Since the start of the Israel Hamas war, Jewish day schools across the country report a notable increase in enrollment inquiries. That is according to a December 2023 study by Prizmah, center for Jewish day schools. The study represents a snapshot of 110 schools in the U.S and Canada. Some of the reasons reported include parents’ fear of antisemitism, response from the current schools about the war, and wanting their children to be in a Jewish environment.
At Chabad of Nashville’s Revere Montessori preschool, director Esther Tiechtel reports this surge in interest was even growing before the war. “We’ve been discussing how we might expand our preschool program for quite some time. However, we were seeking a partner with many years of experience in building first class elementary schools, to give children the best of both worlds, a high-quality academic education, alongside a superior Jewish education, ensuring the future of our people, raising children to be the Jewish leaders of tomorrow.”
The Revere Jewish Montessori Preschool was established seven years ago and has grown steadily. Tiechtel reports several parents and families have loved the preschool experience so much, there have been requests for it to continue to kindergarten and beyond.
“People come to the Revere Jewish Montessori Preschool because they are drawn to authentic Judaism, shared with warmth and without pressure or judgment. Partnering with Tamim Academy, we’re confident we can bring all of that and more to Tamim Academy of Nashville,” said Tiechtel, “Our preschool parents are always sad to leave us. Now they won’t have to.”
Support for their endeavor comes from the Tamim Academy network of Jewish elementary schools, which was created to provide that expertise. “When Tamim Academy reached out to us, selected Nashville as one of the locations in which to open a new Jewish day school in the fall of 2025, we were elated and delighted, as this was exactly what we were seeking,” said Tiechtel, “Being a part of the Tamim network will allow us to fast track our elementary school into existence.”
Founded in fall of 2020, Tamim Academy launched with four schools during the reopening phase of the Covid19 pandemic. Tamim currently has 16 Jewish elementary schools in 14 locations across North America. According to Holly Cohen, Tamim’s founder and chief executive officer, “Our turnkey model makes it possible for communities of all sizes to build a new, high quality, Jewish elementary school while streamlining financial and operating processes and creating a strong peer network.” She explained the benefits, “Like the other schools across our network, Tamim Academy of Nashville will have ongoing access to a detailed educational curriculum and ongoing teacher training, administrative support, business-model coaching and more.”
According to the Jewish Federations of North America, Jewish day schools provide a strong foundation to prepare children for the future. Eric Fingerhut, JFNA president and CEO said in a November 2024 article in FedBeat, “Jewish Day Schools are incubators for Jewish leaders who strengthen their Jewish communities, have strong relationships with Israel, are equipped to stand up to antisemitism, and are committed to raising their own children with a strong Jewish identity.”
The American Jewish Population Project estimates that there are approximately 1.6 million Jewish children in the United States, with only 292,000 enrolled in Jewish day schools. More than 80% of American Jewish children—almost 1.3 million—are outside the Jewish day-school system.
It’s in this context that Tamim Academy was born five years ago. Cohen explained the genesis of Tamim, “We wondered how many parents would be willing to consider Jewish elementary schooling for their children if they could get academic rigor with warmth and love for their children.”
The Tamim Academy model is unique in that while each Tamim Academy school is independently run, key points of operation are networked in the form of a single headquarters. Cohen explains that by centralizing many typical school functions, Tamim HQ allows communities to bypass most of the challenges of building and running a school while reducing costs and elevating quality and consistency.
Tamim Academy of Nashville will be one of three or four new schools being added to the network for this fall. “We are so proud to be partnering with the Revere Jewish Montessori Preschool,” says Cohen. “Tamim’s goal lies beyond the walls of our schools. We’re creating the Jewish day schools of the future, today and we want to share this vision in Nashville.”
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Asked what she sees as the long-term goal of opening a Tamim Academy, Tiechtel says, “Our school will pepare Nashville’s next generation of Jews to be knowledgeable, spiritual and sentient people who possess the tools, strength and desire to live as proud Jews, to love Israel and to take on the world.”
Tamim Academy is proposing to start with a first and second grade in the fall of 2025. Since this is new school, with new learning opportunities, Tamim is offering a one-time grant for the first eight students that enroll, and the tuition for the 2025-2026 school year will be only $2000.
To learn more about Tamim Academy Nashville, please call 615-646-5750 or email tamimacademy@gmail.com
