Founded in 1959 by Rabbi Isaac and Henriette Klein and leading families, Kadimah Academy – originally Kadimah School of Buffalo – is a community Jewish day school organization steeped in tradition and heritage but focused on a modern and non-denominational Jewish education.
For more than 60 years, Kadimah operated a traditional Jewish day school in Buffalo, providing an a high-quality and high-achieving secular and Judaic education to Jewish students from throughout Western New York, from Kindergarten through Eighth Grade. With our dual curriculum of Hebrew and Judaic Studies melded with a robust General Studies program, our students – boys and girls together – developed a strong foundation in their traditions and heritage, while also learning the knowledge and skills to excel in any academic or professional pursuit of their choice in the future.
Students and teachers came from diverse Jewish observance and cultures, forming a family whose members respect one another because of their differences – not in spite of them. By focusing on the individual gifts and needs of each student, our teachers cultivated a caring family of learners committed to responsible citizenship, the performance of mitzvot, and support for the State of Israel and its people.
In September 2019, Kadimah shifted its focus and direction in recognition of changed demographics and finances. Rather than operating our own school, we partnered with The Park School of Buffalo, a century-old private, independent, progressive school in Amherst, N.Y., in an innovative venture that is unique in North America. Through Kadimah Scholars at Park, our students are now full Park students, where they learn Hebrew and Judaic Studies from Kadimah teachers both during the regular school day and through supplemental periods after-school, while also participating fully in activities, clubs and sports at Park. Our students and faculty have opportunities to pray, celebrate Shabbat and holidays, and even share our religion and culture with the entire Park community, which has welcomed us with open arms.
Kadimah Academy remains a separate, independent nonprofit organization, chartered under New York State Religious Corporations Law, with a new focus on guiding the program, providing scholarships to Jewish students to attend Park, and supporting our educational goals through continual fundraising, marketing, recruitment, alumni relations and community engagement. We work closely with Park and the Buffalo Jewish Federation. Our mission is to ensure that Jewish education in Western New York is supported and strengthened in the future, while we maintain our goal of developing the future leaders of tomorrow’s Jewish community.