Heilicher Initial First-Grade Class, 1985
Back row students L to R: Robyn Stoller Awend, Arielle Kaufman, Josh Hunegs, Cindy Sher, Jennifer Bearman Zacks
Front row students L to R: Leah Lerner Ophir, Benjamin Bunin, Joe Fahndrich, Jill Edelstein
Teachers L: Missy Lavintman R: Rae Lynn Sandvig
By Arielle Kaufman, Current Heilicher Parent and Alumna
A silver lining to social distancing has been the opportunity to reconnect with friends from the past. Recently, I was lucky enough to catch up with some of my classmates from my first grade class (the initial first-grade class of the Minneapolis Jewish Day School!). While we are now spread across the globe, it was fun to hear what everyone is doing and find the commonalities in our current experiences. We also enjoyed reminiscing about our MJDS experiences - the projects and teachers who had an impact on us during our formative years.
I was able to share a little about my own kids’ Heilicher experiences and the awesome community we have at the school. We chose Heilicher for our two children because we loved the small class sizes and the idea of having a supportive community to help our children learn and thrive. We also liked having Hebrew, Judaic Studies, and Jewish values integrated into their daily education. While everything from the physical school location, to the curriculum and staff has changed substantially since my own first-grade experience, it is exciting to think of my own daughter’s experience as she will begin first grade next year.
Arielle and husband Ohad with their children current Heilicher fourth grade student Rafi and kindergartener Amira.
A huge thank you to Cindy Sher for bringing the initial first-grade class at MJDS together. Additional thanks to Leah Lerner, Benjamin Bunin, Joey Fandrich, and Robyn Awend for taking the time to appreciate the connections we started so many years ago!
