For Inna and Vladimir Pikman, the Cambridge School of Dallas has been so much more than merely a place for their daughters, Elisabeth and Rose, to attend school while they are in the United States. Since 1995, Pikmans have lived in Berlin, Germany, where Vladimir is the founding Executive Director of Beit Sar Shalom, the largest Jewish-messianic ministry in Germany, and also the Rabbi of the Messianic congregation in Berlin. He is currently spending two semesters at Dallas Theological Seminary as a Visiting Professor and Scholar in Residence.
The Pikman's daughter Elisabeth is a sophomore and their daughter Rose is an eighth grader at The Cambridge School of Dallas, where, they say, their girls have developed friendships that will last far beyond this school year. For the girls, the opportunity to attend school with like-minded students of faith has been refreshing and rejuvenating. According to Rose, in Berlin the girls were often bullied and teased for their faith. To be in an environment where the teachers pray before every class and seek to actively interact with their students has been an eye-opening experience. "I am sure there are hundreds of Christian schools in America, but I suppose not one of them is like Cambridge. Because Cambridge is like a big family - professors included."
The school's mission statement is, "Academic Discipleship: Fostering a love of learning with a passion for Jesus Christ," and the Pikman girls say they have seen this mission statement come to life every day at the school.
Vladimir was born into a Jewish family in Kiev (Ukraine). He was 22 when he came to faith in Jesus the Messiah through studying the Old Testament. Since 1992, he has led Jewish outreaches and started messianic congregations throughout Europe and worldwide. In 2000, he was ordained as a messianic Rabbi. His wife, Inna, is actively involved in the ministry as a worship leaders and instructor of Biblical languages. She is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and has completed her PhD work in Biblical Linguistics at the Free University of Berlin. Inna has recorded several albums and teaches Biblical Hebrew and Greek at the Messianic Institute in Berlin.
On Thursday, April 16, the Pikmans hosted a concert with all of the proceeds benefitting Cambridge's student financial aid program. It was, they say, their way of giving back to the school for all that they have received. When sharing at the concert about what Cambridge has meant to her, Rose said, "The School is like learning with the help of God. It became fun for me to go to school since I go to Cambridge."