Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School was founded in 1972 by a group of visionary families in the San Fernando Valley with a commitment to the whole child and guided by the Jewish values of integrity, justice, intellectual curiosity, and compassion, Heschel started as a grassroots operation scattered amongst campuses at four different synagogues throughout the Valley. Within a short time, the school began to gain recognition for its outstanding educational program developed under the leadership of its founding principal, Shirley Levine. In 1979, Abraham Joshua Heschel Day Schoolโs three acre campus was permanently established in Northridge - the evidence of the dedicated work of parents and faculty. Following Shirley Levineโs retirement in 2003, Betty Winn was Head of School for a decade. Larry Kligman ('85) is Heschel's current Head of School, having spent over twenty-five years at Heschel, first as a student, later as a teacher and coach, then a Middle School Director and Assistant Head of School, and as of July 1, 2013, Head of School. Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization governed by a Board of Directors. Click below to watch a brief video featuring the creation and culmination of the 2nd grade's "Ancestor Adventure" project, which is one of the many ways the students connect to their heritage here at Heschel
