Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy

Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy is a coeducational college-preparatory and religiously pluralistic Jewish day school for grades 6 through 12, located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania.

Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy
Address
272 S Bryn Mawr Avenue

Bryn Mawr
,
PA
19010

United States
Coordinates40.016786°N 75.327536°W / 40.016786; -75.327536
Information
TypePrivate, Jewish day school
Religious affiliation(s)Jewish
Established1946
Head of schoolMrs. Sharon P. Levin
Faculty95
Grades6–12
Enrollment410 total
280 Upper School
130 Middle School
Student to teacher ratio13:1
CampusSuburban
Color(s)Blue and White
AthleticsBaseball, Basketball, Cross-Country, Frisbee, Golf, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming, Tennis and Track and Field
Athletics conferencePenn-Jersey Athletic Association
MascotCougars
Websitewww.jbha.org

Founded in Center City, Philadelphia in 1946 as Akiba Hebrew Academy, the school renamed itself in 2007. It is the oldest pluralistic Jewish secondary school in the United States.[1]

Current School

Barrack Hebrew Academy is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools.[2]

Barrack men's and women's sports teams, the Cougars, play in the Penn-Jersey Athletic Association. The school has 15 male and female varsity sports teams.

Sharon P. Levin is the current head of school. She was proceeded by Dr. Steven Brown, Rabbi Phillip Field, Rabbi Marc Rosenstein, and Dr. Steven Lorch.

History

Center City and Wynnefield, 1946-1956

Akiba Hebrew Academy was founded in 1946 by Dr. Joseph Levitsky, and co-founded by Rabbi Simon Greenberg, Rabbi Elias Charry, and Dr. Leo L. Honor. The school was originally located at the YM & YWHA at Broad and Pine Streets in Center City, Philadelphia. The first year consisted of 20 boys and girls. The school graduated its first class of 14 students in 1951.[3]

After four years at that site, Akiba moved to the Har Zion Temple at 54th and Wynnefield Avenues, where it was located until 1958.[4]

Merion, 1956-2008

In April 1956, Akiba purchased a 5.3-acre (21,000 m2) estate on North Highland Avenue in Merion Station, on the Main Line for $105,000.[5] The property had once been part of a large estate called "Ashdale," which had been built by William Simpson, a 19th-century insurance entrepreneur. After Simpson's death in 1909, his family broke up the estate, and the McMenamin family purchased a 5.3-acre (21,000 m2) section on which they built a mansion that they named "Drake Linden Hall." After extensive renovations, the school dedicated its new foyer, classrooms, library, and science laboratory in December 1958.[6]

Student enrollment had grown to 290 in 1979.[7]

Following his retirement from professional basketball in Europe, Joe Bryant served as head coach of Akiba's varsity women's basketball team during the 1992–1993 season. His son, Kobe Bryant, who went on to become an 18-time NBA All-Star and the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player, was a freshman at Lower Merion High School and often met his father at the Akiba gym after practices.[8]

Akiba Hebrew Academy was originally named for Rabbi Akiba. The school was approached by the Perelman Family Foundation in 1999 and offered a $2.0 million donation on condition that the school change its name to honor the Perelman family. After vocal student objections, Akiba was compelled to decline the offer.[9] In February 2007, the school accepted a gift of $5 million from The Barrack Foundation and renamed itself "Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy".[10] The school was officially renamed on September 10, 2007 at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia's Radnor Campus in Bryn Mawr.[11]

In September 2008, Akiba sold the property to the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia for $4 million. At the time of sale, the mansion measured 20,247 square feet (1,881.0 m2), including additions made in the mid-1970s such as the gym, and the new classroom building.[12] Kohelet Yeshiva High School purchased the mansion in 2010 and has since renovated it and the adjoining buildings.[13]

Bryn Mawr, 2008-present

In July 2007, the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia announced the purchase of the campus of American College in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The American College site is 35 acres (140,000 m2) on Bryn Mawr Avenue in Radnor Township.[14] The school inaugurated the new building with a "Hanukat HaBayit" on September 14, 2008[15] at which U.S. Congressman Joe Sestak addressed the crowd.[16] Barrack dedicated a new multipurpose athletic field with artificial turf and high school soccer and lacrosse lines in September 2018.[17]

Following stints with the Philadelphia 76ers and Portland Trail Blazers as an executive, the school hired Ben Falk to serve as Barrack's boy's varsity basketball coach. He coached the team from 2018 to 2021.

The Head of School is Mrs. Sharon P. Levin who has served in the position since 2011.[18]

Notable alumni

References
  1. Hahn Tapper, Aaron J. (June 7, 2016). Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities. Univ of California Press. p. 235. ISBN 978-0520281356.
  2. Private Secondary Schools: Traditional Day and Boarding Schools: Part II of V. Peterson's. May 1, 2011. ISBN 9780768935202.
  3. "Hebrew Academy Gives 14 Diplomas". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. June 7, 1951. p. 20.
  4. Klein, Esther M. (1965). A Guidebook to Jewish Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Jewish Times Institute. pp. 171 and 172.
  5. "Real Estate News". Philadelphia Inquier. Philadelphia Inquirer. April 6, 1956.
  6. "New Units Dedicated by Akiba Academy". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. December 8, 1958. p. 29.
  7. Cusick, Frederick (November 6, 1979). "Messianic Jews fight for a home". Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. p. 7-B.
  8. Charry, Rob (February 27, 2004). "Coach Bryant? Akiba Once Led by Kobe's Dad". The Forward. The Forward. Retrieved March 24, 2009.
  9. Fried, Stephen (August 13, 2002). The New Rabbi. Random House Publishing Group. ISBN 0553897128.
  10. Robinson, David (July 12, 2007). "New location and name planned for Akiba Hebrew Academy". The Main Line Times. Ardmore. p. Volume 77, No. 28, 10.
  11. Mostovy-Eisenberg, Michelle (September 13, 2007). "New Name Gets Inaugurated at Day School". The Jewish Exponent. Philadelphia.
  12. Natalie Kostelini, "Hebrew Academy is sold", Philadelphia Business Journal, September 19–25, 2008, volume 27, number 31, page 10.
  13. Schwartzman, Bryan (2004-03-19). "Stern Hebrew High School Set to Occupy Former Akiba Building". Jewish Exponent. Retrieved 2009-03-24.
  14. Richard Ilgenfritz, "Akiba to head to American College Site" The Main Line Times, (Volume 77, No. 28, July 12, 2007 - July 18, 2007) pages 1 and 2.
  15. "Back to School at the New Barrack Academy". Jewish Exponent. 2008-09-11. Archived from the original on 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  16. Dworkin, Jonathon (2008-09-14). "Congressman Sestak speaks at Dedication of Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy; Praises school for values it teaches". Joe Sestak. Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-02.
  17. "Barrack Dedicates New Multipurpose Field". Jewish Exponent. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. September 20, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  18. "New Leadership at Barrack". 2011-07-01.
  19. Elkin, Michael (2009-09-03). "Stars of David". The Jewish Exponent. Retrieved 2009-09-10.
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