Our Stories

Adina Kanefield

Faculty and Staff


Traditions and Core Values

June 16, 2016 by Adina Kanefield (Faculty and Staff)

Traditions abound at JPDS-NC. As I hear the students practicing speeches for graduation, I see how longstanding JPDS-NC traditions stand out and deeply shape our students’ overall experience. TEVA, the New York trip, Chagigat HaSiddur, historic site guides and kindergarten self-portraits have become a part of the anthology of the JPDS-NC experience. Like these great […]

  • #ThisIsWhy
  • Adult Learning
  • Israel

Effective Altruism, Emotion, and Twenty Million Dollars

December 10, 2015 by Adina Kanefield (Faculty and Staff)

Chanukah evokes images of sanctity and strength, renewal and dedication. It also brings to the fore the value of giving. This has been a big year of giving at JPDS-NC… and continues to be. From last weekend’s article in The New York Times contrasting the movement of “effective altruism” with emotional and empathetic roots of […]

  • #DCJewishMiddleSchool
  • Ru'ach

The Beginnings of the Middle School

May 18, 2015 by Adina Kanefield (Faculty and Staff)

Many people have asked how the middle school and the amazing gift came about, so I have taken a moment to share with you the story of how this all unfolded…. Ambassador Alfred Moses, a longtime member of the Washington, DC community and a friend to several of our school families, approached JPDS-NC several years […]

  • #DCJewishMiddleSchool

Continuing a Cherished Tradition

December 18, 2014 by Adina Kanefield (Faculty and Staff)

“Voices of Wisdom” by Francine Klagsburn and “Light of Jewish Lamps” by Sidney Greenberg, two of the many books that I cherish from my father’s library, are propped next to my office computer at JPDS-NC. They sit on my desk as reminders to me that we at JPDS-NC are links in a long history; teachers, […]

  • M'dor L'dor
  • Ru'ach