South African Board of Jewish Education

General information

The King David Schools, under the auspices of the South African Board of Jewish Education (SABJE) are a network of Jewish day schools in Johannesburg offering nursery through high school education. There are five campuses across Johannesburg: Linksfield, Victory Park, Sandton, Minnie Bersohn and Yiddish Folk. Each school has an atmosphere of its own serving their specific community.
King David aims to deliver an excellent general education together with the study of Hebrew and Jewish Studies and to produce graduates who are menschen, confident and equipped to pursue any opportunity they wish to, who are proud of their Jewish heritage and its traditions, who have a love for learning, and a determination to contribute to their society.
The Linksfield campus, in northeastern Johannesburg, was established in 1948 as South Africa's first Jewish day school (the high school was founded in 1955). The Victory Park campus (primary school, 1960; high school, 1964) serves Northern and North-Western Johannesburg. Each campus also has its own nursery school. The Sandton campus, a primary school (1982) feeds into both high schools. Minnie Bersohn Pre-Primary School, also situated in Sandton(1985) And King David Yiddish Folk, in Sydenham (1962 but taken over by the SABJE in 1995).
The schools write the Independent Examination Board (IEB) examinations for Matriculation and our pass rates are historically very high with our pupils often amongst the top-ranked, nationwide. King David Schools have consistently been ranked in the top 2 feeder schools to the University of the Witwatersrand which is testimony to the fact that we excellently equip our students for post-matric studies. The King David Schools also achieve in various sporting activities and thrive in the fields of art and culture. Each school is involved in several outreach and charity programs, focused on the broader communities, including educational support and enrichment programs for Schools in Alexandra and Soweto. Many King David alumni are noted for their achievements in South Africa and internationally.
Educationally, each school has a Rabbi on staff, Hebrew and/or Jewish Studies are compulsory subjects until Grade 11 and the schools offer a "Bet Midrash stream" - established by Chief Rabbi, Dr. Warren Goldstein - for Grade 10s and 11s who choose this over the regular Jewish Studies classes. The schools are also served by "the DIJE" (Division of Informal Jewish Education), offering programmes which complement the formal classroom and allow learners to engage with and experience their Judaism.
The King David Schools' Foundation (KDSF) is active in fundraising, with a dual focus on outreach and subsidies / scholarships. Relatedly, it also acts as an alumni association through monthly e-newsletters, reunions and other fundraising events. KDSF was founded in 1994 under the auspices of the SABJE, as a registered non-profit organisation