Seattle Cheder Aims to Make Educational History

Menachem Mendel Seattle Cheder aims to make educational history by raising $100,000 in 24 hours, with each donation matched by Paula Begoun, The MMSC Vaad and the Lev Yosef Foundation.

Established more than 40 years ago, MMSC is proud to be educating Jewish children of all walks of Seattle life, according to the teachings of Chassidus.

When Rabbi Sholom Ber and Chanie Levitin, the first Shluchim to the Pacific Northwest, were in a yechidus with the Rebbe, Mrs. Levitin asked the Rebbe, “What will be with the education of my children?”.  The Rebbe responded to open a Cheder and told her that it would start with a few children in younger grades but would grow into a full Cheder.  That little Cheder that began in a former college sorority house with just a few students has grown into the Cheder the Rebbe envisioned with a student body of children from all across the greater Seattle Jewish community including the children of 19 Shluchim families.

For the next 24 hours (from 3:00 pm EST on Wednesday, 09/09/15, until 3:00 pm EST on Thursday, 09/10/15), MMSC will be appealing to friends and admirers around the world – including Cheder alumni and relatives of those who have benefited, or are currently benefiting, from the program – to help the school reach its goal of $100,000 in new scholarship and program revenue.

Donors Paula Begoun, The MMSC Vaad- the Bogomilsky, Farkash, Gitler, Goldberg, Kornfeld and Levitin Families and the Lev Yosef Foundation have pre-committed to match every dollar generated by the campaign at a 4:1 ratio – provided the objective is reached. In other words, the greater community’s pledges must amount to at least $25,000 by 3:00 pm EST on Thursday if any of the funds pledged are to be collected at all.

MMSC’s early childhood program distinguishes itself as the only Jewish Montessori preschool in the Greater Seattle area.  This year MMSC has instituted a full Tzivos Hashem program and a computer programming curriculum.

“I am excited for a year of immense growth both academically and emotionally in all our students” says principal, Mrs. Chaya Elishevitz. “This school, with the Brochos of the Rebbe and hard work and dedication of our talented staff and parents, will flourish and bring Nachas to all.  MMSC is a community of over-achievers who set the bar very high, reach it and then raise it higher. This dynamic positive energy can be felt emanating from every classroom and each office every moment of every school day.”

Even as its annual budget continues to climb – the lion’s share of which is allocated for full and partial scholarships – the Cheder’s administration is as determined as ever to see to it that every dollar of the school’s budget is covered in a responsible manner and utilized to maximum impact for the Chinuch of its students.

The success of this Charidy matching-funds drive will go a long way toward facilitating that reality – as MMSC reaches for yet greater heights in nurturing the proud, G-d-fearing and knowledgeable future lamplighters of Chabad, as inspired by the school’s namesake, the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

MMSC is a proud beneficiary of the Samis Foundation and the Seattle Jewish Federation.

To make your vital and timely 4×1 donation to MMSC, please click here.

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3 Comments

  • seattle school

    I know that the Levitin’s would have liked a Lubavitcher school for their kids and it was an important concern for them. but the way this article reads, its like Seattle didn’t have a Hebrew day school, which it did, The Lubavitch school cut into that school which the non- Lubavitch community resented, as it made it difficult for them.

    I am all for competition, and I am all for sending your kids to the school you feel is best for them, and for how you want to raise them.
    I am, however, not happy with the belittling of other sources of education, especially when those other sources had going a very good educational system both in Hebrew and English. I sincerely hope they get all the money they are hoping for and more and wish them hatzlocha and mazel.

  • i lived in Seattle back then

    If you wanted a chassidishe cheder chinuch you could not get it at the Seattle Hebrew Academy. The Levitins worked lev b nefesh with the existing community, including being best friends with the city Rav and Rebitzen.

  • seattle school

    what did i say? I said they were entitled to want their children to have their own type of education. but it was not like a yehoopitzville place with no school. I, also, was there way back when, before the Levitins were there in fact. and I got feed back from the “natives”. There is nothing wrong with opening another school I made that clear too. but unlike other shluchim in other places, who sent their 6 year olds to their parents and let their parents raise their kids because there was no school at all, in Seattle there was an established school that been in existence for a very long time. I am in no way am criticizing them, they are amazing people. I was just bothered by the fact that the article sounded like Seattle had nothing there prior to the Levitin’s which in fact was NOT true.