King David Primary School, Birmingham

King David Primary School (URN: 103444) of Birmingham was founded in 1843 as the Birmingham Hebrew School, an infants and primary Jewish day school. Students learn Hebrew, eat kosher food, recite Jewish prayers, and celebrate Israeli holidays. The children, reportedly 'learn Hebrew, recite Jewish prayers, eat kosher food and wave Israeli flags.'

It is reported that the pupils sing the national anthem of Israel - Hatikvah - each morning.

The school is unusual for its multicultural intake. In the late 1950s, the declining local Jewish population led the school to accept non-Jewish students, most of whom were Muslim due to the changing demographics. As a result, in 2007 about half of the school's 247 students were reportedly Muslim, with less than 40% Jewish. By 2018: 'According to parents and community observers, 80 percent of the students are Muslim.'

Times being as they are, King David doesn't advertise its presence in a city where its pioneering multiculturalism could raise all kinds of unwelcome attention. There's a discreet signboard outside that reveals little about the school's unique nature. There are watchful video cameras high up on the walls, plus two electronic gates to pass through. Sadly, it is, to a significant extent, says Laurence Sharman, the (Christian) chairman of the PTA, "an undercover school".

The most important thing, I am told repeatedly, is that the cross-cultural friendships forged at King David last a lifetime. I hear a conversation about how a Rebecca is going to fly over from the States for a Fatima's wedding. I am told about a pair of lads, one Jewish, one Muslim, who became friends the day they started in the nursery, went to senior school together as well as to university and are now living close to one another with their wives and families and are currently on holiday together.

Steve Langford,[the head teacher] a Warwick University economics graduate, is himself a bit of a paradox. He is Church of England on both parental sides and only became interested in Judaism when he worked in a Jewish summer camp in Massachusetts in his gap year. His interest paid off when he got a teaching job a King David. Now he is learning Ivrit at evening classes and goes to Israel for holidays.

The Rabbi of Birmingham's Singers Hill Synagogue, one of the financial backers of King David, is proud of Steve Langford and of the school's extraordinary interfaith record.

On Israel’s Independence Day, which this year fell on April 19, Esther Cohen, King David’s head of religious education, kicked off the ceremony in the school gym with the Modeh Ani morning prayer in Hebrew followed by the Shema Yisrael prayer.

The student body, hand-drawn Israeli flags at their feet, dutifully recited the words. Then they closed their eyes for what Cohen called “tefillah to Hashem,” Hebrew for “prayer to God.” Most of the boys were wearing some sort of head cover — some kippahs and others the larger Muslim skullcap called taqiyah. Many girls also wore hijabs, the Muslim head cover for females.

Cohen showed the students two videos celebrating Israeli innovation and invited them to another tefillah, this time to “thank Hashem that he gave us Israel.” She asked the students to stand up to sing “Hatikvah,” which speaks of “being a free People in Zion, Jerusalem” — almost all of them sang the Hebrew-language anthem by heart.

Finally, the students were given permission to wave the flags after having been told not to fidget with them for the ceremony’s duration.

Ruth Jacobs, chairwoman of the Representative Council of Birmingham and West Midlands Jewry, describes the surreal reality on display at King David with typical British understatement.

Address

Address: Alcester Road, Moseley, Birmingham, West Midlands, B13 8EY

People

Former pupils

• Moazzam Begg

Resources

• https://www.thejc.com/family-and-education/all/king-david-birmingham-still-good-but-inspectors-set-to-return-5pRXSbCAWPfn3egY2Rwoq0
• https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/Establishments/Establishment/Details/103444
• https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/provider/21/103444
• https://x.com/Tracking_Power/status/1772887855427207314