‘Little family’ Expecting to Grow

RALEIGH, NC — Sarah Rosner was a preschooler living in Cary almost three decades ago, but she would travel to Raleigh to attend a Jewish preschool. There was no other place to go than Hillel Preschool.

Now Rosner is taking her sons to Hillel, the first Jewish preschool in Raleigh.

Hillel turns 30 this year.

“It is kind of strange, the fact that I’ve been part of the community so long,” said Rosner, a board member who also teaches music classes there. “Things have changed, yet we are still here and hoping to continue serving the community.”

While the preschool celebrates its past, the school’s leaders also are looking to the future, with plans to start con-

struction on a new building at its site off Falls of Neuse Road across from Ravenscroft School.

The new, 3,000-square-foot building will mean room to serve more children. Construction should start in a couple of months and be complete by early next year.

“We’re continuing,” said Elie Estrin, the center’s director. “Continuing our vision and continuing to grow.”

Hillel was more of a playgroup than a preschool when two moms opened it in the basement of a North Raleigh home in 1978, said Cathy Herman, one of the founders.

Four or five kids attended.

“It was like a playgroup with structure,” said Herman, who has degrees in elementary education and counseling.

About a year later, the school moved to Congregation Sha’arei Israel off Falls of Neuse Road. The school slowly hired teachers and assistants and built a base of loyal families.

“We followed some of the kids. A lot of the kids that went through it have stayed in the faith and included Judaism in their lives,” Herman said. “It was nice to see.”

Now there are three Jewish preschools in Wake County, all in North Raleigh: Temple Beth Or Preschool on Creedmoor Road and The Jewish Community Preschool of Wake County at Beth Meyer Synagogue on Newton Road.

The Raleigh-Cary Jewish Federation, a nonprofit group that supports the local Jewish community, estimates there are about 6,000 to 7,000 Jews in Wake County.

On Tuesday at Hillel, a group of 4-year-olds sat around a kid-sized tabled and glued dry pasta and glitter on construction paper. A teacher patiently guided them through the craft project.

About two dozen children attend the school now, though there’s room for a few more.

Not all of the kids and teachers at Hillel are Jewish. Many attend synagogues in the area other than Sha’arei Israel. The school’s curriculum includes Jewish and secular traditions, said Estrin, who took over in August.

Parents say the school community is close-knit. Parents are active at school. Families get together for playgroups or special events on the weekends.

“It’s like a little family,” said Anna Berger, a board member who sends her son to Hillel. “I just find my son comes home and he sings Jewish songs and he’s excited about his day and he’s met some really good friends.”