About Us

Who We Are

Welcome from Michael Kay, Head of School

Imagine yourselves outside on a beautiful sunny spring day, watching with tears of pride in your eyes as your twelfth-grade children, bedecked in green caps and gowns, stand arm-in-arm with dozens of their best friends. They have recently returned from the journey of a lifetime: eight extraordinary weeks with their classmates and gifted guides, following in the footsteps of our ancestors and immersing themselves in the contemporary societies of Poland and Israel. They are now preparing to graduate from High School and assume the mantle of community leadership for which they have been so diligently prepared. In that moment, who do you want your children to be?

Most importantly, you want them to be caring world citizens of strong character, committed to embodying the values with which they have been imbued throughout their lives. You likely want them to be bright, inquisitive scholars, prepared to discuss the major issues of the day with eloquence. You are eager for them to be confident, accomplished learners, having been challenged by a rigorous curriculum and already accepted to one of the top universities in the country—where they will immediately take on crucial leadership roles in advocacy, journalism, and other areas.

Perhaps you aspire for them to be gifted athletes and supportive teammates, still celebrating a league championship. You may want them to be talented artists, actors, musicians, and public speakers. You might want them to be creative engineers, trained in four state-of-the-art makerspaces to solve the world’s intractable challenges with ingenuity and fearlessness—perhaps with a U.S. patent application or two already under their belts.

In that moment, you might want to ensure that your children are committed members of the Jewish community, skilled in analytical study of our sacred texts and eager to practice with joy. And you likely want them to excel in building relationships, having spent 13 years with adults who are passionately invested in their success and classmates who will remain by their side decades later.

At The Leffell School, we share your vision for the development of your children as multi-talented, community-building, future leaders driven toward the betterment of the world—and by the time our seniors don those green caps and gowns each year, we ensure that they are prepared to embody this vision. Located on two lush, 25-acre campuses in Westchester County and drawing students from the Tri-State area and metro New York City, The Leffell School attracts hundreds of families who choose us from among many of the top schooling options in the world. We are an independent school that is deeply committed to socioeconomic diversity and to meeting the needs of students with a wide range of learning styles. And we are a Jewish day school that is anchored in traditional Jewish observance, culture, text, and language, while embracing a broad spectrum of Jewish ideologies and promoting full immersion in the modern world.

We are driven by a passionate refusal to ask our families to compromise on the elements of a schooling experience that are important to them in order to pursue a Jewish education—and a commitment to ensuring that all members of our community feel on a daily basis that a Leffell School education is the best possible investment they can make for their families.

My colleagues and I look forward to welcoming you for a visit to our campuses—and ultimately to joining you on graduation day, overwhelmed with pride and optimism about the people your children will have become.

L’shalom,
Michael Kay

List of 1 items.

  • Michael A. Kay, PhD

    Head of School
At The Leffell School, we share your vision for the development of your children as multi-talented, community-building, future leaders driven toward the betterment of the world

Our Mission & Core Values

The Leffell School, a Kindergarten through 12th grade independent Jewish day school, is set apart by our comprehensive, intellectually rigorous dual curriculum that empowers and cultivates each student in mind, body, and soul. Through the teaching of Jewish values, critical thinking, and openness to new ideas, we inspire our students to achieve academic and personal excellence, preparing them for college and the ever- changing world beyond.

We are a kehilah, a caring community that fosters the joyous practice of Jewish life. We instill in our graduates the confidence to navigate life's journey with a strong moral compass and apply their passions, knowledge, and skills to the betterment of the Jewish people, the United States, Israel, and the world.

List of 6 items.

  • 1

    ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
    ללמוד וללמד

    Empowering every student to think critically and creatively while instilling a lifelong passion for learning
  • 2

    CHARACTER
    מידות וגמילות חסדים

    Cultivating a sense of obligation to act with kindness, respect, integrity, and the recognition that our tradition regards every individual as having been created in the divine image
  • 3

    CITIZENSHIP
    אזרחות

    Developing engaged citizens who participate thoughtfully in the civic discourse of our local area, the United States, and the broader world
  • 4

    COMMUNITY
    קהילה

    Building enduring connections, instilling a sense of shared responsibility, and promoting engagement with diverse perspectives
  • 5

    JOYOUS JEWISH LEARNING AND PRACTICE
    תלמוד תורה ומצוה בשמחה

    Nurturing joyful, meaningful commitment to observance, tefilah, text study, and Hebrew language, within an anchoring framework of halachic practice
  • 6

    LOVE OF ISRAEL
    אהבת ישראל

    Fostering a connection with the people, land, and State of Israel, and recognizing their centrality to Jewish identity

History of The Leffell School

The Leffell School Board of Trustees 2024-2025

Officers

List of 8 items.

  • Tom Mukamal

    President
  • Lynette Goldberg

    At-Large Vice President
  • Barry Lovell

    At-Large Vice President
  • Stacey Wechsler

    At-Large Vice President
  • Ella Chinitz (MS 1995)

    Development Vice President
  • Michael Benn

    Finance Vice President
  • Jeff Teitelbaum

    Governance Vice President
  • Ian Dumain

    SECRETARY

Trustees

  • Joel Alsfine
  • Leon Brujis
  • Jason Friedlander
  • Ben Golub
  • Brittany Harris
  • Steven Herbst
  • Gary Katz
  • April Klein
  • Liz Landau
  • Sarah Nanus
  • Beth Nechamkin
  • Noah Oppenheim
  • Michael Perl
  • Robert Promisel
  • Adi Rabinowitz
  • Milos Silber (Class of 2005)
  • Joanna Stein
Lifetime Trustees
Michael Leffell
Gabriel Nechamkin
Ex Officio Members of the Board
Dr. Michael A. Kay
Ariella Goodman
Lisa Shapiro (MS 2000)

Headmaster Emeritus
Dr. Elliot Spiegel
Honorary Trustees
Karen Estrin
Jason Friedland (MS 1988)
Lower School Campus (K-5)
30 Dellwood Road
White Plains, NY 10605
914-948-3111
Upper School Campus (6-12)
555 West Hartsdale Avenue
Hartsdale, NY 10530
914-948-8333