Gesher’s History

Gesher was founded in 1982 by a group of pioneering parents and such visionaries as Rabbi Sheldon and Shulamith Elster and Rabbi Arnold Fink. Together with a creative and enthusiastic teacher, Susan Koss, they organized Gesher's first kindergarten in 1982 at a local synagogue, Agudas Achim Congregation, in Alexandria, VA.

An additional grade was added each year until 1988. In 1989 the first sixth grade graduated with pride.

As Gesher grew and needed more space, in 1994 the school relocated to larger quarters in the Jewish Community Center of Northern Virginia. In 1998, Gesher again needed more classrooms and established a Satellite Campus at the Chabad Community Campus.

In 1999, with the help from a grant from the Partnership for Excellence in Jewish Education (PEJE) and a dedicated community supporter, Gesher added a Middle School with a 7th grade, and 8th grade the following year.

In 2002, Gesher purchased a beautiful 28-acre property, located in Fairfax, Virginia. With an eye toward the future, Gesher added another 19 acres to that property in 2003, and recently purchased an additional 10 adjacent acres. In 2007 Gesher moved into its new home at 4800 Mattie Moore Court. The gorgeous, state-of-the-art building in its incredible wooded setting, now complete, is a dream come true, a perfect place for young children to learn, thrive, and grow.

Now in its 28th year, Gesher can at last reflect on its tremendous growth and change from the vantage point of its own home. May the next quarter century here be filled with new generations of students who will go on to enhance their communities with the benefit of a Gesher Jewish Day School education.