that Torah-school students who spend hours on kodesh (holy) studies neglect their secular subjects. To the contrary, as is apparent by the achievements of Beis Yaacov’s 21 matriculants and Torah Academy’s 25.

They prove that when many hours are spent on kodesh studies, academic success often follows, according to the schools. In fact kodesh often hones a student’s way of thinking.

“In so many instances where academics triumph, we’ve found that our different disciplines complement one another,” says the dean of Torah Academy, Rabbi Dovid Hazdan. “We see numerous correlations in our Torah and secular subjects – in analysis of poetry and Gemara for example.

“The kodesh studies are not only technical information, they are the value system and the heart and soul of our school’s purpose. Our goal is to create passionate Jews from every sector of the community.

“There’s no contradiction between kodesh and academics,” says Rabbi Eliyahu Sussman, the principal of Beis Yaacov Girls’ High School. “Kodesh is our life, it’s how Jews live their lives. General studies involves the skills needed to support ourselves in order to live our lives.”

At Beis Yaacov, students between Grade 7 and Grade 11 spend an average of four hours on kodesh each day, but this drops slightly in matric. Rabbi Sussman attributes the school’s 2019 success to exceptional heads of department, teachers, and students, all of whom were highly motivated.

One such Beis Yaacov student is Rachel Gilbey, who feels the school struck the right balance between kodesh and secular subjects. “Throughout school, there was a lot of focus on kodesh,” she says. “They always ensure that you’re given a solid, proper education in the whole syllabus as well though. In matric, we wrote kodesh exams right at the beginning of the year, and they eased up on it to make sure there was sufficient time to study.

“Kodesh became more about what kind of person you want to become, and what kind of life you want to lead. You can be educated and study – you must live up to your academic potential – but you’re taught how to balance that with your belief system,” Gilbey says.

Gilbey has found her own unique balance. An aspiring engineer, she obtained distinctions in maths and IT as well as in Biology, LO, and Afrikaans.

“I’ve always just enjoyed maths, the logic of it,” she says. “The logical flow and the numbers are calming because there’s a method to them. In terms of IT, I’ve always wanted to know how to programme. When I was young, my dad taught me Excel programming and computer skills, so that’s always just been a part of my life.” While Gilbey wasn’t able to do IT at Beis Yaacov, she was accommodated at Torah Academy. She also went to King David for AP Maths lessons.

Suffering from arthritis during her matric year, Gilbey had a challenging time. “Being sick taught me that I need to listen to my body. It’s about having a balanced lifestyle. You need to be healthy and happy, and sometimes you need to put work aside but don’t abandon it. I was on drips on and off, the school was so accommodating.”

Gilbey reflects the calibre of individual who graduates from Torah schools. Before beginning her engineering studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, she’s taking a gap year to tutor and focus on her other interests.

She’s hoping to be accepted into a seminary in Israel, and also plans to devote time to her passion for dance. “I’ll be teaching ballet at an outreach programme in which my teacher participates. This year, I want to focus on things I won’t be able to do in the future. Ballet is not a career for me, but it’s something I love.”

While their students have excelled academically, what’s most important to both schools is helping to build individuals who remain true to their Torah values and give of their best.

“A kid is much more than matric or academics,” says Hazdan, “While we bask in the glory, it’s not really about the distinctions. Rather, it’s about a kid that might just be breaking through who doesn’t have great ability but amazing determination. If the school can help that kid through matric, that reveals more about them than the number of distinctions they attain. That’s where our teachers have had to excel – in recognising individual potential and working to realise that.

“The future success of these young lives isn’t determined by distinctions,” Hazdan says. “Sometimes it’s the kids that didn’t get any, but who have the grit and determination to make it in life that do well. We shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the numbers game. Fittingly, this year our students have been party to our decision not to identify individual achievers in the paper. We’re congratulating every student who put in the effort and has achieved – that’s the real nachas.”