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Akiba-Barrack Alumni Summer Newsletter June 25, 2017 | 1 Tammuz 5777
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Message from Head of School, Sharon P. Levin
Honoring seventy years of history and tradition
Most members of the Barrack community, know that I begin every year at our opening assembly dressed in my newspaper outfit -- dress, wig, leggings and even shoes in a newspaper print. I  welcome our students by proclaiming: Shanah Chadashah-A New Year! Mah Chadash-What's New?! This year, we celebrated the fact that our school is 70 years old. In 1946, our founders were trailblazers, creating the first pluralistic/community middle and high school day school in North America. We made news then, when our 20 students and 5 teachers met in rented rooms at the YMHA on Broad and Pine Streets, and we continue to make news today, on a beautiful campus in Bryn Mawr with more than 18 (chai) times as many students and a staff of over 90 people.
This year, the news was full of stories of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents on college and even high school campuses. At Barrack, we launched new Israel initiatives this year -- new Israel curriculum grades 6-12, seminar courses and speakers series -- so our students would know what it means to be literate about Israel in the 21st century. Our goal is always to inspire and engage our students to ensure that they graduate from Barrack as intellectually confident and ethically responsible young adults who have gained knowledge and sophistication so they are prepared for the kinds of dialogue they will encounter on college campuses.
I also had the pleasure this year to catch up with news from some of you at many different events. Sadly, I missed the fun alumni Erev Thanksgiving event where we raise a glass or two together, but happily, I was in Israel at that time enjoying the company of and catching up with our many alumni living there at an event in Jerusalem. At our Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony a few weeks ago, the induction of Rachel Miller '87 and Athletic Director Dave Pelton, allowed me to see so many of you whom I had taught in the late '80s and early '90s. Graduation is always a time when many alumni return and enjoy seeing each other. Along with our 50 graduates, 14 members of the classes of 1957 & 1967 appreciated the stirring words of our commencement speaker Chanan Tigay '94 at graduation on June 8th.
Over the years, our students are helped along the way by our incredible faculty. This year, we celebrate the retirement of two very special individuals Leslie Pugach, who has spent 36 years as an administrator and a Core and History teacher at Akiba/Barrack and who has taught two generations of students and Judy Shrager, who has been in our Math department for 28 years. The beauty of Akiba/Barrack mishpachah and kehillah can be seen in the fact that each of these amazing educators taught my children and that I, in turn, had the pleasure of teaching their children.
As we march forward into our next 70 years and beyond, יהיה הרבה חדש -- there will be much that is fresh and new -- at the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, and we will always respect and derive inspiration from our remarkable history and tradition.
I wish you all a קיץ נעים, a Delightful and Restorative Summer.
Sharon P. Levin
Head of School
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Mazel Tov to the Class of 2017
67th Commencement Exercises
We were honored to have members of the classes of 1957 and 1967 lead our graduation processional as they celebrated their
 sixty and fifty year milestones from graduating Akiba Hebrew Academy.
Chanan Tigay '94, our commencement speaker this year is a professor
and journalist, and author of the recently published book: The Lost Book of Moses: The Hunt for the World's Oldest Bible. He spoke to every single person at the graduation--the seniors, their parents, teachers, faculty, and alumni. We welcome our 50 recent graduates to the incredible network of 2800+ alumni worldwide.
To view the graduation video
For pictures, speeches and milestone memories
click here
.
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Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2017
Rachel Miller '87 and David Pelton '83-90, Athletic Director and Coach
An evening filled with appreciation for the Akiba-Barrack athletic programs for all that it gives to the students, then and now. Emotional speeches imparted words of wisdom to our current students who were receiving athletic awards.
The first Fred  Catona Sportsmanship Award was presented by his family to a middle and upper school student. Fred was the Akiba Athletic Director from 1971-1984 and changed the course of athletics forever at our school and who tragically dies last May. More...
Click here to make a donation in honor of our inductees or in memory of Fred Catona.
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Leslie Pugach & Judy Shrager 
Saying L'hitraot after 36 and 28 years
These two incredible teachers have touched the lives of countless students over a combined 64 years and will be missed immensely. Their wisdom, support, patience, kindness and genuine love for their jobs and students has forever changed our community.
 Both
Leslie and
Judy would like to say L'hitraot to you. Just click on their names.
"Leslie - I will never forget the "upside down map" exercise, where you showed our class a "fictional" map and outlined "hypothetical" country conflicts...then turned the map around and showed us how it was Europe. Many fond memories...congratulations on your career!"
Best, Dan Waskow '83
"Mrs. Shrager is an incredible, loving, and supportive teacher. She gave each student in our class such close attention, and she truly wanted us to succeed. Mrs. Shrager instilled a real love of math in her students." Danielle Clanaman '15
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Alumni Reunions and Events
The best way to stay connected here and in Israel
Our 21 and older Young Alumni call this the "Best Reunion" of the year with over 100 alumni celebrating friendship & the incredible Akiba-Barrack community each
Erev Thanksgiving. Mark your calendar for November 22, 2017 and
sign-up here.
Sharon P. Levin, Head of School, hosted an
Israel reunion in Jerusalem that welcomed over thirty alumni living in Israel. E
ach alum told his/her story of Why Eretz Yisrael
? More...
What are our YA Alumni doing this summer?
 Amazing things from working at a start-up here and in Tel Aviv, to research for a neurosurgeon, to being role models as camp counselors at Ramah!
Guess Who's Coming to Shabbas®? S
ix alumni hosts which allowed almost fifty alumni (including their families) to  participate. Keeping Akiba-Barrack alumni engaged with one another is fundamental to our school, and we partnered with Guess Who's Coming to Shabbas® to create a culture of Shabbat dinners shared among our alumni community on May 5th for the Philadelphia area. Next year we hope to expand this initiative to different areas.
More...
If you are celebrating a MILESTONE REUNION in 2017
or missed celebrating in 2016
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70th Anniversary Gala
Welcomes Over 100 Alumni and Over 600 Guests!
Oh what a night! Thank you to our community for donating close to $800,000 as a result of our Gala. Rabbi David Wolpe '76 was presented with our inaugural Legacy & Leadership Award in recognition of the shining example he has set world wide as a Jewish leader. His keynote was both inspiring and a reminder of the privilege and responsibility that comes with a Day School education.
Our sensational musical production, From Barrack to Broadway, took us on an emotional journey  down memory lane as we relived the past 70 years of the Akiba-Barrack experience. Watching students and alumni perform together was a source of great pride, bridging the past and present. Dewey Oriente was recognized for 30 years of  outstanding service as Head of the Barrack Drama Department.
Click here
t
o view the 70th Anniversary Video of the Akiba-Barrack legacy.
More...
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First Generation Fund Created
Alumni provide significant donations
The newly created First Generation Fund raised
$650,000 at it's first parlor meeting this June.
A significant portion of the total amount raised was contributed by our own alumni: Sivy Blume '61, Michael Stein '69, Josh Landes '80, Steve Zelener '80 and Gideon Naim '82. Additionally the rest of the funds came from either parents or grandparents of our alumni. In recent years, Barrack has seen a significant growth in inquiries from first generation families (particularly from the former Soviet Union and Israel) costing the school $800,000 annually.
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Good and Welfare News
Special occasions or news about our Alumni Community
L to R: Emma Satlof-Bedrick '07 and Yoav Karpenshif '07 (Akiba alumni: Caroline Fortin '07, Jake Wischnia '07, Aviv Bridge '07, Sam Margules '07, Ben Simoff '07, Bryan Bentley '07, Eli Alpert Roos '07 and Becca Stern Wenger '07).
Samantha Cramer '07 & Bryan Appel.
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School News
Check out what the students have been up to! Just click on the links.
Our Yoms are always a highlight of the school year. On Yom Hazikaron the siren sounded throughout the school to remember our fallen heroes. We continue to honor alumni in our Annual Torch Ceremony. This year we celebrated our own Maccabiah games by dividing the school in to 8 teams and competing in three main sports (basketball, tennis, and pillow polo) played in a tournament style competition. At our closing ceremony on Yom Ha'atzmaut, Jason Lezak, four time gold medal winner at Maccabiah 2009 and winner of eight Olympic medals, two bronze, two silver, and four gold presented the winners awards.
Barrack hosted a
StartUp Nation Technology Fair which is a joint effort of
Israel Ideas
and
Hasbara Fellowships that showcases Israeli technology and innovation to the broader American community.
At the core of the tech fair was a trade show floor in which early stage startup companies exhibited their technologies, products and services for our community. Students interacted with the different technology and spoke with the creators.
More School News:
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Your PA Taxes Can Provide a Day School Education
Can you do this Mitzvah for a child at Barrack?
EITC: PA Tax Credit Program can pay it forward for many deserving children.
The Pennsylvania Educational Improvement Tax Credit program allows Pennsylvania businesses (LLC's, S-Corps,
C-Corps, Partnerships) and individuals to reduce their PA state tax liability while at the same time providing need-based scholarships to eligible Barrack students. Please contact Michael Litchman at mlitchman@jbha.org to learn more about this program. Click here for EITC Facts.
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