Sharon and Bill Hope are remarkable, longtime Jewish community members in both Minnetonka and Boynton Beach, Florida. They are Minnesota natives who raised their three children in St. Louis Park and are proud grandparents of three Heilicher alumni. Their son and daughter-in-law, Bruce and Anne Hope, watched their children, David, Ruth, and Miriam, thrive as Heilicher students and now as alumni.
Sharon recalled one of her favorite memories from the time her grandchildren attended Heilicher. “I had a full pushke (tzedakah box) and asked David, Ruth, and Miriam how they would like to use the funds,” she remembers. “They chose to donate the funds to the Lieberman Library at Heilicher to buy the 26-book series A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy, and also wrote a letter asking the author to visit Heilicher.”
Sharon and Bill also were extremely impressed by the 8th Grade Capstone events where they learned from their own grandchildren and the other students about a variety of social justice topics. Sharon recalls that her grandchildren’s transition to public high school was seamless, and now the two older children (David ‘11 and Ruth ’13) are attending universities in Boston, and the youngest (Miriam ‘16) is a sophomore at St. Louis Park High School.
The Hopes are immensely proud of their grandchildren and remain engaged with Heilicher even as their grandchildren continue on their educational journeys. “Heilicher has instilled in them an understanding and appreciation of our shared Jewish heritage.” Bill shares. “I continue to learn from them.”
Although their grandchildren have moved on to higher education environments, the Hopes remain ambassadors and philanthropic supporters of the school. It is important to both of them to support the future of Jewish education in the Twin Cities.
