Colombia

Colegio Colombo Hebreo School in Bogotá is one of Colombia’s top-ranked schools and is regularly well placed in national rankings.

It is the main source of Jewish education in the Bogotá community and joined the ORT network following an affiliation agreement in 2018, the year CCH celebrated its 70th anniversary. A private K-12 school with around 220 students, it is based on a large campus and its buildings have been regularly remodelled and expanded in recent years. It includes exceptional sports facilities, technology rooms, a library, art center, music hall, greenhouse and synagogue.

The school welcomes students from across the spectrum of the Colombian Jewish community: Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Orthodox, Progressive, Chabad and others. Around 80% of students are Jewish, there is a warm and friendly atmosphere and a strong connection to Israel, with a large percentage of graduates subsequently spending a gap year in Israel or making aliyah.

Colegio Colombo Hebreo shares many of World ORT’s values and is committed to providing students with a contemporary, quality education, motivating them to have a meaningful and intellectual learning experience.

The school had been associated with ORT prior to its formal affiliation – CCH staff have worked in collaboration with ORT Argentina teachers for a number of years on Jewish history programs and STEM programs to share best pedagogical methods and experiences. Strong links have been developed with ORT schools across Latin America following the affiliation.

Three Jewish values are behind the school’s culture and approach: respect, responsibility and empathy. The school promotes project-based learning, problem-solving and multi-disciplinary learning, making its students extremely well-suited to taking part in World ORT’s summer schools and other educational programs. Teachers have joined World ORT development training courses and regularly share ideas on methodology with their ORT peers worldwide.