Kfar Hasidim was established in 1936 by Avraham Eugene Michaelis, one of the fathers of religious Zionism, to rescue children fleeing Nazi-occupied Europe. What began as a refuge has become a cornerstone of Israeli absorption, welcoming wave after wave of olim from around the world.
Founded on the values of Torah Ve’Avodah (תורה ועבודה), Kfar Hasidim is a nurturing environment and home for all its students. Learning happens as much outside as inside, across 80 buildings, woven into the green landscape.
Today, there are about 500 students at Kfar Hasidim across all programs, 30% live in dorms (many English-speaking olim from across Israel), while the rest commute daily. The school offers rigorous academics grounded in Modern Orthodox values, with a strong emphasis on Jewish identity, community, and connecting them to the land and the people in Israel. Students benefit from hands-on learning opportunities in workshops, agricultural settings, and extracurriculars that complement their academic studies and help them discover their talents.
Naale students are part of the Kol Tzofayich program, a community within the Kfar Hasidim campus, offering specialized support and programs designed to help international students adjust to life in Israel while fully integrating into the broader campus community. Naale students participate in all aspects of school life, alongside their Israeli peers, from academics and workshops to Shabbat celebrations and tiyulim (day trips), while benefiting from staff who understand Naale students’ unique needs.
Kfar Hasidim sprawls across what was once named “Israel’s Youth Forest” by the Jewish National Fund. Students wake to sweeping views of the Carmel mountains, surrounded by vineyards, avocado groves, and vegetable fields that stretch across the grounds. Eighty buildings, from modern dorms to classrooms to facilities, are spread across the green expanse, and the campus includes a working dairy farm, “Makers Space” workshops, and greenhouses.
Everywhere you look, there’s a constant hum of work and learning happening, in classrooms and in the open air.
Kfar Hasidim attracts independent, motivated learners who want a complete educational experience. The campus offers round-the-clock support for Naale students, with teachers, counselors, and social workers available to meet every academic, language, and social need.
Academics are well-rounded, with students working toward full bagrut certification and earning credentials in at least one vocational skill. The school day moves between classrooms, “Maker Space” workshops, and agricultural fields. Some students wake up before sunrise to help with milking at the dairy farm before their day officially begins. And throughout the week, students tend the avocado groves, manage greenhouses, and work the vegetable fields.
The school is Modern Orthodox and embodies the principles of Torah Ve’Avodah: Jewish values lived out through learning, practical hands-on learning. Naale in Kfar Hasidim is a co-ed program, with homeroom classes and religious studies. Students keep Shabbat, eat kosher, and participate in tfilot three times a day as a community.
By graduation, students have earned a diploma, discovered talents, developed lifelong skills and friendships, and learned what it means to contribute to something larger than themselves.
Kol Tzofayich program for modern Orthodox boys and girls draws students from varied backgrounds, with many of the Israeli students coming from native English-speaking families, creating a natural connection point for incoming Naale students.
Naale students are independent and motivated, ready to take responsibility for their learning and growth. They want to connect to their Jewish identity and the land of Israel, experiencing Israeli society in an authentic way while growing spiritually, academically, and socially. Students build lasting friendships, participate in tiyulim across the country, and engage deeply with their surroundings, while earning a full Israeli Bagrut, an internationally recognized diploma that opens doors to universities worldwide, and a stepping stone toward a successful aliyah.
Kfar Hasidim offers a comprehensive academic program that prepares students for full Bagrut certification, and the school maintains a high completion rate. Core subjects include literature, history, math, sciences, Tanach, and Oral Torah through dedicated mishna and gemara tracks.
Megamot, or elective tracks, include physics, biology, agriculture, multimedia communications, marketing and filmmaking, art – including graphic design and visual arts, computer networking, coding, music, and more.
An array of chugim and classes to meet diverse interests
After classes end, Kfar Hasidim students have time to relax and enjoy an afternoon snack before participating in homework help sessions at the learning center or diving into a wide variety of extracurriculars.
Students also get to experience hands-on learning through a variety of interesting Makers-space workshops. Options include ceramics, architecture, 3D printing lab, robotics, woodworking, welding, building technologies, textiles, jewelry making, culinary arts, and glass. These Makers-space workshops take place during regular school hours, as part of the daily schedule.
Sports play a significant role in campus life. The school has an on-site swimming pool and fields for volleyball, soccer, and basketball, as well as a gym.
Other extracurriculars include:
Structured evening programs run throughout the week, including a weekly beit midrash program, movie nights, counselor-led activities, and student-driven snack preparation like cookie baking and soup making.
Trips play an important role in student life at Kfar Hasidim. The annual ‘tiyul shnati’ brings the entire kfar together for a countrywide trip, and special excursions are organized specifically for Naale students throughout the year to help them explore and connect with Israel.
Ulpan is an integral part of the Naale experience at Kfar Hasidim. In their first year, Kol Tzofayich students participate in mandatory Hebrew Ulpan to build their Hebrew speaking, reading, and writing skills. This intensive language support ensures students can participate fully in their classes and campus life, as Naale students and Israeli students learn side by side, participate in the same extracurriculars, go on trips together, and share Shabbat experiences. These shared activities create natural opportunities for bonding and building friendships based on common interests and goals. The atmosphere on campus encourages connection among students.
At Kfar Hasidim, Naale students have a home away from home with a strong support system. The staff pays attention to the small things that make Naale students feel at home, including, but not limited to, making sure there’s always enough Hellmann’s mayo, Heinz ketchup, and plenty of milk for our cereal-loving Anglo students. Social workers and madrichim are also available to answer questions, provide support, and stay in touch with parents.
Parents stay closely connected with the Naale coordinator throughout the year. Madrichim are present from morning wake-up to lights out, and students always have who to turn to, whether they need a clinic visit, academic help, or someone to talk to.
Boys and girls dorm separately. Students typically live three to a room, with a bathroom that includes a toilet, shower, and two sinks. Every building has a common area, a laundry room, and a small kitchenette with water filters and microwaves. The school provides sheets and handles laundry every two weeks, though students can use the on-campus laundromat if they prefer.
Three buffet meals are served daily. Breakfast includes hot options like pancakes, scrambled eggs, and French toast alongside an Israeli spread with salad, cheese, puddings, yogurts, and cereals. Lunch features both vegetarian and meat options, while dinner is dairy. In the afternoon, there’s an aruchat arba, a snack time when students can make sandwiches or grab something filling. Every student takes turns with toranut, helping to set, serve, and clean the dining room.
Every school week ends with Shira V’Zimra, a school-wide gathering filled with singing and dancing that sends students into Shabbat on a high note.
Students stay on campus for Shabbat once a month for an “In-Shabbat,” where all students remain on campus and take part in a special community-wide program. On other Shabbatot, Naale students may choose to remain in the village, as it is their home, but they are encouraged to visit family in Israel if they have family there, visit host families assigned to them by the school, or take part in Shabbatonim.
Shabbat on campus is a time for students to relax from their busy week, come together as a community, and experience the spirit of shabbat together. The weekend starts on Thursday nights with sports, baking, and other fun activities. Fridays feature tiyulim and shabbat prep, and motzai shabbatot include melave malka celebrations with great food. The atmosphere is social and warm, filled with singing, dancing, and a strong sense of community.
A Legacy of Absorption
From the Kindertransport to Yemenite, Mizrachi, Ethiopian, Bnei Menashe, Russian, and Ukrainian aliyot, every major wave of immigration has passed through Kfar Hasidim.
National Art Competition Winners
Kfar Hasidim students took 5 of the top places in the 2024 national art competition.
Mountain Biking Champions
The school’s mountain biking team earned first place nationally for the past two years.
International Sports Success
Students compete on national and international teams, with recent second-place finishes at an international competition in Austria for male and female players aged 17 and under.
Student World Zionist Congress Representatives
Students will represent the school at the junior student World Zionist Congress in Vienna in 2026.
