Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School recently received a $5 million gift from the Robert H. Smith and Clarice R. Smith Family Foundation, carried out by their son, David Bruce Smith.
The gift establishes two endowed funds: one for tuition assistance and another for faculty excellence — each endowed at $2.5 million. Together, the funds will strengthen access to a Jewish day school education for families and “sustained excellence” among CESJDS educators, according to the school.
“My grandfather, Charles E. Smith, and my parents, Bob and Clarice, believed that the best way to ensure Jewish continuity was through Jewish education, which is exactly what JDS has done,” Smith told Washington Jewish Week.
“We are so thrilled and appreciative of the gift, and it is so important to the future of our institution because it supports two areas that are vital to our long-term sustainability,” CESJDS’ Head of School Rabbi Mitchel Malkus told Washington Jewish Week.
Through guidance from Malkus, Smith chose generally how to allocate the gift.
“JDS teachers need probably higher pay when you compare to other Montgomery County schools,” Smith said.
The average teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools earned nearly $101,300 in 2024–25, according to Bethesda Magazine, the highest average salaries among public school teachers in Maryland. On the other hand, teachers at CESJDS earn an average salary of $78,281 in 2026, according to a spokesperson for CESJDS.
“Tuition is always a problem,” Smith added. “It’s very expensive, so half of the gift goes toward tuition needs and the other half goes to teachers. And hopefully those two things will give the school a bit of a boost.”
Tuition for one child to attend CESJDS ranges from $38,130 to $49,410, increasing with grade level, according to the school’s website. Parents must also pay additional fees for textbooks and supplies, technology and parent association dues.
This academic year, CESJDS gave $10 million in tuition assistance, benefiting 485 students, Malkus said. “So we have great need to raise funds to support attendance at the school and to make JDS available to the widest group of families that we can,” he added.
Smith said he hopes his family foundation’s gift helps “as many [families] as possible” through additional tuition assistance.
The Bethesda resident has been connected to the Rockville day school since its opening in 1978. “I was young then, but I’ve been connected in some way for over 40 years,” he said.
The family ties to the school don’t end with him — Smith’s niece, nephew and children graduated from CESJDS, and his two grandsons currently attend kindergarten and second grade there.
Malkus expressed his appreciation for the major gift.
“Through this gift David honors his parents, affirms the sacred work of our faculty, and ensures that a Jewish day school education remains within reach for families who seek a values-driven education for their children,” Malkus said in a press release. “It is a powerful statement of confidence in our mission and in the people who carry it forward.”
There are always needs in the world of Jewish education, and now is just as good a time to give as any, according to Smith.
“Especially when you have a Jewish day school, it’s a finite universe because most people don’t give to Jewish schools,” Smith said. “They might give to a regular school, but not to a Jewish school, necessarily. And so it’s particularly important that they’re on an equal footing with everybody else.”
Almost a decade ago, David Bruce Smith gave to CESJDS’ 50th anniversary Building Our Future endowment campaign, and as a result, the Upper School’s English department chair is named for him.
Smith is also passionate about education. He is the founder and president of The Grateful American Foundation, which aims to restore enthusiasm in United States history in children and adults.
Smith is the author of 11 books. He also co-writes a monthly column, “History Matters,” and newsletters for the foundation and his publishing company, according to Smith’s website.
As for the gift to CESJDS, Smith said he’d prefer to be removed from the limelight.
“Really, all I am is a steward of [my parents’] wishes,” he said. “The gift is theirs, and I’m carrying it out. I don’t particularly think that I should get any credit for it — I’m just doing what they asked me to do, and I’m happy to do it. I just want to maximize what they and my grandparents believed in.”
