Jewish Life
Jewish education is our very reason for being at King David.
Jewish values, learning and practice flow seamlessly through the day, every day, beginning with morning tefilla (davening/prayer). Students learn the meaning, pronunciation and order of prayers as they progress through school, and by bar mitzvah, boys pray with a minyan. Our High School Tefillah offering is dynamic with different options per grade to ensure that Tefillah moves from the rote performance to a daily opportunity for connection to Hashem. Words cannot describe the energy of a thousand Jewish children singing Hallel, when the schools come together for Rosh Chodesh prayers. Both formal and informal immersive experiences colour every part of King David’s educational offering.
The Jewish Life division brings together various modalities of learning to ensure that our diverse student population walk away knowing and loving their Jewish story. Through our formal, informal, and community focus, our Jewish Life programs aim to infuse a love and passion of Torah and Israel.
The Division of Informal Jewish Education
Formal Jewish Studies Curriculum
The dynamic Jewish Studies curriculum meets students where they are and offers engaging, relevant content they can apply to their personal lives. Jewish Studies also serve as a bridge to the general studies curriculum, informing many of its themes. In primary school, our students receive the fundamental skills and knowledge covering the Chagim, daily Jewish practice such as Kashrut, Lashon Harah, and Brachot, and in depth learning of sefer Bereishit and Shemot. Beyond the content, the various different themes are animated through songs, crafts, and experiences that often take the students out of the classroom and learning with special daytrips to the Matzah and Shofar factories, Moishes when learning kashrut, and meeting special Rabbis and Rebbetzins through the vibrant Johannesburg Jewish Community.
In High School, skills and values come alive through sophisticated textual study in Tanach and Gemara (written and oral Torah), as well as ethics, philosophy and history, including Israel studies and the holocaust.Â
Throughout both the Primary and High School schools, our highly qualified Jewish educators ensure students have a voice in every lesson, and that a Torah lifestyle is modeled beyond the classroom, with invitations to experience Shabbat and Chagim in observant Jewish homes.
PJ Library
King David is honoured to include PJ Library as part of its Pre-Primary and Junior School offering. PJ Library is a universal Jewish and Israel themed book program that ignites a love and appreciation of Jewish heritage and cultural traditions. From the age of 18 months, right up until 8 years old, each child at King David receives close to 64 free books over an eight-year period, that they get to keep, to build their very own Jewish home Library. At its core, PJ Library gives parents and children a unique experience to connect through beautifully illustrated Jewish stories, reading together, forming memories and igniting meaningful conversations around Jewish life and ideas. The books, read and discussed in the classroom, often with activities or activations attached, get gifted to the children to take home and share with family, a truly distinctive aspect that links school, child, and home. We are proud that King David Schools is at the forefront of relevant Jewish education, and a proud partner in providing PJ Library to the South African Jewish community.
Parent Engagement
No parent is left behind in the exciting journey of Jewish education. The following programs bring parents and children together, at the centre of South Africa’s Jewish community, bonding over the values, ideas and practices that have defined the Jewish people for over 3300 years.Â
- Elevate Bat and Bar Mitvah Programme (Grade 6 and 7 students and their parents)
- Hebrew Ulpan
- Challah Bakes
- Hamentaschen Challenge (celebrating Purim)
- Blessing of the Children (Erev Yom Kippur)
- Educational Jewish Holiday events
- Poland Trip
Educational Excellence
Our schools deliver on our promise of educational excellence, a wide array of subjects and disciplines in which to excel, world class facilities, a robust sports program, abundant social opportunities and a curriculum imbued with Jewish values and innovation.
Our students excel in the core subjects and benefit from the vast array of supplementary enrichment subjects. We have invested heavily in our digital transformation strategy over the past years. King David is proud to be one of the first Microsoft Showcase Group of schools in South Africa with over 300 of our teachers accredited as Microsoft Innovative Educators and with a significant proportion of them also boasting the Microsoft Certified Educator qualification. Our educational strategy builds 21st century skills like creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, knowledge construction and self-regulation.
Each student’s strengths are nurtured by committed and caring teachers, coaches and informal educators. Armed with up-to-the minute training and top qualifications, they are there to build each student and help shape a culture of warmth, kindness and support both within and outside the classroom.
Together as a Community
The King David community spans generations of students, parents, staff and alumni, creating a network where connections run deep and every Davidian feels a sense of belonging for life.
Rooted in shared Jewish values, this is a community that feels like family—one that supports and uplifts its members with care, dignity and responsibility. United by purpose, King Davidians are not only committed to one another, but also to the broader South African community—actively contributing, engaging and embracing their role as citizens who seek to build a more just, compassionate and connected society.
Our impressive bus service strategically aims to ensure that Jewish children across Johannesburg can attend our schools.
School Calendars
