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 Jewish Education in Winnipeg: 1902 – Present
Over 100 years ago in 1902, the community Jewish Day School system began when King Edward School opened its doors for the children of Jewish immigrants who had come to the new frontier of Winnipeg. Teaching a curriculum of Hebrew language, Talmud, Jewish literature and history, it was the first Talmud Torah School.
In 1907, Rabbi Israel I. Kahanovitch formed the Winnipeg Hebrew Free School – Talmud Torah, which was located at the corner of Dufferin and Aikins. The education system continued to grow in strength. In 1912, Talmud Torah located to a larger building at the corner of Flora and Charles. It became a hub in Western Canada for Hebrew learning and culture. Over the next 20 years more branches of the school would continue to open throughout the city.
The I. L. Peretz Folk School began in 1914 and was originally called the Jewish Radical School. The name was changed in 1915 to honour the Yiddish writer I. L. Peretz. It was a secular program, stressing Yiddish language and Jewish history. The Yiddisher Yugend Farein, a cultural organization founded by new immigrants, began the school. The program introduced a number of innovations to Jewish education in Winnipeg, including kindergarten and day school.
An English day school also opened in 1944 and grew with the arrival of Rabbi Avraham Kravetz as the new principal of Talmud Torah in 1946. Talmud Torah Parent Teachers Association was formed in 1947. Three years later, Maimonides College was created to provide advanced Hebrew education. A new building opened in 1952 at the corner of Matheson and Powers. All branches of the school merged in the North End location. During the next few years, the Talmud Torah would continue to expand. By 1959, the school continued to grade eight and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate opened for high school day students, combining regular studies with Jewish post-elementary studies.
In 1949, the Shaarey Zedek Religious School opened to meet the growing need of Jewish people living in the South End of the city. By 1959, a larger school was needed and Ramah Hebrew School opened. The school curriculum included Hebrew language and Talmud and went to the sixth grade.
For the next three decades the schools educated thousands of Jewish children in Winnipeg. In 1981, the Winnipeg Jewish Board of Education was formed to coordinate the operation of Talmud Torah, Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate and Ramah Hebrew School. I.L. Peretz Folk School and Talmud Torah combined in 1983. The school’s new name was Talmud Torah - I. L. Peretz Folk School.
Gray Academy of Jewish Education opened in 1997 at the Asper Jewish Community Campus in the south end of Winnipeg. It amalgamated Talmud Torah – I. L. Peretz School, Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate and Ramah Hebrew School. The school was comprised of three divisions: Shore Early Years School, Simkin Middle School, and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate. In 2004, Gray Academy of Jewish Education became a single school unto itself amalgamating Shore Elementary School and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate.
Through this Jewish education over the past century, children have been able to experience how they are linked to their history, and their ancestors. Students see how they fit into a larger, grander scheme of things. From this experience, children become rooted in the past but also in the present and future. They gain the knowledge of their purpose and place in the world.
| Historical Timeline |
| 1902 |
King Edward Hebrew School, named in honour of the reigning British monarch Edward VII, opens with a curriculum of Hebrew language, Talmud, Jewish literature and history. |
| 1907 |
Talmud Torah (Winnipeg Hebrew Free School) is formed. Over the next 30 years, many Talmud Torah schools are opened throughout Winnipeg. |
| 1914 |
I.L. Peretz Folk School is founded. |
| 1949 |
Shaarey Zedek Religious School is opened; later known as Ramah Hebrew School. |
| 1952 |
All Talmud Torah schools amalgamate into one new school. |
| 1959 |
Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate is opened for General and Judaic Studies.
Ramah Hebrew School opened and the school curriculum included Hebrew language and Talmud until grade six. |
| 1981 |
Winnipeg Board of Jewish Education (WBJE) is formed to coordinate all of Winnipeg’s independent Jewish schools. |
| 1983 |
I.L. Peretz Folk School and Talmud Torah combine into one school known as Talmud Torah – I.L. Peretz Folk School. |
| 1997 |
Gray Academy of Jewish Education opens amalgamating Talmud Torah – I.L. Peretz Folk School, Ramah Hebrew School, and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate into three schools under the umbrella of Gray Academy. The new schools are called: Shore Early Years School, Simkin Middle School and Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate. |
| 2004 |
All three independent Jewish schools form one school known as Gray Academy of Jewish Education. The elementary or lower school is referred to as Shore and the high school or upper school is referred to as Joseph Wolinsky. |
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