[5] The name of the school is taken from an Israelite high priest (Yehoshua Ben Gamla), known in the Talmud for his campaign to establish yeshivas throughout Judaea.

Parallels have been drawn between Ben Gamla and the Khalil Gibran International Academy, an Arabic public school in New York City that also opened in autumn 2007.

In contrast, the Arabic school is under the direct management of the NYCDOE system and subject to all its rules, regulations, and statutes.

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported that "an advertisement distributed in kosher restaurants" in the area of the Hebrew school reads: "Excellent Academic Program.

[11] According to an article in The New York Times, "Opponents say it is impossible to teach Hebrew – and aspects of Jewish culture – outside a religious context, and that Ben Gamla, billed as the nation's first Hebrew-English charter school, violates one of its paramount legal and political boundaries.

The school is led by Gayle Iaocono, alongside Danielle Guski as acting Vice Principal with 19 teachers in all of the classrooms.