A Day of Rededication as Schechter Becomes Golda Och Academy
 | | The Och family watches as the Golda Och Academy sign on the Upper School building is unveiled. |
 | | Michael Och lights the hanukkiah |
More than 650 students, faculty members, parents and community leaders gathered at our Upper School Campus on Monday, Dec. 6th to rededicate our school as the Golda Och Academy.
"The timing of today's ceremony is no coincidence. Hanukkah is a holiday of rededication and renewal. It is the perfect time for us to rededicate not only our school, but ourselves to our original, powerful mission," said Head of School Dr. Joyce Raynor during the program. Speakers at the event also included Daniel Och, Golda Och's son, Chancellor Arnold Eisen of the Jewish Theological Seminary and Board of Trustees Chair Joseph Bier.
 | | Students wore t-shirts with the new school logo |
Speaking about his $15 million challenge gift to our school, Daniel Och said that it served his mother's vision "that this place be permanent and that this Solomon Schechter school continue to flourish."
The program also included a short video tribute to Golda Och and a performance by our school choir. Michael Och, Golda's husband, lit the hanukkiah on behalf of all of our school's founding families.
 | | Michael, Jane and Daniel Och, with Joseph Bier and Chancellor Arnold Eisen |
|
 | | Our Lower School students and faculty wearing their Golda Och Academy t-shirts during the LS rededication program |
Rededication Celebration at the Lower School
A special rededication celebration was held at the Lower School Campus on Tuesday, Dec. 7th. The celebration included a video tribute to Golda Och, dancing, singing and special treats for the children. Every Lower School student and faculty member also received a t-shirt with the new name and logo.
For more pictures from the LS rededication, click here. |
A Trbute to Golda
A short video tribute to Golda Och was shown during the Dec. 6th Rededication program. To see the video, click on the image below.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 | | Daniel Och |
"She Cared About the Students"
Speaking during the Rededication, Daniel Och said, the day was "a tribute to a group of people who had a vision back in 1965."
He explained that growing up, "All about our lives was based on Schechter... for me to be back here today and see what you've built is very special." Speaking about his mother, Daniel Och said, she did everything at Schechter, "but most of all (my mother) cared about the people and the students."
______________________
 | | Arnold Eisen |
Rededication is "Pioneering, Maccabean"
Chancellor Arnold Eisen of the Jewish Theological Seminary was guest speaker at our school's rededication. During his speech he urged our students to make "a difference in the world by taking this incredible tradition of Judaism into yourself and learning it along with everything else that Western civilization, the human race has to offer you, merge it into one and come out the other end with a you, with a you that nobody else can substitute for. That's what I hope all of us will do as Jewish human beings in this world. Take our heritage; make it ours and take the world in directions it couldn't have gone without us. This is the Golda Och I got to know." Eisen continued to say that a major reason that he got involved in JTS was Golda Och. "My wife and I said to ourselves (back then)... that if people like Michael and Golda are involved with JTS then we're thankful that we get to be involved with JTS.... (Golda) clearly is a person that takes learning seriously, this is a person who takes Hebrew seriously, this is a person who never takes herself too seriously but takes the enterprise, which is our Jewish tradition, and Jewish community very very seriously." "That kind of spirit I hope will infuse the Golda Och Academy and its students and teachers and its friends for many many years to come," said Eisen. "This is a great great day for us, not only because it's Hanukkah; we have another dedication to celebrate here - very much pioneering, very much Maccabean - let's make sure that our Jewish tradition lives and breathes and is vital with the help of this school for many many years to come." |
In the news...
Our Dec. 6th school rededication as Golda Och Academy appeared in several publications. Click below for the articles:
The Sunday, Dec. 5th Star Ledger featured an article on the day prior to our school's rededication about our school's name change and Och challenge gift. To read the article, click here. |
|
