Dear Berman Family,
Commenting on the second paragraph of the Shema in this week’s Parshat Ekev, Rashi reminds us of a profound truth: meaningful change is possible when the foundation–ancient, even eternal–is upheld. ”אִם שָׁמֹעַ בַּיָּשָׁן תִּשְׁמְעוּ בֶּחָדָשׁ”, Rashi writes: if we keep listening to our tradition’s foundational truths, we will be able to listen to and build upon it, embracing change and weathering the new.
Now entering our 81st year, Berman Hebrew Academy has, for quite some time, held five Jewish values at the core of its mission: Torah, Chochma, Derech Eretz, Achrayut, and Yisrael.
Our decisions, our policies, our work towards educating the Jewish future has been shaped and informed through the lenses of these five eternal values. Over the past year, we have considered where these values show up, and how we might do more to foreground them–to listen even more deeply to them, so that they might direct our future decisions.
Kavod, in Jewish texts, is a curious disposition–it is something that we give, but also something that we do our best to avoid pursuing or possessing. Kavod, in other words, reminds us to dignify what matters most through attribution and giving the ultimate weight, the ultimate Kavod–of k’vod shamayim, for the sake of Heaven.
Reopening school is an exercise in such Kavod. First, we opened our week with a day designated for new faculty and staff, introducing them to our school and community. Then, we welcomed our full faculty and staff back with an opening breakfast, during which they reconnected with one another, were appreciated in a summary presentation of parent and faculty survey data, and reflected upon and suggested how Kavod could show up in our school community.
And all of this preparation, from our administrative retreat at the end of July, to our faculty meetings this past week, is done with the trademark care and eager anticipation for our most honored members: our students. In fact, the first text we studied as a full faculty was the Mishna in Avot:
We are fortunate to have a staff whose own collegiality mirrors the care they hold for their students, from the very young to the young adult.
We are so excited to welcome our dear students next week–and already, this year at Berman Hebrew Academy, b’ezrat Hashem, will be a special one. Our enrollment continues to grow, and with it, our facilities must grow, too. This year, our second grade is moving into our new Lower School wing, and throughout the building, classrooms and bathrooms continue to be renovated.
Along with our physical growth, our school is immersing itself in a self-study–of Berman’s mission, educational program, and student experience. And all of this is in service of our record student enrollment of 787 students, along with a record-high enrollment in our partnership with Sulam of 33 students.
There’s so much going on at Berman, and over the next few weeks, at both orientations and back-to-school nights, students and parents alike will continue to learn more about new educational opportunities and partnerships for the year ahead. I look forward as well to sharing more, through our weekly communication, regarding greater themes in our survey data and some of our next steps to build upon and address those themes.
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to remind our K-8 parents to continue to sign the “Wait Past 8th” pledge for giving their child a smartphone, and I’m happy to share that Grades 1-4 have all been activated (more than 50% of parents have signed the pledge), along with more than 50% of the 6th grade boys. As we work towards developing a fully phone-free K-12 school, I continue to invite you to partner with us–and one another–to embed such a movement in our community.
With blessings for a peaceful start of the school year–for our community, and for all of Am Yisrael,
Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder Head of School
