Exciting News from Holy Blossom Temple!

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish taught in the name of Rabbi Yehudah Nesiyah:
“The world endures for the sake of the breath of schoolchildren.”
(Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 119a)

You may know that since October 7, 2023, there has been an increased interest in enrollment in Toronto’s Jewish Day Schools, resulting in significant waiting lists. UJA Federation of Greater Toronto has been working with schools to identify and encourage creative solutions to increase capacity.

Bialik Hebrew Day School, located at Bathurst and Viewmount, has approached Holy Blossom to inquire about renting classroom space in our David Feldman Jewish Education Centre. Last week, the Temple Board decided to pursue this wonderful opportunity. Beginning in the Fall of 2026, Bialik’s Junior Kindergarten cohort will rent six newly renovated classrooms on the third floor of our School Wing. We are very excited to see all our classrooms filled with Jewish children, to collaborate with Bialik, and to join UJA in its mission to raise up a strong Jewish community for the coming generation.

Of course, our own expanding Holy Blossom Temple Early Childhood Centre (ECC) will proudly continue to offer government-subsidized Jewish childcare and Jewish nursery programs throughout the second floor of our David Feldman Jewish Education Centre. Our own part-time Holy Blossom Temple Youth Education Centre (YEC) will continue to welcome students JK through Grade 12 into all our classrooms on Sundays and after school hours on weekdays.

Thanks to the success of our Renewal Project, dedicated in 2018, there is adequate space to grow. This collaboration presents additional opportunities for relocating and renovating our Rabbinic, Cantorial, and Education Offices. These improvements and classroom renovations will be completed by September 2026 and with minimal disruption to Temple life. Holy Blossom Temple and Bialik Hebrew Day School are grateful to UJA for their commitment to expanding Toronto Jewish Day School capacity. Our three organizations are motivated by our common devotion to excellence in Jewish Education.

We are very pleased to share this announcement with you today and look forward to sharing more details with you in the coming months.

L’Shalom,

Eric Roher, Temple President
Rachel Malach, Executive Director
Rabbi Yael Splansky, Baskin-Garson Senior Rabbinic Chair