By Joel Magalnick, Editor, JTNews
Seattle Hebrew Academy has just gotten a much-needed boost in its quest to raise funds to rebuild its home. The Capital Hill facility, which has sat empty since the Nisqually earthquake nearly two years ago, received a $4 million matching grant from the Samis foundation.
“Never before has a Jewish school in the community tried to raise this kind of money, and with Samis’ gift, we are now very encouraged in our efforts.” said Rabbi Shmuel Kay, the Head of School.
The Samis Foundation has been instrumental in getting SHA back on its feet. In addition to the grant, the foundation has also donated the services of William Justen, its managing director of real estate, as chairman of the project’s Design and Construction Committee.
Having Justen on board will enable Rabbi Kay to keep the daily responsibilities of running the school. Oftentimes, headmasters in this situation delegate those priorities to work on capital campaigns.
“It’s an important investment in the quality of the school,” said Rabbi Rob Toren, Chief Grants Officer at Samis. “It’s our hope that William’s involvement will help Rabbi Kay continue to focus his energies and talents on the kids’ educations in this process.”
The challenge grant will give one dollar for every dollar SHA raises, up to $4 million. These funds will be used solely for emergency repairs. So far, SHA has raised approximately $2.65 million in individual donations.
Samis will also work with SHA to minimize a projected $1 million in interest charges.
The Samis Foundation was founded by Sam Israel in 1987. Israel was a supporter of SHA before his death in 1994.
“Every Jewish child educated in Jewish day schools in Seattle continues to benefit from his generosity,” said Rebecca Almo, SHA’s school board president, of Israel. “He gives a precious gift to his hundreds of children every day.”
While its core missions are support for Jewish education in Washington State and community-based projects in Israel, Samis’ primary focus is making day schools affordable. The foundation has historically not given funds for capital campaigns, but felt that without its help, the school’s survival was at risk.
The fundraising goal is $12 million. Approximately $8.5 million will be needed to make the building usable again. This includes upgrades to the building’s infrastructure such as electrical and ventilation systems. The remainder will be used for educational endowment programs.
The capital campaign budget is completely separate from the operating budget, and the quality of education will not be affected, Rabbi Kay told the Transcript in October.
The school had been turned down by the government for emergency assistance, and the board, along with the faculty and parents, had spent a year and a half trying to decide whether to rebuild or find a new home. Currently, classes are split between portable trailers on the soccer field and Bikur Cholim-Machzikay Hadath in Seward Park. When officials announced earlier this fall that they would remain on Capitol Hill, they cited the difficulty in finding a new space that would have their central location and large grounds, as well as the reunion of the student body in the historical landmark.
Approximately 200 students, from kindergarten through grade eight, attend the Orthodox school.
SHA was formed in the late 1940s as Seattle Hebrew Day School. It has been at this facility since 1973, and is Seattle’s first Jewish day school. Since the earthquake, there has been a groundswell of support from the community to keep the school open, including donation of the temporary classrooms and the synagogue space in Seward Park.
The building, which was constructed in 1906, was not previously retrofitted for earthquakes. A newer wing, built in the 1950s, was built to earthquake codes of that time, and did not sustain any damage in the quake. That wing holds the gym, the preschool, and administrative offices, and has remained open.
Barry Goren, Executive Vice President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle, noted that Samis has done a great job of supporting all five of Seattle’s Jewish day schools. He said the Federation is excited about the grant. “It’s a good thing!” he exclaimed.
The SHA administration hopes to begin the design and construction phase for the building rehabilitation in July. They are excited about what the future will bring. Said Rabbi Kay, “I predict with the many advances we have done with our excellent educational program, our unique Sephardic track and our beautiful new building, we will have many more families interested in our school.”
To make a donation, contact SHA Development Director Lucia Rosling Britts at 206-323-5750 x239 or [email protected]