Community Service

Did You Know?

Each spring, juniors at Denver JDS can apply for the Bryan M. Hay Community Service (Chesed) Award, the recipient of which receives an anonymously-funded $1,000 gift, with 10% directed to the student's charity of choice. Pictured above is the 2022 Byan M. Hay Chesed Award recipient, Shira Millerl, and the 2023 recipient, Lavi Trujillo. 

Praised is the one who does good for others.
— Exodus Rabbah

Our 3rd grade's Helping Hands project from the 2021-22 school year. Our 3rd graders were able to provide 1,243 pounds of food to the Jewish Family Service of Colorado's Food Pantry, which will feed children & families in need!

 

Our community service philosophy emerges from the values of the Torah and Jewish tradition.

Performing acts of loving kindness (gemilut chasadim), doing good deeds (mitzvot), philanthropic giving (tzedakah), and working to repair the world (tikkun olam) are all integral parts of the daily teachings at Denver Jewish Day School and are deeply connected to our Divrei Chaim (Words to Live By). Denver JDS provides students with a rich and deep Jewish identity by instilling Jewish values and reinforcing ways to embody them.

In addition to community service by grade, social responsibility is promoted through school-sponsored community service projects, and students are encouraged to participate in activities sponsored by the larger Jewish community.


In the Lower Division                   

Helping Hands

A group of parent volunteers, in conjunction with Denver JDS faculty, created Helping Hands, a service-learning program for grades kindergarten through five. Helping Hands recipients for the 2023-24 school year are:

  • Canine Partners for the Rockies – Kindergarten
  • Clothes to Kids Denver – First grade
  • Rocky Mountain Arsenal – Second grade
  • Jewish Family Service – Third grade
  • Newborns in Need (Denver Health) – Fourth grade
  • We Don't Waste – Fifth grade

Throughout the school year, each Lower Division grade raises funds for its Helping Hands agency, raises awareness about their cause, and participates in service learning with the organization.

 

In the Upper Division                   

Tzedek Program

Seventh grade students take a survey class, focusing on the areas of tzedek (advocating), tzedakah (giving charity), and gemilut chasadim (volunteering). Our Tzedek track offer students in high school the opportunity to focus on making a difference in the world, exploring their obligation in light of the Jewish history and tradition of service. High school students also fulfill independent community service requirements annually, and all students in the Upper Division (grades 6-12) also take part in off-site community services projects by grade.