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Asked to lead TVT for three months, Dr. Bernice Tabak Kirzner stayed for 15 years. We honor the leadership that helped our young school grow, from planning and opening the Irvine campus to earning national recognition, while keeping Jewish life and learning at its heart.
How did your TVT story begin?
In 1991, when TVT opened at the original Costa Mesa campus, I enrolled my children there. I was invited to join the Board of Directors and happily did so. Shortly after the start of the 1992 school year, the Director parted ways and I was asked to step in for a three-month period while the Board conducted a search for a new Director. They were not successful in filling the position within that time frame, so I agreed to finish out the school year, although it was challenging running a school while raising four young children. As the end of the school year approached, the Board asked if I was willing to take on the position permanently. I thought long and hard, took a very deep breath, and accepted the offer. So three months turned into 15 years… and one of the best decisions of my life.
What is one TVT moment, relationship, or experience that has stayed with you?
The planning and opening of the Irvine campus was a process and accomplishment that will remain with me forever. I served as part of a small cadre of people that traveled throughout California visiting schools, assessing sites, and working with the architects to develop plans to create a state-of-the-art Jewish day school. It was an extraordinary experience that I will always cherish. I was there from the start and have always felt that TVT was like my “baby.”
What is your hope for TVT's next 36 years?
My hope is that TVT continues to evolve into a strong center for Jewish life and learning while incorporating the latest technological, academic and artistic innovations. If we want our people to survive, we need to prioritize Jewish life and learning at our Jewish day schools. If not now, when? If not us, who?
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