Hebrew Academy of Nassau County

The Hebrew Academy of Nassau County’s New Opportunities Program (NOP) provides a unique and indispensable service to the Greater New York Jewish community. First conceived by HANC’s founder, Rabbi Meyer Fendel, in 1971, the New Opportunities Program allows students with little or no Judaic background to attend a Jewish Day School while receiving an unparalleled General Studies education.

Students enrolled in the NOP program take classes in Chumash, Hebrew language, Jewish History and Jewish Law, studying in small, self-contained classes. This allows them the opportunity to “catch up” on their Judaic knowledge so that they can be mainstreamed into the regular Judaic Studies tracks in their subsequent years at HANC. At the same time, students in NOP benefit from the full array of General Studies courses and participate in all co-curricular and extra-curricular programming, all in an atmosphere that is imbued with Torah values.

NOP’s graduates include doctors, lawyers, and rabbis who have made significant contributions within own their communities and beyond. We are extremely proud that our NOP program has graduated dozens of educated, confident Jews, men and women who are engaged in the world around them. The New Opportunities Program has not just educated students. Through demonstrating a love for Judaism and a caring for Jews, it has transformed families into engaged, committed, and active members of the Jewish community.

Although there are many costs of providing the services and support necessary for a student lacking a Judaic studies background, HANC has made the commitment to the Jewish community to welcome and embrace these students and their families.