Yedion Barrack - 05/25/2012 - 4 Sivan 5772

Upper School

Bravo! Bravo to the cast and crew of Once On This Island, the Upper School Musical, that wowed audiences with amazing acting, dancing and singing! Kudos, as well to Dewey Oriente, drama and show director, and the talented orchestra. Look for a full recap and photos in next week's Benainu.

Community Service Presentations: Congratulations, seniors, on your professional and inspiring presentations about your community service projects. Your work has made a difference across disciplines and organizations devoted to education, social justice, politics, science, Jewish life, human rights at home and abroad, interfaith efforts, child advocacy, poverty and hunger amelioration, and more.

Junior/Senior Prom: The Prom is set for Thursday, May 31. Enjoy!

11th Grade Trip: The 11th grade is off to Hershey Park on Friday, June 1.

Senior Class Trip: The senior class trip is set for Sunday-Tuesday, June 3-5.

Upper School Awards Assembly: The assembly is set for Wednesday evening, June 6, 7:30pm in the Barrack auditorium. Letters have been sent to the students who will be receiving awards and to their families.

Upper School Review and Exams: Upper School Review Day is set for Wednesday, June 13, followed by two exam days on Thursday and Friday, June 14 and 15.

Middle School

History Comes Alive! The 8th grade class walked in the footsteps of colonial history and enjoyed every minute of their trip. Look for details and photos in next week's Benainu.

Middle School Field Day: Get ready for some fun! The Middle School Field Day is set for Friday, June 8.

Middle School Moving Up Day: Barrack Middle School students will receive awards and move up to Upper School at a special assembly set for Tuesday, June 12.

Middle School Trip: The Middle School Trip is set for Wednesday, June 13.

Kudos! Bravo to Gabriella Maze '18, who portrayed the young Ti Moune in the Upper School musical, Once On This Island.

School-Wide

Mayor Nutter Proclaims May 23 Proactive Citizenship Day at Barrack: The Honorable Michael A. Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, spoke at a school-wide assembly on Wednesday, May 23. The Mayor presented an overview of politics in the region, stressed the importance of proactive citizenship and community service, engaged in a lively Q & A with students, and concluded his remarks by presenting a proclamation declaring May 23 Proactive Citizenship Day at Barrack. Adding to the excitement, the Mayor participated in a press conference call, an unplanned part of the program, that demonstrated politics in action. Look for photos and proclamation details in the next issue of Benainu.

Chag Samaech! Members of JLI (Barrack's Jewish Leadership Initiative) presented a Shavuot Assembly yesterday, followed by an after school "Snack and Learn" with Rabbi Eric Yanoff from Temple Adath Israel. The after school program followed th custom on Shavuot of spending the evening studying and learning Judaic texts. Sarah Waxman is the JLI advisor and director of Barrack's experiential learning.

Class of 2012 Graduation: Barrack seniors graduate on Thursday, June 7, 7:30pm at Temple Adath Israel. Jake Tapper, Senior White House Correspondent, ABC News, and an alum, Class of 1987, is the guest speaker.

D'Var Torah by Daniel Nelson '15: This week’s reading, B’midbar chronicles the census of all of Israel, and it also introduces the keepers of the mishkan, the holy tabernacle that was carried through the desert. In Numbers 1:50, God declares that the Levites are to have the honor of caring for and looking over many aspects of the mishkan. This brings up a difficult question; is God playing favorites by choosing the Levites?

The answer to this question is both yes and no. God could be blamed for ‘picking favorites,’ in that God trusted the Levites more than anybody else, and therefore granted them an esteemed position. On the other hand, God’s separation of the Levites could be seen as nothing more than a necessary act. The Levites have an important task in taking care of the holy relics of ancient Judaism. In order to be kept holy, they must be kept away from any outsiders. As the only people ‘qualified’ to care for these artifacts, the Levites themselves would have to conduct their lives separately from the rest of the nation.

This ancient separation can be seen as a lesson to Jews in the modern day. Are some people to be seen as holier than the rest of us because they hold honorable and respected positions in the community? I believe that this is an easy no. Even though some people may be separated from the community by a title or position, it does not in any way make them closer to God. We must always remember this, and consider ourselves to be equal in holiness, despite any title or position.

Sports

Boys' Varsity Tennis Team Captures Two League Championships: Congratulations to Barrack's Boys' Varsity Tennis Team that captured both the Tri-County and Penn-Jersey Championship titles and to Coach Pam Rende. Way to go, Cougars! Look for photos in next week's issue of Benainu.

Girls' Varsity Lacrosse Champions! Congratulations to Barrack's Girls' Varsity Lacrosse team, Tri- County League Champions, and to Coach Brian Madeira. Look for a team photo and a senior players photo in next week's issue of Benainu.

Spring Athletics Banquet: Barrack coaches will present team and individual athletic awards to student athletes at the Spring Athletics Banquet set for Tuesday, May 29, 6pm at Barrack. Rob Charry, alum, Class of 1971 and Sports Radio personality, is the guest speaker. Congratulations to all our student athletes, their families and coaches and Kim Gillio, Barrack's Athletic Director.