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Kfar Silver Youth Village

The 60 acre campus is set in the midst of 370 acres of agricultural land on the outskirts of the coastal town of Ashkelon. The location is conveniently accessible for many local youngsters who choose to study on a daily basis in this distinctive youth village environment. Day students and boarders all study and participate together in school and youth village activities. The school ably serves both gifted students and students with learning difficulties, and works hard to ensure that all students succeed in achieving their full potential. The school joined Kadima Mada network in 2016.  

Name of School Kfar Silver Youth Village
Location Hof Ashqelon, Israel
Students 603
Teachers 85

Kfar Silver Youth Village in southern Israel was founded 60 years ago by the ZOA (Zionist Organization of America) to serve as an educational and agricultural home for the many children who had arrived and were still arriving in the country from the Diaspora in the early years of the State. It was named Kfar Silver in honour of Rabbi Dr. Abba Hillel Silver, from Cleveland Ohio, who had been a key figure in mobilizing American support for Israel’s creation. The southern location of the school, near Ashkelon, was chosen in order to fulfil the Zionist dream of making the Negev bloom. Over the years the school has won a variety of government awards for its Diaspora youth programs, agricultural programs, leadership programs and educational programs. 

Academic programs

Kfar Silver’s high school serves students 12 to 18 years-old, from grade 7 to 12. Students are divided into a junior high (grades 7-9) and a senior high (grades 10-12).  At the beginning of the 2015-16 school year, Kfar Silver also opened an elementary school for 15 grade 1 children (6 year olds) who arrive every day from nearby towns and villages. In September 2016 these children moved up to grade 2 and a new intake of 1st grade children was enrolled. This will eventually serve as a feeder school for the high school.

The six-year high school aims to reduce educational gaps through its Reading Foster Centre, Learning Disabilities Centre, Evening School, One-on-One Tutoring and Hebrew Lessons for Newcomers. Students study compulsory national curriculum subjects such as history, science, sports, English, Hebrew language, Hebrew literature and mathematics. Kfar Silver also provides a variety of study tracks in which to major (5 bagrut units) with options for students with a technical orientation, a creative orientation and/or an academic orientation. These study tracks include:

·         Auto-tech (computerised car systems)

·         Media Studies

·         Fashion Design

·         Health Systems

·         Physics

·         Chemistry

·         Biology

·         Agriculture

·         Computer Science

·         Israel Studies

·         Russian

·         English

Gifted students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of ‘excellence’ programs in science, mathematics and other STEM-related subjects in partnership with external entities such as the Weizmann Institute of Science. 

After-school enrichment programs

The school works with its boarding students in such a way that they are able to recognise their abilities and strengths and become effective and fully contributing members of Israeli society.  It provides a wide range of educational enrichment programs at the end of the school day, including

•             Evening classes

•             Working on the farm

•             Music and dancing lessons

•             Sports lessons

•             Art/creativity lessons

•             Martial arts

•             Life skills

•             Nature preservation 

•             Community volunteering

•             Judaism – consolidation and reinforcement