Yeshivah of Flatbush
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| Yeshivah of Flatbush ישיבה דפלטבוש |
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| Motto: "Im ein kemach ein Torah" - Without flour (work) there is no Torah | |
| Established | 1927 |
| Type | Private elementary and secondary |
| Principal | Rabbi Ronald Levy |
| Founder | Joel Braverman |
| Rosh Yeshiva | Rabbi Raymond Harari |
| Students | 2,100 |
| Grades | PreK–12 |
| Location | 919 East 10th Street (elementary) 1609 Avenue J (secondary) Brooklyn, New York USA |
| Colors | Maroon and gold |
| Yearbook | Summit |
| Newspaper | The Phoenix |
| Website | www.flatbush.org |
The Yeshivah of Flatbush is a Modern Orthodox Jewish day school located in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York which includes both an elementary school and a high school.
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[edit] History and mission
Yeshivah of Flatbush was founded in 1927 by Dr. Joel Braverman, among others. At first, the school consisted only of an elementary school, located on East 10th Street in Flatbush. A high school was founded in 1950 to complement the elementary school, and was built a few blocks away on Avenue J.
The institution, which celebrates its 80th anniversary in 2007, aspires to provide a thorough, intensive Torah education with an equally ambitious secular education to both boys and girls. The school philosophy is a synthesis of Judaic studies, liberal arts and extracurricular activities that places great emphasis on the students' character development[1].
The school's motto is "The Standard of Excellence"
[edit] Teaching philosophy
One of the Yeshivah of Flatbush's fundamental tenets is its "Ivrit b'Ivrit" (literally "Hebrew in Hebrew") philosophy of teaching. This means that every Judaic studies class is conducted completely in Hebrew, regardless of the level or ability of the students. With this technique, the Yeshivah of Flatbush has found success in enabling most students to become fluent in the Hebrew language at a relatively young age, despite being native English speakers. The school is known for its heavy workload in both secular studies and Judaic studies, despite the impact of having such a dual curriculum.
[edit] Student demographics
The Yeshivah of Flatbush is made up of Jewish students and teachers from a variety of backgrounds. In the past, more than half of the students were Ashkenazi Jews, whose families originated from communities in Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe and Russia. In recent years, the majority has shifted to students of Sephardic descent, mainly those whose families originated from Middle Eastern countries. The large number of Sephardic students can be attributed to the presence of a large Syrian community in Flatbush. There are also a number of Yemenite and Ethiopian Jews enrolled.
[edit] Post-High school
More than 30% of graduating seniors attend a yeshiva in Israel for the following year or two before returning to America for university study. In recent years, graduates of the Yeshivah of Flatbush have been accepted at top universities such as Stanford University, Yale University, Harvard University, New York University, Columbia University and University of Pennsylvania. Other notable universities with a strong Yeshivah of Flatbush alumni network include, Yeshiva University and City University of New York, with significant enrollment in CUNY's Honors College as well. Many of the universities, such as CUNY and YU, give college credits to the students who study in Israel for the year, and this allows them to not lose out on a year of college.
A large number of students graduate with as many as 30 college credits due to the many Advanced Placement Program (AP) courses offered in the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior years of high school.
[edit] Leadership
Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari is the rosh yeshiva, or "head of school", for the high school. Rabbi Ronald Levy is the principal of the high School, and Mr. Joel Littman and Mrs. Jill Sanders are associate principals. Rabbi Lawrence Schwed is the principal of the elementary school. Within the elementary school, Mr. Leonard Zeplin and Rabbi David Hertzberg are principals of the lower school and the middle School, respectively.
Rabbi Dr. David Eliach is now principal emeritus, following a decades-long tenure as principal of the high school.
[edit] Student government
Every year the student body of the Yeshivah of Flatbush elects four students in their junior year to positions in the Student Government Organization (SGO). These students assume their respective SGO positions the following year. The SGO plans trips and events in efforts to make the school a happier and more positive environment.
[edit] Community interaction
Each year, the school holds many events that cater to the Jewish community in the New York area. The largest ones include the annual Yom HaShoah (Holocaust day) and Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Israel Independence Day) programs, which customarily feature performances by the Yeshivah of Flatbush High School Choir.
Recognizing the religious needs of the Flatbush Sephardic community, the Yeshivah of Flatbush published the first Sephardic Passover Haggadah in North America. [citation needed]
[edit] Sports
Flatbush's team name is the Flatbush Falcons. Flatbush fields a number of competitive athletic teams throughout the school year, such as basketball, volleyball, softball, hockey, swim, tennis and soccer. In most cases, their teams are members of the Yeshiva High School Athletic League which represents many of the Jewish day schools throughout the New York metropolitan area. One of the highlights of each year is the Thomas Hausdorff Memorial Basketball Tournament, a competition between several Jewish day school basketball teams that takes place at the Yeshivah of Flatbush.
[edit] Academic teams
Flatbush's academic teams compete in debate, College Bowl, mock trial, Model Congress, chess, mathematics, Model United Nations and Torah Bowl.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Robert J. Avrech - Emmy Award-winning screenwriter
- Rabbi Dr. David Berger - academic, expert in medieval Jewish history
- Lee Bienstock - finalist on The Apprentice 5
- Baruch Samuel Blumberg - recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, identified the Hepatitis B virus
- Abraham Foxman - current director of the Anti-Defamation League
- Baruch Goldstein - perpetrator of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
- Dr. Judith Hauptman - Feminist Talmudic scholar and professor at the Jewish Theological Seminary
- Eric R. Kandel - 2000 Nobel Prize laureate in Physiology or Medicine
- Isaac Mizrahi - fashion designer
- Dennis Prager- public speaker and radio talk show host.
- Joseph Telushkin - rabbi and noted author and speaker on Jewish topics
- Leon Wieseltier - writer, editor of The New Republic
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Yeshivah of Flatbush Mission Statement, accessed July 27, 2006
