Centers for learning—both formal and informal—are a cornerstone of Koret’s investment in the Bay Area. Over the years, we have funded many spaces where people gather to learn, including the Koret Reading Room at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, the auditorium at the San Francisco Public Library, and the education center at SFMOMA. Additionally, Koret-supported institutions like Jewish Community Centers and universities provide critical spaces for education and for fostering community. As we head into a new school year, we are reflecting on what goes into creating environments that promote learning—and the love of learning.

At Ronald C. Wornick Jewish Day School, extensive renovations will provide an inclusive, technology-integrated campus that will enhance the school’s stellar curriculum and support a strong Jewish community. Wornick’s fresh thinking about educational space is this newsletter’s featured story. We also showcase Teach For America’s new teacher institute, which uses a hybrid model to create shared learning spaces for new educators as they prepare for their two-year teaching commitment in some of the country’s highest-need schools.

Other related stories include a recent successful national student convening hosted by the Israel on Campus Coalition,  Common Sense Media’s response to AI in classrooms, and the grand reopening of San Francisco’s Congregation Emanu-El.

In Judaism, synagogues are longstanding centers for learning. As we head into the Jewish High Holidays, congregants and guests will gather to reflect and study together. Whether you observe the holidays in a traditional setting or not, this is a season for listening and learning with and from one another.

Jeffrey Farber
CEO