Nathan Bohrer Abraham Kaufman Hebrew Academy of Morris County
Gottesman RTW Academy
Milestones
Gottesman RTW Academy
Milestones
- 1966: Two friends and their wives, longing to provide their young children with the same Jewish education they had received, dreamed of opening a Jewish Day school in Morris County.
- 1967: Through hard work, and determination, and a lot of luck and with the help of Michael Rubenstein, who became their guiding angel, mentor, and benefactor, Hebrew Academy of Morris County opened in September in Morristown Jewish Center's basement with 18 students.
- 1969-1979: HAMC spends the next decade "on the road" moving through multiple temporary homes including Lake Hiawatha Jewish Center, St. Cyril’s Church in Boonton, and Temple Shalom in Succasunna.
- 1970’s: The Jewish Federation voted to begin supporting HAMC with special annual grants.
- Spring 1980: Michael Rubenstein finds a special property and helped the school purchase a 24-acre site at 146 Dover Chester Road, Randolph.
- September 1980: With the support of Bernie and Esther Bohrer z"l, The Nathan Bohrer-Abraham Kaufman Hebrew Academy of Morris County opened in Randolph with 121 students.
- 1990's: The school expands its footprint with the addition of the Beatsy Wertheimer wing with 8 new classrooms, an administrative wing, the Ken and Laurie Levy sanctuary, the Steve and Beena Levy computer center, and an expanded library.
- 1998: Through the generosity of the Gottesman Family Foundation, the school establishes the Base Grant Affordability Program, which over the years grows into a nationally recognized model.
- 2003: The Double Chai Anniversary Gala is held to honor the founders - Rubenstein, Turner, and Wertheimer.
- 2004: The Nursery School is renamed the Lillie Brandt Early Childhood Center.
- 2006: HAMC receives the National Blue Ribbon for Academic Excellence and the Base Grant is endowed with a $6M gift from the Gottesman Family Foundation.
- 2008: The Early Childhood Center (ECC) is renamed The Lillie Brandt ECC with gift from Lillie and Ron Brandt, and the school receives accreditation for New Jersey Association of Independent Schools.
- 2009: HAMC joins RAVSAK, The Community Day School Network, and Beena and Steve Levy purchase “The Little Yellow House” property adjacent to HAMC at 140 Dover Chester Road.
- 2013: The four acres to the north of the property are purchased, and the Capital & Endowment Campaign is launched with a $8M and $7M transformative gift and match from Jerry and Paula Gottesman.
- 2014: The school changes its name to Gottesman RTW Academy in honor of the Gottesman Family and the founders.
- August 2014: GRTWA breaks ground on a new building.
- 2015: A grand re-opening of Gottesman RTW Academy is celebrated in the new 43,000 square foot building.
- 2019: The school campus is named Rubenstein Family Campus with a $2M gift.
- 2022: With more than 600 graduates, GRTWA is celebrating 55 years of excellence in education.
- 2025: After 20 years of leadership, Head of School, Dr. Moshe Vaknin is set to retire.