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About AHS
We Believe

Our Mission

To produce graduates with the confidence to reach their full potential, the passion to be everyday heroes, and the pride to carry the torch of Jewish continuity.

Associated Hebrew Schools (AHS) is proud to represent a wide range of cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, and religious practice. Within this richly diverse community, AHS delivers a powerful educational experience infused with traditional Jewish values. At AHS, each student has the opportunity to find their own path to success and excellence within a safe, vibrant, and innovative learning environment.

At AHS, we put community at the centre of all experiences

We are a broadly diverse, inclusive, and caring community. We welcome, embrace, and serve the community with empathy and mutual respect. At AHS, every child has a voice, every learner is given the opportunity to succeed, and every student has the opportunity to discover and hone individual skills and interests. We meaningfully connect with our community of parents, inviting them to lend their expertise and become partners in their children’s education.

At AHS, we bring the very best educational thought and practice to both General and Judaic Studies

Honouring our rich academic tradition of excellence and high expectations, our learner-centred, inquiry-driven model develops confidence along with academic and social-emotional competence. Our innovative educational program and highly effective and caring faculty support the development of a Maker Mindset, while providing students with strong foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Our program also fosters the development of timeless skills grounded in collaboration, creativity, communication, and critical thinking, which will allow them to succeed and thrive.

At AHS, we bring Jewish learning to life

Through a traditional but non-prescriptive approach, students become knowledgeable in Jewish heritage, history, and texts. Prayer and Jewish practice are a means of connecting spiritually, communally, and historically. Students gain a deep affinity for the State of Israel and acquire proven proficiency in the Hebrew language. Through rich and joyful experiences, students develop deep Jewish identities, preparing them to lead meaningful and inspired Jewish lives.

The Results

AHS graduates are role models. They are ambitious achievers, while being responsible family members and exemplary citizens. Our alumni are proud and knowledgeable Jews, people of deep character, inspired to serve the community and take action. They possess a deep sense of purpose, allowing them to thrive and become leaders. AHS graduates have the compassion to care for those in need and the passion to change the world and the community they live in.

Gerda Steinitz Frieberg z”l (1925–2023) was a cherished friend of AHS and a pillar of our community whose legacy continues to inspire. A Holocaust survivor and pioneering educator, Gerda dedicated her life to bearing witness and ensuring future generations never forget. For years, she spoke to our Middle School students on Yom Hashoah—her presence at Danilack left a lasting impression on all who heard her, including many parents who came specially to listen. In 2005, she established the Gerda Frieberg Education Fund, which provided tuition subsidies to more than 450 students—an extraordinary act of generosity grounded in her personal understanding of the importance of Jewish education. Today, her great-grandchildren carry on her legacy as students at AHS.

Clifford B. Braithwaite was a beloved senior math teacher at AHS in the late 1960s and early ’70s, known for his commanding presence, deep dedication, and lasting impact on generations of students. Though not Jewish himself, Mr. Braithwaite cherished the warm sense of community he found at AHS, a connection that endured long after his retirement. In recognition of that bond, his daughter, Shirley Anne Braithwaite (1929-2016), left a transformative legacy gift of over $1 million to the school. This remarkable bequest has already supported AHS’s Day of Giving and established the C.B. Braithwaite Bursary for students pursuing post-secondary studies in math and sciences.