Dear Bialik Community Members,
In recent months, following Benjy Cohen’s announcement that he would be retiring at the end of this school year, our Board’s Search Committee has been engaged in an extensive, rigorous and thoughtful search process to find a new Head of School who will guide Bialik into the future with vision and dedication.
We are now thrilled to announce that Jake Gallinger has been selected as our next Bialik Head of School.
Jake’s proven leadership abilities, his passion, and his vision for Bialik’s role within the Jewish community made a strong impression on the Search Committee. He brings a deep knowledge of our school and a firm commitment to our mission and values. He is immersed in creating the best Jewish educational environment for our children, understands the social and emotional factors that impact their learning as well as the complex impact of technology in education and on their lives.
We have seen Jake develop many strong connections throughout our community and we value his relationship-driven approach to leadership. Jake recognizes that the strength of our school lies in building meaningful partnerships with students, staff, families and the broader community and he has the ability to bring families together to address the challenges of our complex world. We are confident that Jake is uniquely suited to lead Bialik into the future.
Jake has served our school community for the past 11 years and is highly respected in his current role as Viewmount Branch Principal. He joined Bialik as a teacher, and with his outstanding leadership skills, was soon appointed Vice Principal and then Branch Principal. Jake holds a Masters of Education Administration and Policy as well as a Bachelor of Education from the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto, and a Bachelor of Arts from McGill University.
As we prepare to welcome Jake as our new Head of School, we recognize Benjy’s profound impact on Bialik. His leadership has established a strong foundation of excellence that will benefit our school, and our students, for generations to come. We are grateful to Benjy for ensuring a smooth transition in the coming months as Jake takes the helm. We look forward to celebrating his retirement at the end of the school year.
I would also like to thank the members of the Board Search Committee, led by Danielle Zucker-Levy and supported by Kerry Siegel from Executive Search Alliance, for their thoughtfulness, time and effort put into conducting this thorough search for a new Head of School.
As Jake takes on our school’s highest leadership role at the start of the 2025-26 school year, please join me in giving him the warmest of Bialik welcomes — as our new Head of School! We are very excited for the continued growth of Bialik and the contribution to our Jewish community that Jake’s tenure will bring.