Hatikvah charter school announces building plans

EAST BRUNSWICK — The Hatikvah International Academy Charter School will join the Campus for Jewish Life, formerly known as the YM-YWHA of Raritan Valley, to build a permanent home for the two programs on Dutch Road.

The joint venture was unveiled at a recent open house for Hatikvah, which is scheduled to open in September. The new facility will be built on the CJL’s 10.5-acre property, which includes basketball and tennis courts, baseball fields and an expansive playground.

The new school will open in temporary quarters at a school building behind the Trinity Presbyterian Church on Cranbury Road. The Hatikvah board members said they hope to have the new building on the Dutch Road property completed quickly to accommodate its growing enrollment.

“We have had a wonderful experience with Trinity Presbyterian Church and the CJL so far, and we are very excited that Hatikvah is already building bridges with a variety of local community groups. We also anticipate that all of the funding for the construction of our new school will come from private donors who are very passionate about our mission. The state does not provide funding for this purpose and we would not want taxpayers to pay for this either,” said Yair Nezaria, a founder and board member of Hatikvah.

“Having the Hatikvah school built on the CJL grounds will undoubtedly be a beautiful gift to our community,” said Amanda Shechter, president of the CJL board of directors.

Nezaria did not elaborate on the sources of funding for the construction, but said the board has “a good plan which will allow us to build the school in the most efficient and economical way.” Though the construction will be funded by private sources, the school program itself will be publicly funded.

The school will open for grades K-2 and will add a grade each year until it is a K-8 school. The school has held two enrollment lotteries since January, and Nezaria said last week that kindergarten is “just about full,” but there are remaining spots for first- and second-graders.

The school will focus on an International Baccalaureate college preparatory curriculum and will have a Hebrew language immersion program. Hatikvah board members said the school will offer an advanced college preparatory program geared toward sending students to higher-level colleges and Ivy League universities, while fostering more creativity, innovation and a higher level of academic excellence. A key goal, they said, is to have a school community of children from all cultures, religions and ethnicities while maintaining individual identities and pride.

More than 100 parents attended a March 21 open house event that saw educators from New Jersey and New York discussing the Hatikvah program.

The next open house for the charter school will be held at 8 p.m. April 21 at 367 Cranbury Road in the school building behind Trinity Presbyterian Church. For more information, visit the website at www.hatikvahcharterschool. com.