How community vision is opening the Constantia Jewish Montessori School
Herzlia’s announcement of the closure of Kerem pre-school in February 2025 hit hard. 32 families lost their pre-school, and the Southern Suburbs no longer had a Jewish option for early childhood education. Rather than accepting defeat, a group of Kerem parents decided to take action to ensure that their children could have a Jewish education.
A school built by parents
What’s emerged from months of planning is the Constantia Jewish Montessori School, opening in January 2026 on the Kerem campus. The parents have been driving this from start to finish, organising meetings, handling the fundraising, sorting out the budgets, and even designing the logo.
The group involved Rebbetzin Zeesy Deren, who brought in educator Jos Horwitz to guide the educational approach with her, and other community activists to support the parents’ quest. “The parents have been the driving force,” says Michelle Stein, a Kerem parent, inspired by EOLI, involved in bringing the school to fruition. “We organised everything and pushed to make it happen. But Jos and Zeesy’s expertise has been crucial in shaping what the school actually is.”
A boutique approach
The school will use the Montessori method, with mixed-age classrooms where older kids help younger ones learn and in turn, boost their confidence, with everyone’s individualised skills meeting them where they are at. It’s a practical approach for a smaller school, and it means children get to know one another across different ages, much like a family, and the real world.
Interest from across the Southern Suburbs
The school has already confirmed 10 families for 2026, with more families interested. It’s striking that people are willing to travel – families have reached out from Kenilworth, Noordhoek, even Kommetjie.
“There’s real hunger for this,” says Jos Horwitz, who’s been handling enrolment. “Many parents didn’t even know Kerem existed, and now they’re excited to have a Jewish pre-school option closer to home.”
The uptake reflects findings from the Kaplan Centre’s 2019 survey of Cape Town Jewry, which showed 25 percent of the community lives in the Southern Suburbs. The conversations held with prospective parents reveal that many families are new to the area. High property prices have driven them from the Atlantic Seaboard to find homes with more space for growing families. This suggests the percentage could grow significantly. The school believes it will become an anchor for Jewish family life in the Southern Suburbs in the future.
A partnership with Constantia Hebrew Congregation
The school shares space with the Constantia Hebrew Congregation at the Kerem campus, so bringing new life to the building. For the school, it means being part of a living, breathing Jewish community from Day One. Pre-school families will naturally connect with shul activities and events. The arrangement is mutually beneficial – the congregation gains vibrant energy from young families, and the school will be embedded in an established Jewish community rather than existing in isolation. It’s a partnership built on the understanding that institutions strengthen one another.
What comes next?
When those first children walk through the doors in January 2026, they’ll be stepping into something special. Not just a school, but a space shaped by parents who refused to accept loss, and rather to build something better instead. That’s the kind of community these kids will inherit. ●
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