Why Schools love
visits from Rabbi Zvi
more items to be posted soon
(August 2026)
We have just relaunched at our new domain name so are behind on updating this page. Posts from visits up to July 2025 can be found by scrolling down. This past year’s items will be posted soon.
Feedback through July 2026 (click to collapse)
Uplands Primary School and Nursery & Forest Learning Alliance
(in person visit, July 2025)
Dear Jewish Community of Berkshire, I wanted to extend my heartfelt thanks on behalf of myself, my Year 1 class, and the whole school for Rabbi Zvi’s wonderful visit last week. It was such a pleasure to welcome him back this year — his return was greatly anticipated, and he did not disappoint! His engaging talk about Judaism, its rich history and traditions, brought the subject to life for the children. Through his use of clothing, symbolism, and meaningful artefacts, he gave the children a memorable insight into Jewish culture and beliefs.
The beautiful paintings he shared, along with his explanations of key events and important buildings, really helped the children visualise and connect with what they were learning. They particularly enjoyed learning about the Sabbath and Shabbat, and were thrilled to taste challah bread and grape juice — a truly multi-sensory and inclusive experience. Rabbi Zvi’s ability to communicate with children in such a warm, humorous, and joyful way is a gift. His whole-school assembly was equally inspiring, leaving both staff and pupils smiling and uplifted.
Please pass on our sincere thanks to Rabbi Zvi for sharing his time, knowledge, and spirit with us. We look forward to welcoming him again in the future.
Warmest regards,
Stuart McCann, Class Teacher
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Banbury
(in person visit, June 2025)
The Rabbi asked many questions and answered so many more. He was wonderful with our children and crossed so much with other religions. We all found it really informative and detailed; we liked how the information linked to other religions and experiences that we had.
Chiltern Hills Academy
(in person visit, June 2025)
Engaging, interactive and meaningful. The Rabbi is clearly experienced and interacted well with both pupils and staff. Topics explored covered a wide range of Beliefs and Practices in Judaism.
Dr Radcliffe’s Church of England Primary School
(in person visit, May 2025)
Rabbi Zvi has so much knowledge and is very approachable for the children. We really loved the prayers in Hebrew and relating the learning about Shabbat to the children’s own experiences. Thank you, all our children thoroughly enjoyed the sessions!
The Batt Church of England Primary School
(in person visit, February 2025)
The Rabbi really brought Judaism to life for the children. He made it fun and interesting for them. I liked that he brought along clothing and other artefacts for them to see and try. The children really enjoyed trying the Passover food. The children were talking about the visit afterwards and they reported back to their parents how much they liked it.
St. Mark’s Church of England Primary School Basingstoke
(in person visit, January 2025)
We loved how Rabbi Zvi connected the different beliefs from different faiths to Jewish beliefs to help build children’s understanding. He also told the story in an engaging manner for the children, involving them and encouraging them to copy actions and phrases. This helped the children to learn and remember more.
It was also fantastic that he shared what Jews do in response to these beliefs as this helped our children to understand the importance of Passover to many people of Jewish faith. It was lovely to hear him singing and speaking Hebrew too. We’d definitely book him again.
— Assistant Head Teacher
Olive Tree Primary School Bolton
(virtual visit, October 2024)
The children really enjoyed the session and found it very informative. This was particularly evident in the next RE lesson as they seemed to know all about the topic. They kept saying, “The Rabbi told us all about it.”
It was nice for them to make a lot of connections with their learning and with Islam.
— Tseni Abolarin, UKS2 Leader and Science Lead
St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School
(June 2024)
Children were able to learn about aspects of Jewish faith from an authentic speaker.
Thank you so much for a wonderful, informative session.
Oaklands Junior School
(June 2024)
Rabbi Zvi is very engaging with the children and makes them feel part of the discussion and learning. Lots of visuals and stories to aid their understanding.
— Paula Jones, Class Teacher
St Andrew’s Church of England Primary School (Chinnor)
(May 2024)
Very informative — thank you again for a great visit!
— Eleanor Smith, Year 4 class teacher
Clanfield CE Primary School
(March 2024)
Rabbi Zvi was extremely engaging and the children really responded to him. With the workshop including a mixture of listening and practical activities, this gave the children a more immersive experience. The children also enjoyed being able to taste the ‘wine’ and bread.
Hatch Ride School
(December 2023)
Rabbi Zvi was very engaging and a fantastic storyteller. The children loved the resources that he brought in and they were fascinated with the stories that he told. We all enjoyed the afternoon and we are looking forward to his visit in the future!
Alderbury and West Grimstead Church of England Primary School
(November 2023)
The children loved the food tasting — the delicious treats and the not so delicious! As a teacher, what I enjoyed most was seeing how included all the children were and how Rabbi Zvi drew comparisons with any religions represented in the room.
Thank you so much. Rabbi Zvi is fantastic with the children. I also find him so interesting and would enjoy nothing more than to share a cuppa with him and to pepper him with questions!
St Edward’s Catholic Primary, Darwen
(virtual visit, November 2023)
The visit was very well pitched to the age group (Year 2) and Rabbi Zvi covered all the learning that we requested.
He kept the children engaged with stories and by showing us items from the Jewish faith including the Shabbat table.
The children loved the stories with the animal actions too and the dad joke!
Thank you so much.
St Patrick’s Catholic Primary School, Romford
(virtual visit, October 2023)
In year 3 we had a lesson on Judaism on Monday with the virtual Rabbi visit on the Friday – this really helped bring the topic alive and make it more meaningful for the children.
The children were engaged and communicated well with the Rabbi.
They particularly enjoyed the story telling. They were able to link their learning from our lesson to the teachings from the Rabbi.
St Alban’s Catholic Primary School
(October 2023)
Y3/4 listened to Rabbi Solomons in a workshop full of wonderful stories, the history of Judaism, the Torah and Jewish children. We all found it most informative and it really enhanced the children’s learning about the Jewish faith.
Shipston Primary School
(October 2023)
Rabbi Zvi was super with the children and was very patient with the children. The visit was very informative and has helped develop the children’s understanding.
Older reviews (2020-2022) Click to expand
Stokenchurch Primary School
(February 2022)
The children felt like they learned lots and their learning was more memorable because you bought real objects and things to eat, drink, touch and listen to.
They enjoyed hearing you ‘sing the Torah.’
They were confident using new terms like ‘Kippah’ ‘Torah’ and ‘Mezuzah’ and had a greater appreciation for what these represent.
One pupil wrote “When we did the prayer it was like magic because the candles just lit!” – you inspired excitement and enthusiasm for their learning.
Another child wrote “I think that Judaism is a wonderful religion and you should be proud.” It’s lovely to hear children form genuine respect and admiration for another religion.
One child called your visit “life changing and I never knew how similar Islam and Judaism were.”
Salesian School
(July 2022)
He is great at adapting to our needs and questions, and so clear and engaging in his explanations.
St Anne’s Catholic School
(virtual visit, July 2022)
I just wanted to send a massive ‘THANK YOU’ to both you and Rabbi Zvi for a fantastic day on Thursday. We really enjoyed it and loved listening to Rabbi Zvi. He was great fun and interactive. Some of the girls wanted me to send you a photo of their sukkahs that they made on the day.
The Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School
(June 2022)
Really enjoyed the religious artefacts the Rabbi brought in and loved the Q and A session at the end.
— Patrick Kelly, RE Head of KS3,
Camelsdale Primary School
(May 2022)
It was great from start to finish. Rabbi Zvi made all the children feel included, explained things beautifully and at their level.
— Lindsay Russell, RE Subject Leader,
Garston Manor School
(May 2022)
The workshop was marvellous! Rabbi Zvi made everyone feel at ease and interested in finding out about Judaism. The students particularly enjoyed trying on the kippahs and tallits.
Hanborough Manor CofE School
(May 2022)
Rabbi Zvi was adaptable and was able to tailor his learning to the children’s interests. He kept the children engaged and he knew a lot about all areas of Judaism. The children were able to try some of the food from a Passover meal, and wear Kippahs which is memorable for them.
Thorngrove Lower School
(April 2022)
Radnor House
(April 2022)
Rabbi Zvi was a clear and inspirational speaker, and our pupils gained a lot from his visit for our interfaith talk. It was excellent to hear Rabbi Zvi’s views on faith in the modern world, the problem of evil and the compatibility of Judaism and science. Thank you very much, and we hope to have you back in the school again soon.
— Oliver Clarke, Head of Religious Studies and Philosophy
Willow Bank Junior School
(March 2022, virtual visit)
It was very interesting and informative. Chn loved it so thank you. I learnt lots as a teacher too.
Brimpton Church of England Primary School
(November 2021)
“The Rabbi was kind and happy” — year 4 pupil. “He made me feel happy” — year 5 pupil. “I really enjoyed it when the Rabbi was telling us about people’s names” — year 4 pupil. “I liked seeing the hats and things and we were allowed to try them on” — year 3 pupil.
I was totally in awe of the Rabbi’s knowledge of other world religions and the way he engaged with our children of different faiths but also made the children who have yet to find their faith feel that was ok too.
— Zoe Baker, RE lead
All Saints Inter-church Academy Cambridgeshire
(November 2021, virtual visit)
The fact that Rabbi Zvi has a wonderfully calm manner with the children. He was so respectful to the fact that we are a church school and made lovely links to what the children already knew and the session he was leading. I would highly recommend!
The extras were great and have meant that we are starting to build up some good quality Judaism resources.
St Theresa’s Catholic Primary School
(November 2021, virtual visit)
On Monday 15th November the whole school took part in a virtual visit from Rabbi Zvi Solomons. We loved taking part in the Zoom visit and listening to Rabbi Solomon’s story. The moral of the story was that it is very important to say sorry as soon as you realise you have done something wrong, even though it can be hard to say.
St. Vincent’s Catholic Primary School
(November 2021, virtual visit)
The children were fascinated to see the photos of sacred sites in Jerusalem, including those special to our own faith. We really appreciated the fact that you highlighted links between our faiths so the children could see similarities. The children enjoyed watching / listening to Rabbi Zvi praying in Hebrew. stvincents.school
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary Hanwell
(October 2021)
By communicating well with the school, the sessions were very relevant to our topic work and either introduced or extended the learning in RE. Rabbi Zvi held the children’s attention with his interesting and charismatic storytelling. The children loved tasting the bread and juice as well as seeing all the articles, including the blowing of the shofar! — Mrs Ingham, RE Co-ordinator, www.stjosephshanwell.org.uk
St Peters CofE Farnham
(June 2021)
Engaging delivery which holds children’s attention. Children are able see how practising Jews use the artefacts and learn first hand, the symbolism and meanings attached to these. Children are also given an insight into the direct links with Christianity which although they learn in school, become more pertinent when they come directly from the Rabbi. We value these sessions as CPD for teachers as well. www.stpeters-farnham.surrey.sch.uk
Chandlers Ford Infant School
(June 2021, virtual visit)
Rabbi Zvi, thank you so much for a fantastic talk via Zoom with us! The children absolutely loved it, they learnt so much and were really well engaged with the session. It has really enhanced their learning experience this year. www.chandlersford-inf.hants.sch.uk
St Augustine’s Catholic Primary School
(June 2021, virtual visit)
Please could you thank Rabbi Zvi Solomons for a very informative presentation. My class loved it and it was an excellent start to Faith Week as the children begin to learn about Judaism. — Year 3 class, www.staugustineskenilworth.co.uk
St John Catholic Primary School
(June 2021, virtual visit)
Thank-you so much, St John’s really enjoyed Rabbi Zvi’s virtual visit last week. It really helped engage and interest children in their learning about Judaism and helped ‘bring it to life’ for them in a way we could not have achieved ourselves. I liked the interaction with different classes specifically, made the children feel directly involved. — Marian Lally, year 2 teacher, www.stjohns705.herts.sch.uk
Grazeley Parochial Church of England Aided Primary School
(June 2021)
We liked the props and interactive opportunities. The children enjoyed the opportunities to answer and ask lots of questions! Rabbi was highly knowledgeable and shared lots of information with adults to follow up with after the session to help further inform children. grazeleyprimaryschool.co.uk
Edward Feild Primary School
(May 2021, virtual visit)
Despite the workshop being virtual, the children were very engaged. It was highly interactive, with lots of questions being posed to the children, and the stories were appropriate for their level so they could access them easily.
St Andrew’s and St Mark’s CofE Junior School
(March 2021, virtual visit)
The children engaged well with the Rabbi’s stories — he has a wonderful tone! They also enjoyed examining the props closely to make links with what he was teaching them. — Emily Woodward, RE Subject Leader, www.sasm.kingston.sch.uk
Khalsa Primary School
(December 2020, virtual visit)
Thank you SO MUCH to Rabbi Zvi, our children were delighted to meet him and really enjoyed learning so much about Judaism. We found everything Rabbi Zvi said very informative and interesting.
Eden Girls School
(November 2020, virtual visit)
Despite the lesson being online it was interactive and the Rabbi had a variety of visual objects to support and engage learners. — Nafees Aslam, Head of Religious Education, www.edengirlsslough.com
Bhaktivedanata Manor Primary School
(November 2020, virtual visit)
He has a lovely energy and good story teller. Rabbi Zvi was able to catch the attention of our younger students who can be very fidgety. It was perfectly pitched to all our year groups. gurukula.org.uk
Stoke Row CE Primary School
(October 2020, virtual visit)
Rabbi Zvi was really engaging and the children really enjoyed it. The story he told and getting them to join in was lovely. It was also great when he showed the children different objects which are important in the Jewish religion. Thank you — the children really learnt a lot. — Mrs Charlotte Whittle, Head Teacher, www.stoke-row-school.co.uk
Liden Primary School
(October 2020, virtual visit)
“It was really great talking and listening to someone who knew so much about Rosh Hashanah and it was fun seeing all of the different things that he had with him too!” — Year 6 student, www.liden-pri.swindon.sch.uk
South Farnham School
(September 2020)
The year 5 children love meeting him each year and learning about Judaism. They are captivated by his storytelling and wonderful manner. www.south-farnham.surrey.sch.uk
Older reviews (2017-2019) Click to expand
St Edmunds Catholic Primary School
(November 2019)
Rabbi Zvi was amazing and the children and staff were all so engaged. www.stedmundsschool.co.uk
Mount Carmel Catholic Primary
(November 2019)
The children really enjoyed working with the objects and hearing about how they are all used. www.mountcarmel.ealing.sch.uk
St Peter’s CofE Primary School Farnham
(June 2019)
Thank you for the inspiring talk you gave the children last week in St.Peter’s School. I picked my daughter up and her friend after school, who came for a playdate, and they were chattering away very happily about what they had learnt – some even I didn’t know about which they thought was fun!
— Alison, parent
Eton End School
(March 2019)
Great interaction with the children, they were engaged and came away with a better understanding of Judaism and other religions including Islam and Christianity. Enjoyed how the Rabbi was encouraging the children to think deeper about why there are particular religious practices… asking the children many why questions. The children thoroughly enjoyed the session.
Selborne School
(February 2019)
The Year 4 lead teacher said to me that the Rabbi was able to adapt his style of teaching to suit our cohort of children, who are predominantly Muslim and Christian, and he was able to draw comparisons between these faiths and the Jewish faith to make it even more engaging and relevant for them. We appreciate the effort that the Rabbi made during his visit to our school.
— Olivia Ormerod, RE coordinator
The Cedars Primary School
(February 2019)
Pitched the talk PERFECTLY for our children who have behaviour difficulties, ASD and ADHD. Kept them interested throughout. Absolutely BRILLIANT!
— Mary Farmer, class teacher
Long Marston VA C of E Primary School
(January 2019)
Rabbi Zvi is a great story teller! The assembly was wonderful and the message from the story was one all the children could relate to. Our KS2 children really enjoyed the stories he told in the workshops and we felt they learnt a lot from meeting Rabbi Zvi.
— Wendy Soar, RE subject leader
St Anne’s Catholic Primary School
(November 2018)
The Rabbi engaged the children with his knowledge. The children enjoyed having things to look at and wear — very hands-on. They learnt a lot about Judaism. — Leanne Harris, Head Teacher www.stannes-chertsey.surrey.sch.uk
E P Collier Primary School
(June 2018)
The abundance of knowledge the Rabbi shared with the children at an appropriate level of learning was great, sharing jokes and interacting well with them. He also made good links with other religions that helped our multi-cultural catchment, as well as the British Values we hold here. The children also really enjoyed the prayer shawls, kippurs and the range of resources used.
— Kathryn Barnes, class teacher E P Collier Primary School
Western House Academy
(March 2018)
Rabbi Zvi provided a wonderful introduction to Judaism especially as we do not have any Jewish children in our school. His story telling skills captivated the children and staff and children all learnt such a lot. I really appreciated his respectful attitude towards other religions.
— Brenda Rolfe, class teacher
Marist Preparatory School
(March 2018)
The girls thoroughly enjoyed your thought-provoking assembly and workshops on Shabbat and Passover. — Aoife Jones, class teacher www.themaristschools.com
Wooden Hill Primary
(February 2018)
Rabbi Zvi was very engaging and there was so much content. The children really enjoyed the session and were fully engaged the whole time. They all were very positive about the experience. — Suzanne Collett, RE coordinator www.woodenhill.bracknell-forest.sch.uk
Chieveley Primary
(February 2018)
The Rabbi is very engaging with all the children. It is always lovely how he draws on any child’s religious experiences or beliefs and makes them relevant and important to the workshop. — Rachael Parsonson, class teacher www.chieveleyschool.co.uk
Uffington C of E Primary
(November 2017)
The talks are so engaging and he really holds the children’s interest. The interactive elements keep the children engaged. — Felicity Blockley, Assistant Headteacher uffingtonschool.co.uk
Springfield Primary School
(October 2017)
Rabbi Zvi kept the children very engaged. They remembered much information even after the half term break. We liked how he talked to the children of different faiths and made them proud of their religion and beliefs. This fitted very well with our work on anti-bullying: “All Different All Equal.” — Rosalind Somerville, RE coordinator springfieldprimary.org
Marlborough St Mary’s School
(July 2017)
All the children found the interactive and fun workshop thoroughly engaging and informative. It has certainly enhanced our teaching of Judaism enormously. — Mandy Cook, RE Co‑ordinator marlboroughstmarys.wilts.sch.uk
Luckley House School
(May 2017)
The students had a really good time and I was amazed how much of the information they had taken in when I had a lesson with them the next day. They enjoyed the stories and most of all enjoyed the practical involvement.
— Katherine Matsuya, Head of Religious Studies
Tavistock Infant School
(April 2017)
“I really enjoyed the Rabbi visiting our class. The best bit was hearing the stories he told.” — Jessica, Squirrel Class www.tavistockinfants.co.uk
Easthampstead Park Community School
(February 2017)
Just before half-term, Year 8 and 7 students had the opportunity to listen to a talk given by Rabbi Zvi Solomons from the Jewish Community of Berkshire. The Rabbi invited students into his ‘mock’ Synagogue and, in accordance to Jewish tradition, sat the boys (all wearing yamulke skull caps) and girls on different sides. Rabbi Zvi explored the many comparisons between Jewish culture and other ways of life, culminating in him telling the story of Purim. Purim is a festival that has many similarities with Christmas – families get together, a feast is devoured, the adults dress up in interesting outfits and are permitted to enjoy a drink or two! It was a pleasure to welcome Rabbi Zvi and we look forward to seeing him again.
Kidmore End School
(January 2017)
Farnborough Hill
(December 2016)
Thameside School
(November 2016)
Thank you so much for the wonderful visit today. All of the children were completely captivated by the sessions and the teachers reported how wonderfully inclusive the teaching was. Thank you! www.thameside.oxon.sch.uk
Spinfield School, Marlow
(June 2016)
Two fantastic sessions on Shabbat and Passover. The children were really interested and enjoyed tasting the food and drink. They were hooked straight away! Lots of lovely stories told too. www.spinfieldschool.co.uk
Holme Grange School
(April 2016)
We absolutely loved having Rabbi Zvi for the morning. I certainly learnt a lot, as did the children. I was very taken with the analogy of unleavened bread — being humble and not puffed up with pride. — Andrew Rex, Head of RE
Holy Trinity School, Cookham
(March 2016)
Thank you so much for coming to our school last Wednesday and delivering such interesting workshops to our children. It really was a very special day which everyone enjoyed very much indeed. Having spoken to the children after the event, they all spoke positively about how interesting it was to learn from you. They really enjoyed hearing your stories and the way you used the items you had brought with you to bring discussions to life. The staff also enjoyed meeting you as did our Foundation Governor who had only expected to pop into one session but in fact ended up staying all day as she found the sessions so interesting. She has since emailed me to say just how much she enjoyed the day.
I am also delighted that you enjoyed your day with us. Thank you so much for the kind and positive comments you sent in your email. We have worked so hard on developing our approach to RE and ensuring our school is a welcoming place where everyone is valued so it is lovely to hear that, as a visitor to Holy Trinity, you sensed it. I plan to share your comments with the children who I know will feel very proud that they made you feel so welcome. I do hope very much that our paths cross again in the future but for now, thank you again for making Wednesday such a special experience which we will remember for a long time to come. www.holytrinitycofeprimaryschoolcookham.co.uk
St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Newbury
(October 2015)
Rabbi Zvi visited our school for a morning and we couldn’t be more delighted in the workshops that he led our children in. Prior to the visit we had excellent contact with regards to the type of session that would fit best with our school as well as help with timetabling the event. We took part in the Succot, Synagogue and Shabbat workshops and all of these provided children with the opportunity to gain a broader understanding of these aspects of Judaism but they were also able to see the objects that are used as part of these. Within the Shabbat workshop, the subject was brought to life by the use of the chalot and Rabbi Zvi’s very engaging teaching style. He was able to work with whole age range of children and we are hoping to see him again soon. — Michael Robinson, RE Manager stjosephs.westberks.dbprimary.com
