Add that to the fact that all Judaic classes are taught exclusively in Hebrew from first grade on, and that the State of Israel is valued as an important part of Jewish identity, and you have the makings of a school that eludes established categories. School administrators and parents are happy to occupy their post in Jewish no-man's land. Even the location is off the beaten path. The sprawling, verdant campus that Ohr Eliyahu has occupied since it moved from its native Venice four years ago is perched comfortably in Culver City's scenic Blair Hills area. Just off La Cienega Boulevard, the school is accessible to, but not part of, Los Angeles' Orthodox centers of Fairfax, Pico-Robertson and the Valley.
All schools are by definition imperfect.
If kids were supposed to be educated in schools, Moshe would have built one. Ohr Eliyahu's philosophy of individualized attention is most easily demonstrated at the extremes. At one end of the spectrum is the enrichment program, in which gifted students are pulled from class for a few hours a week. At the other end is the inclusion program. Ohr Eliyahu employs a specialist and several specially trained classroom aides to help pupils with physical and mental disabilities be part of a regular class.