HDS is more than a school; it’s a home where Jewish values and traditions are deeply embraced.

Every smile from my daughter reflects the warmth and love she experiences here. This is a place where children are nurtured with essential human and Jewish values, shaping their character and identity. HDS radiates love, family, and unity, rooted in Jewish heritage while prioritizing academic excellence and spiritual growth. The extraordinary and outstanding teachers embody these values daily. Even the parents at HDS create a wonderful, supportive community. Thank you for your dedication and shaping our children’s futures with love and faith.

Our experience at HDS has been nothing short of exceptional. The school’s warm and nurturing environment fosters academic excellence, a deep connection to our Jewish heritage, and Hebrew language proficiency. Our children thrive not only in their studies but also in their understanding of values, community, and tradition.

The dedicated and passionate teachers go above and beyond, ensuring that every child feels uniquely supported and inspired to grow. We are truly grateful for the sense of Jewish identity and the lifelong love of learning that Hebrew Day School of Ann Arbor has instilled in our children.

HDS teachers and staff passionately educate, nurture, and support each individual learner. My kids are tremendously different, and I deeply value how HDS has met their unique needs for enrichment and academic challenge, alongside designing thoughtful supports and accommodations for learning differences in ways that empower their growth.

As a result of the unique academic and social environment at HDS, my kids have grown into curious, deep thinkers and hard workers, who are full of intrinsic motivation to learn. At the same time, they are empathic, understanding people who have developed deeply personal connections to Judaism.

As a family, we feel a strong connection to the HDS staff and teachers, as well as the other families at HDS; our community has grown and strengthened because of our time at HDS.

I talk about the community that I have come to know and love from our first days at HDS. We were a family not planning to send our children to a Day School, but with HDS in the same building as the ECC preschool, it seemed like a convenient choice to try it for Kindergarten for my oldest son Sam. We had already been living in Ann Arbor for 4 years, attended the ECC, and belonged to Beth Israel Congregation, but it really wasn’t until the first month at HDS, we finally felt we were home.

To this day, our best family friends, my closest group of girlfriends, and our ‘crew’ as we call it, stemmed from the kindergarten class that my son was lucky enough to be a part of. Our ‘community’ and friendships only grew as both of my daughters classes provided us with more wonderful Hebrew Day School families to create a bigger family with.

Aside from the fact that HDS has given my children a strong sense of identity, small classes, and beautiful teachers, we are most thankful for the friends we have made during our tenure at this school.

HDS gave our family a warm and caring community, and gave our children a strong Jewish identity, a love of learning, and excellent preparation for middle school.  I can’t recommend it highly enough.  This is one important way our Jewish community survives into the future!

HDS is much more than a strong academic institution. It is uniquely a community where every student has an opportunity to grow and mature individually and as part of a “family.” I will always remember a recess I had the opportunity to watch and children from across ALL grades were playing together but even more than playing, were looking out for the well being of each other!

The teachers are “super heroes” in every sense extending far beyond the hours of one day.

Thank you for your commitment to our family!

HDS is not only a warm and caring school, but also an academically rigorous elementary where students can grow and be challenged. It is a community where all are accepted, regardless of ability or affiliation. It’s a place where students can come as they are and be nurtured and encouraged to be their best selves. We are so lucky that HDS exists in Ann Arbor for our kids; what a unique and special place to learn during their formative years. We couldn’t be happier with the school and all it has done for our family.

HDS has strengthened our connection to Judaism and the Jewish community in Ann Arbor, supporting us in raising engaged and thoughtful Jewish children. When the kiddos are thriving, I love hearing about the new song they are learning, the art activity of the day, their excitement for shabbat, and the messages of kindness, care for self and others, and joy in learning that they receive each day. In the moments where our kids struggle, HDS shines even brighter, warmly wrapping us in a community of support and resources while reinforcing values of accountability, honesty, trust, safety, and redemption. Having a school environment that feels like an extension of our family is truly a blessing.