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Dear Class of 2026,
Mazal Tov to our graduates and to everyone who is here to celebrate with us. Each and every one of you has made this graduation more impactful simply by being here and I am appreciative of every single person who has joined us tonight. Thank you.
I want to begin by asking you to take a moment and picture a small child walking into Bialik for the very first time. A backpack that feels too big. Shoes slightly untied. A hand tightly holding a parent’s hand, or perhaps pretending not to need one at all.
There is a kind of silence in that moment that every parent remembers. A mix of pride, excitement, hope and a quiet question that sits underneath it all:
Who will my child become here?
And tonight, years later, we begin to answer that question. The children who once walked through our doors as sweet little JKs are sitting before us as graduates. Still very sweet, but some are almost as tall as me.
Although they are not finished their childhood journey and they are of course not fully formed as people, they have been shaped in ways that every person can see.
They are more curious. More thoughtful. More resilient. More confident in who they are and what they stand for. They can navigate difficult conversations with their peers, they have a better sense of time management when it comes to completing assignments and studying for tests, and they can proudly share why being Jewish is important to them.
The heavy backpacks they carry are now a little more manageable. Unfortunately, after 10 years at Bialik, many of them still haven't mastered the advanced skill of putting those backpacks anywhere other than the middle of the hallway.
Tonight is not only a celebration of achievement. It is a celebration of transformation. And for me personally, this evening carries a profound meaning.
This year was a year of many firsts. It was my first year serving as Head of School, a responsibility that I have approached with immense gratitude after more than a decade growing alongside this remarkable community.
Bialik has really given me everything in life. I began my career here as a 24 year old, oblivious teacher in Senior Kindergarten. Fast forward 13 years, and in the same way that Bialik has shaped all of our graduates, this school has also shaped me.
During my time at Bialik, I married the most incredible woman in the world, became the proud father of three beautiful daughters, and deepened my own Jewish and Zionist identity. This year, walking my daughter through the doors of Bialik each morning has given me an entirely new appreciation for the magical things that happen in our buildings every day. It has also given me a deeper understanding of just how fortunate these graduates have been to receive a Bialik education, and how fortunate my own daughters will be to have that same opportunity.
And like every parent here, I want my children to succeed. I want them to be challenged intellectually, discover their passions, build confidence, and become capable and compassionate human beings.
But more than anything, I want them to be known. I want someone to notice when they walk into the classroom excited about something. I want someone to recognize when they are having a difficult day, even before they have the words to explain it. I want someone to see potential in them that they may not yet see in themselves.
And as both a Head of School and now as a parent, I can say with complete confidence that this is what happens at Bialik every single day. I have come to understand something very simple, but very powerful: Bialik is not defined by a building, a program, or even a strategic plan. Bialik is defined by what happens between people.
It lives in the relationship between our teachers and our students. In the extra conversation after class. In the moment a teacher chooses to notice rather than overlook. In the decision to push a student because they know they are capable of more. It is built in thousands of moments that almost nobody sees, but everybody feels. And that is what makes this place extraordinary.
To our teachers and educational staff, I want to speak directly to you for a moment. What we have built together for our Bialik students is rare. In a world where work can often become transactional, this community is filled with educators who have made this school their life’s work.
Many of you have dedicated decades to Bialik. You have taught siblings and, in some cases, the parents of your students. You have celebrated our families during moments of joy and supported them during moments of challenge. You know our students not only as learners, but as people. You do not simply teach our core subjects. You shape human beings.
And what makes me most proud is that despite all of the excellence we have achieved, our faculty never settles. You continue to learn. You embrace new educational research. You refine your practice. You ask difficult questions about how we can become even better for our students. Because excellence at Bialik has never been about saying we are the best. It has always been about asking how we can become better. That relentless commitment to growth, combined with the enormous love and care you bring to your students, is what makes this school unlike any other. And your students feel it, they experience it every day, and it supports them in becoming the Mensches we see here tonight at Graduation. I am incredibly grateful to stand alongside all of you, our dedicated faculty. Thank you.
To our graduates. Tonight is all about you. You are stepping into a world that is both more connected and more uncertain than any generation before you. A world where technology is rapidly changing how we learn, communicate and even understand what is true. A world where artificial intelligence can generate answers in seconds, but cannot replace wisdom, judgment, empathy, or moral courage. A world where your younger siblings will now all have to suffer more than you did by turning their cell phones into the office every morning.
And in that world, something important is changing. It is no longer enough simply to know things. The question that will define your future is how you think:
- Can you listen to someone who disagrees with you?
- Can you ask thoughtful questions?
- Can you navigate complexity without searching for easy answers?
- Can you remain curious even when your assumptions are challenged?
- Can you stand up for our Jewish homeland, the State of Israel, and show durability in your Zionism?
That is what we have tried to build in you at Bialik. Not certainty, but curiosity. Not perfection, but resilience. Not conformity, but the confidence to think independently while remaining deeply connected to your values and your community. And above all, a strong sense of Jewish identity.
At a time when Jewish communities around the world are experiencing challenges that many of us never imagined we would see in our lifetime, your identity is not something to hide or set aside. It is something to understand more deeply, to carry proudly and to live responsibly. We say, Am Yisrael Chai. Not only as an expression of survival, but as a commitment to continuity, memory, responsibility and hope.
We also teach, Kol Yisrael Arevim Zeh Bazeh. We are responsible for one another. And Hillel teaches us: “In a place where there are no leaders, strive to be a leader.” Not because leadership is about a title or standing above others. But because leadership is about having the courage to step forward when something matters, especially when it is difficult. And I believe you are ready for that responsibility.
To our parents. Todah Rabah. Thank you for making an extraordinary investment in your children’s education at Bialik, not only financially, but emotionally. You have witnessed your children thrive in the school you chose for them — a school that asks them to think critically, to care deeply, and to understand that they are part of something much larger than themselves. They have been shown the bigger picture. It is one that guides them in their love of Israel, in their connection to the Jewish people, and in the many friendships they have developed. Your gift to your children will continue to unfold for the rest of their lives. Thank you for the opportunity you have given them to build a foundation of lived Jewish values and for supporting them in developing their Jewish identities.
So, as I reflect on this first year as Head of School and look out at the 117 graduates sitting before me, I am filled with tremendous gratitude and optimism. Together, we are not simply preparing children for the next test, the next grade, or even the next stage of school. We are preparing the next generation of knowledgeable, compassionate, thoughtful, and proud Jewish leaders. We are shaping the future of Jewish Toronto, Jewish Vaughan, Jewish Ontario, and Jewish Canada.
I know that being Jewish in this country has presented new challenges in recent years. Yet when I look at the graduates before me tonight, I am filled with confidence and hope. To those who question our place, our values, or our future, our response is simple: we are here to stay. And these children, armed with knowledge, guided by strong values, and grounded in a deep sense of Jewish identity, will be the ones who demonstrate what moral clarity, courage, and true leadership really look like.
Graduates, I hope you will remember Bialik not simply as a school you once attended, but as a place where you were known. A place where someone saw something in you before you saw it in yourself. A place where you were challenged to think more deeply than you thought you could. A place where your Jewish identity was not something separate from your education, but the very foundation that gave it meaning.
Because the world does not need more noise. More certainty disguised as confidence. Or more people who are afraid to think differently. It needs people who can think clearly in complexity. People who can hold pride in who they are while remaining open to others. People who understand that leadership is not about standing above people, but standing beside them.
That is the kind of person we hope you become. And that journey does not end tonight. It continues in every classroom you enter, every friendship you build, every challenge you face, and every choice you make. Go forward with courage. Go forward with humility. Go forward with pride in who you are becoming.
Remember that wherever life takes you, Bialik will always be a part of your story, just as you will always be a part of ours. We are incredibly proud of you. We believe in you. And we will always be with you.
Am Yisrael Chai. Chazak, Chazak, V’nitchazek. Mazal Tov, Class of 2026.