TORONTO — United Synagogue Day School is changing its name to Robbins Hebrew Academy (RHA), effective this week.
Claire Sumerlus and Larry Robbins
The change, which is being announced April 15 at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on each of the school’s two campuses, acknowledges a $4-million gift from Larry Robbins, a USDS grandparent and Toronto builder and developer.
The gift – which has been designated as an endowment fund to enhance education and ensure the perpetuity of the school – pays tribute to the memory of Robbins’ wife, Miriam, who died two years ago.
Education, specifically Jewish education, was very important to her, said Monty Robbins, Larry and Miriam’s son. Her father, Rabbi Isaac Aronoff, who died in 2004, had a shul in his home for about 50 years, Monty said.
As well, the gift reflects changing times, according to school president Leonard Abramsky. While the word “Hebrew” emphasizes the school’s roots, he said, “we felt that ‘day school’ kind of hearkened back to previous generations… ‘Academy’ [suggests] a wider scope of educational possibilities in today’s vernacular.”
Claire Sumerlus, who became head of school in March 2009, told The CJN that “our children have to be able to think critically, which has been a major focus for the last year and a half, and they have to know how to problem-solve.”
As well, she noted, the school has implemented a new literacy program to help children who are having difficulty learning to read, and also to enhance skills for those who are already reading, and track all students’ progress every six weeks.
A committee including board members, parents and staff members chose the school’s new name, which was then approved by the board.
RHA will remain an affiliate of the Solomon Schechter Day School Association, the day school network connected to the Conservative movement. The school is one of the largest, if not the largest, in the organization, Sumerlus said.
“My grandchildren have benefited from the amazing education, warm community and strong sense of tradition that is taught at USDS,” Larry Robbins said in a statement. “Jewish education was very important to my wife, Miriam, and I am thrilled to be able to invest in this school and its growth into the 21st century.”
USDS began as part of Beth Tzedec Congregation in 1957 and became an independent school in 1961. It serves more than 800 students from junior kindergarten to Grade 8, and operates at two campuses, one at Beth Tzedec and the other at Beth Tikvah Synagogue.
A third campus is planned for the Lebovic community campus in Vaughan, but there is no timeline for that at the moment, said both Sumerlus and Abramsky.
“We’re focusing on our existing building and strengthening our existing two campuses before moving on to Lebovic,” Abramsky said.
A Richmond Hill branch closed in 2006.
“It’s an exciting time to be in our old school and new school,” Sumerlus said. “Things are happening and changing.”
The idea behind the donation was to sustain the long-term future of the school, Monty Robbins said. “It’s very exciting that all the planning is coming to fruition.”
