When Hurricane Ida swept through Queens in September 2021, Rabbi Shmuel Kogan abandoned his car and waded through flooded streets toward Ganeinu Academy in Fresh Meadows. More than two feet of water had accumulated against the school’s glass entrance, with some pouring into the lower level. After seeing the damage, he called his wife, Shevy, with devastating news: Their school had been destroyed.
Five years later, on Friday, October 16, the Kogans welcomed students, parents, educators, philanthropists, and community leaders to the dedication of Ganeinu’s new building on Utopia Parkway. The celebration, titled “One School, One Community, One Big Event,” marked twelve years of growth for an institution that had become an important part of Jewish life for many Queens families.
Ganeinu opened in 2014 as a preschool housed in the former Utopia Jewish Center, under the leadership of Rabbi Shmuel and Mrs. Shevy Kogan, with the founding support of Lev Leviev, president of the World Congress of Bukharian Jews. Its name, Hebrew for “our garden,” reflected a philosophy of recognizing each child’s abilities and encouraging them to grow. Combining academics with Torah learning and individual attention, Ganeinu became particularly meaningful to Bukharian, Sephardic, Israeli, and Russian-speaking families, including those whose parents or grandparents had lived under Soviet restrictions on Jewish religious life.
The Kogans’ work extended beyond the classroom. Through afterschool activities, programs for children attending public schools, and outreach to teenagers, they helped families discover opportunities for Jewish learning and observance. As demand increased, Ganeinu added elementary grades in 2019. By December 2020, architectural plans were underway for an expansion that would accommodate its growing enrollment and provide space for a more interactive approach to education.
Those plans were already in motion when Ida struck. Classrooms and supplies prepared for the new academic year were ruined, leaving the Kogans searching for a way to keep their students together. Parents faced the possibility of transferring their children elsewhere, while the school needed space and funding to resume instruction.
The response was immediate. Within days, supporters raised more than $200,000. Parents offered financial and practical assistance, while teenagers who had benefited from the Kogans’ outreach programs contributed their own money. Rachel Aronova donated part of her summer earnings despite her family having already contributed. Another youngster brought Mrs. Kogan an envelope filled with dollar bills. Their donations were especially meaningful because they came from young people who wanted others to benefit from the same programs that had helped them.
At a meeting following the damage, parents urged the Kogans to continue. Rabbi Kogan secured six classrooms at another location, enough to accommodate every class while the school recovered. Angela Shimunov, whose family was part of Ganeinu, summed up what the institution meant to its families: “It’s not just a school; it’s a community.”
The expansion proceeded. Construction began in September 2024, and by May 2026, nearly 200 supporters gathered inside the largely completed three-story addition for a fundraising evening. At the October dedication, guests toured bright classrooms, a science lab, library, art studio, maker space, gymnasium, indoor and outdoor gardens, and playgrounds. Designed around a Reggio-inspired approach that encourages exploration, collaboration, and hands-on learning, the campus provides room for Ganeinu to continue adding grades through eighth.
Among those celebrating was Noah, a fifth grader whose earliest school memories were shaped by the events of 2021. “Believe it or not, my very first day of school was the day of the big flood,” he recalled. Noah remembered asking principal Mrs. Kogan whether Ganeinu could someday have a science lab. Standing in the completed building, he proudly reported that the lab had become his favorite part of the school.
For Rabbi Kogan, the new facilities represented the efforts of the families, educators, and benefactors who had helped Ganeinu reach this moment. “This building is about far more than walls and classrooms,” he explained, thanking Mr. Leviev and his family for supporting a school where children could discover their abilities while developing a lasting connection to their Jewish heritage.
Another student, sixth grader David, described how Jewish educational programs supported by the Leviev family had changed his household. His older brother and sister attended Sunday Hebrew school at the Jewish Institute of Queens and Ohr Avner Day Camp. Inspired by those experiences, they persuaded their parents to enroll them in yeshivah, with his brother entering in fifth grade and his sister in second. David became the first child in his family to begin his yeshivah education in kindergarten.
“I may be young, but I understand how special this opportunity is, and I am truly grateful,” he told the gathering. He spoke about the friendships he had formed, the Torah he had learned, and the sense of belonging he felt at Ganeinu. On behalf of the sixth graders, the school’s oldest class, David presented Lev and Olga Leviev with artwork depicting the new building. He also expressed the hope that he could someday help other Jewish children as they had helped him.
Mr. Leviev traveled from Israel with his wife, Olga, for the dedication. They were joined by their daughter, Chagit Sofiev Leviev, president of the Congress of Bukharian Jews of the United States and Canada, and her husband, Gabriel Sofiev. Through the Ohr Avner educational network and other initiatives, the Leviev family has supported Jewish schools and programs across the former Soviet Union, Israel, Europe, and the United States. Rabbi Kogan welcomed them with appreciation for Mr. Leviev’s concern for individual children who might otherwise lack access to Jewish education.
Among the guests were Israeli Consul General Ofir Akunis, Congresswoman Grace Meng, Assemblywoman Nily Rozic, Ohr Avner USA directors Rabbi Zalman Zvulunov and Rabbi Levi Yitzchok Volowik, Rabbi Yehuda Blau of Ohr Avner in Israel, and Rabbi Sholom Duchman, executive director of Colel Chabad.
Congresswoman Meng reflected on her own upbringing in a religious school and the influence it had on her life. Addressing the concerns facing Jewish families amid rising antisemitism, she emphasized that no child should feel threatened because of religion, appearance, or Jewish identity. She pledged continued support for security at schools and houses of worship and presented congressional proclamations recognizing Ganeinu Academy and the Leviev family. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards also honored them with citations presented through a representative.
Chagit Sofiev Leviev thanked the officials and community leaders for their support, noting that her father’s brief New York visit had included another school dedication in the Five Towns the previous day. She introduced Consul General Akunis, who spoke about preserving Jewish heritage through education. “No roots, no trees, no future,” he declared, thanking the Leviev family and recognizing Rabbi Zvulunov and the Kogans for their work.
Mr. Leviev used his remarks to urge those gathered to consider how much more could be accomplished. Although pleased to see another Jewish school open, he described the achievement as “one drop from the ocean” compared with the number of Jewish children still lacking opportunities to learn their history and traditions. Recalling schools and kindergartens he had helped establish in the former Soviet Union, he shared how the Lubavitcher Rebbe had encouraged him to do more rather than rest upon his achievements. He expressed hope that children benefiting from Ganeinu would one day help provide similar opportunities for others.
The students had also prepared something that would remain at the school long after the celebration. In an art project coordinated by Moully Art, each child shaped and decorated a metal Hebrew letter for a specially designed mezuzah case. Parents and guests participated as well, contributing letters to the installation at the entrance. Rabbi Kogan explained that the project reflected Ganeinu’s emphasis on experiential learning, allowing the children to take part in the dedication rather than simply watch it.
As the decorative case was completed, Rabbi David Shushan, the sofer, finished writing the final letters of the mezuzah scroll. Nearly all the honored guests took turns placing a hand on his arm as he carefully formed the letters, including Mr. Leviev. The completed scroll was placed inside its case, and Mr. Leviev affixed the mezuzah to the entrance.
For principal Mrs. Kogan, the children’s involvement was especially meaningful. “What made this event so special was that our students were not just watching a ceremony. They were part of creating it,” she explained. The letters they decorated would remain at the doorway, giving each child something familiar to see upon arriving at school.
In another spontaneous exchange, a young student eagerly recounted the story of Yaakov and Eisav from Parshas Vayishlach. The child described Eisav approaching with 400 men, Yaakov’s fear and the gifts he prepared, and the brothers’ eventual embrace. After receiving praise for the explanation, the youngster turned to Mr. Leviev with a simple request: “Can you give me a blessing?”
For the children, the dedication was a day of new classrooms, honored visitors, and shared celebration. For the families who remembered Ganeinu’s uncertain days, it was also a chance to see how far the school had come.
Now, each morning, its students enter a building with room for their growing classes, passing a mezuzah case bearing the letters they helped create. The new doorway welcomes children into a school built through the efforts of families, educators, and supporters who have remained committed to their future.
By Shabsie Saphirstein
Photos Courtesy of Kaykov Media
From Floodwaters To A New Home: Ganeinu Academy’s Twelve-Year Story
Typography
- Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
- Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times
- Reading Mode