About Us
History
Gesher was founded in 1982 by a pioneering group of parents and Jewish community members that included visionaries like Rabbi Sheldon Elster, Dr. Shulamith Elster, and Rabbi Arnold Fink. Led by Gesher’s first teacher, Susan Koss, they organized the first Jewish Day School program in Northern Virginia at Agudas Achim Congregation in Alexandria, Va., additional grades were added each year and the first sixth grade class graduated in spring of 1989.
As Gesher continued to grow in size, the school needed more space. In 1994 we relocated to the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia. Then, in 1998, Gesher again needed more classrooms and a satellite campus was established at the Chabad community campus.
In 1999, thanks to a grant from the partnership for excellence in Jewish education, Gesher was able to add a Middle School program with 7th and 8th grade. In 2002, the school acquired a beautiful 28-acre property in Fairfax, Va., then, in 2007 we moved into our current home at 4800 Mattie Moore Court.
Then, beginning with the 2018-2019 school year, we added a pre-K program affectionately called Gan Katan for 4 year-olds.
In 2024, Gesher was featured on the Help 100 Schools Podcast. The episode here features Karl Boehm interviewing Aviva Walls, Gesher’s Head of School. In the interview, Aviva shares the unique story of how Gesher was founded as a “bridge” to provide Jewish education for families in Northern Virginia and how this metaphor has become central to our school’s identity. Watch now to learn more about why families choose Gesher.
Current and past presidents of Gesher’s Board of Trustees who have led the way with vision and dedication
Susan Koss, Gesher’s first-ever teacher who taught classes out of Agudas Achim Congregation