As GAJE reported last month, Kaelen Sherman, during the graduation ceremonies of this year’s graduation class from TananbaumCHAT, announced a gift to the school of $25 million. The donation – the largest ever to the school – established the Honey and Barry Sherman Jewish Education Fund, in memory of Kaelen’s late parents. The endowment will provide tuition assistance, in perpetuity, to students at the school.
In a recent article published on the eJewishPhilanthropy website, Sherman elaborated upon the reasons underlying her extraordinary generosity toward the school. She spoke poignantly about her parents, the values they attempted to inculcate into their children, and the values she wishes, in turn, to instill in her children and perhaps even, to exemplarize for others.
The foundation stone anchoring Sherman’s philanthropy toward the school stems from her parents’ credo that “no kid should be turned away from an education – that they should have a right to – because they can’t afford it”.
When she announced the donation at the graduation ceremony, Sherman said: “My parents believed deeply in the power of education. They believed that education creates opportunity, builds confidence, strengthens communities and changes lives. They also believed that when we are fortunate enough to succeed, we have a responsibility to help others succeed as well. They cared deeply about the Jewish community and understood that one of the greatest investments we can make is in the next generation. They knew that a strong Jewish future begins with a strong Jewish education.”
Sherman was emphatic about the urgency of the need, in 2026, of helping children attain a Jewish education. “Jewish day school is no longer a choice, but a necessity and almost a requirement. Children who can’t afford [to go] to Jewish day school end up in the public school system, and are now being bullied or whatnot for being Jewish. No kid should have to be put into that situation, regardless of financial status.”
She concluded the interview with an understated but stirring personal statement about a hoped-for wider impact of her philanthropy. “Sure, I can honor my parents, but I think the biggest thing is that I’m also setting an example for my own generation and for my children.”
In a succinct, eloquent nutshell, Sherman encapsulated one of the most penetrating truths at the heart of our Jewish values: that love – whether of one’s children, family or people – means doing.
According to the article, the demand today for places in our day schools exceeds the supply.
Schools, including TanenbaumCHAT, have lengthy wait-lists.
In one respect, the increased demand for classroom spaces attests to the success of the community efforts for nearly a decade to make day school more affordable. There is a number of reasons for the situation, however, all of which have been written about and are in plain view of parents, community and education professionals.
And, even though community planners and the educational structure have been, and are, doing their utmost, to find places for every child whose parents seek a Jewish education for them, it is nevertheless, unacceptable that children are being turned away from Jewish day school for lack of classroom space. Remedying the situation is the next aspect of the Jewish education challenge.
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The eJP article can be found at: https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/record-high-jewish-day-school-enrollment-in-2026-prizmah-report-suggests
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If you wish to contribute to GAJE’s lawsuit to achieve fairness in educational funding, please click here. Charitable receipts for donations for income tax purposes will be issued by Mizrachi Canada. Your donations will be used for the sole purpose of helping to underwrite the costs of the lawsuit. For further information, please contact Israel Mida at: imida1818@gmail.com Thank you, in advance, for considering doing so.
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Shabbat shalom
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education
July 10, 2026
Grassroots for Affordable Jewish Education 