Yedion Barrack - 05/11/2012 - 19 Iyar 5772

Upper School

9th Grade Shabbaton Enjoyed By All: Everyone who participated in the 9th grade Shabbaton last weekend had a meaningful and fun time. Look for details in next week's issue of Benainu.

Announcing 2012 Commencement Speakers: We are proud to announce that Jake Tapper '87, Senior White House Correspondent for ABC News, is the guest speaker at this year's graduation ceremonies set for Thursday, June 7. Student speakers from the Class of 2012 include: Yaakov Malomet, Noah Bloch, Natalie Oppenheimer, and David Kolansky. Congratulations to all!

Natalie Oppenheimer '12 Wins Cappie Award: Bravo to Barrack senior Natalie Oppenheimer who won a Cappie Award in the Best Lead Actress category for her portrayal of Lusia in the Upper School drama, A Shayna Maidel. Kudos as well to Mira Taichman '12 for being nominated for a Cappie in the Best Director category for her direction of the play and to the entire cast and crew. A Shayna Maidel was also nominated in the Best Play category. The Cappies recognize excellence in high school theater productions. Look for photos and more details in next week's issue of Benainu.

Senior Community Service Experiences: Barrack seniors are volunteering in a variety of non-profit and civic organizations, carrying on the Jewish tradition of helping to repair the world.

NEW DATE for L'hitraot Breakfast for Seniors: The l'hitraot Breakfast for all Barrack seniors is now set for Wednesday morning, June 6, 10am in the Frankel Auditorium at Temple Adath Israel. College shirt photos will be taken immediately after the breakfast and directly before graduation rehearsal.

Prom Night: Prom night is set for Thursday, May 31!

Middle School

7th Grade Trip: The 7th grade is off to Washington, D.C. on Monday, May 14.

8th Grade Trip: Colonial history comes alive next week for Barrack 8th graders as they travel to Williamsburg and Jamestown from Monday-Thursday, May 14-17. There will be no classes for 8th graders on Friday, May 19. Classes resume on Monday, May 21.

6th Grade Trip: Barrack six graders are off to the Mercer Museum on Tuesday, May 15.

School-Wide

Lag B'Omer Festivities: Congratulations to the 11th graders who prepared the Lag B'Omer Bar-B-Que; members of the Chesed Club who planned and executed all the festivities and to their adviser Sarah Waxman; and to the 8th graders who won the Apache Relay! Yesterday's celebrations were fun!

Parsha of the Week, presented by Hadar Re'em '15: In this week's parasha, we read about Ner Tamid: The Lord spoke to Moses saying: "Command the Israelites to take clear beaten olive oil for the light to kindle a Ner Tamid." (Leviticus 24:1-2) While some translate the Hebrew term, Ner Tamid, as "perpetual light," a flame that burns incessantly, the scholar Robert Alter understands the phrase to mean light that is constantly renewed. An early rabbinic midrash on this verse adds that "every Jew must light the Ner Tamid in his or her own heart, but not only in the 'Tent of Meeting' - the synagogue, in the Beit Midrash, at the time of study, but also 'outside the curtain' - in the street, in commerce, at work, in secular matters, and in interpersonal matters." What does it mean to constantly renew the light, to carry the light with us, and to have it illuminate all our activities? I think this means we must always be aware of G-d in every act and that we must always remember G-d's presence that grants us new opportunities every day.

JBHA Israel Independence Day Volunteers Needed: Federation's community-wide Israel Independence Day celebration is set for Sunday, May 20, 1pm-5pm at Penn's Landing. Help get the word out about JBHA to the greater Philadelphia community! Volunteer at the Barrack table. RSVP to Carrie M. Kanner in the Admissions Office: 610-922-2332 or ckanner@jbha.org. Volunteer today!

Barrack Upper School Musical, May 20-23: Once On This Island, Barrack's Upper School musical, bows at St. Joe's Bluet Theater on Sunday, May 20 and runs through Wednesday, May 23. All performances take place at 7:30pm. This almost non-stop song and dance production showcases the many talents of our Barrack students and the superb direction of Dewey Oriente, Barrack's drama director. Tickets are $18 for adults; $15 for Barrack faculty and students. Click here to order your tickets today! Tickets will also be available at the door.

Shoe Boxes Needed for Yom Yerushalayim Project: Members of Barrack's Israel Club, advised by Dr. Sigal Strauss, and a number of additional student helpers will build a Kotel out of shoe boxes covered in aluminum foil. Help their endeavor by contributing shoe boxes to this project that celebrates the unification of Jerusalem. Shoe boxes will be collected through May 21, so please send in your boxes as soon as possible.

Mayor Nutter to Address Barrack School Community: The Honorable Michael A. Nutter, Mayor of Philadelphia, will speak at a special school-wide assembly set for Thursday, May 23 at noon. Mayor Nutter will share an overview of politics in the region and discuss how politics impacts students and young voters today. We are honored to welcome Mayor Nutter to Barrack Hebrew Academy.

Shavuot Assembly: Barrack's Shavuot Assembly is set for May 24. Stay tuned for details.

School Closed on May 28. JBHA is closed for Shavuot and Memorial Day on Monday, May 28.

Barrack Summer Hebrew School: Barrack will offer two sessions of our new Summer Hebrew School designed for students new to Hebrew, as well as those who want to improve or fast- forward their language skills. The sessions are set for June 18- 29 and August 13-24. For details contact: rcohen@jbha.org or call 610-922-2323.

Three Exciting Day Camps on One Great JBHA Campus: Lavner Camp experiences will take place on Barrack's campus this summer. For details, visit www.lavnercamps.com or directly call 215-767-1354.

Sports

Toviah Botwinik '13, Athlete of the Week: Congratulations to 11th grader Toviah Botwinik who was named Athlete of the Week for the week of May 4. His passion for, and speed in, Track and Field impresses Coach Benek and his teammates. Look for a full profile of Toviah in next week's issue of Benainu. Congratulations as well to the student athletes who received honorable mentions: Daniel Saltz, Boys' Varsity Baseball; Noah Glickman, Golf; Talia Raikin, Girl's Varsity Softball; Ethan Einhorn, Boys' Varsity Tennis; Josh Cohen, Middle School Baseball; and Gracie Gottlieb, Girls' Varsity Lacrosse.

Spring Athletics Banquet: The spring banquet is set for Tuesday, May 29, 6-8pm at Barrack. The guest speaker is sports radio personality Rob Charry.

The Varsity Baseball Team Has Made the Playoffs! "The team has made the playoffs," reports Noah Cohen. The first playoff game is set for this Tuesday, after school, at McMoran Park in Belmont Hills. Noah adds, "It is super close to everyone, and it would be great to have more than five fans. We will have refreshments and are attempting to arrange a fan bus." If you are planning on coming to the game, or if you have any questions, please get back to Noah: noah.cohen@jbha.org.

Sports Updates In Brief: For full details, please read Benainu next week.

Track News: Barrack Cougars dominated the Penn Jersey Track meet.

Girls' Varsity Lacrosse: Cougars had a great win against Delaware Valley. The score: 15 to 3.

Girls' Varsity Softball: On May 11, the Cougars had a victory at their last home game on the turf field against Woodlyne, winning 14-4.

Golf: On May 11, the Barrack golf team lost a close game against Woodlyne, 138-136.

Boys' Varsity Baseball: The Cougars finished the season with at 19-1 pounding of New Jersey Christian. Now the team is off to the playoffs, playing Solebury this Tuesday at 3pm at McMoran Park. Go Cougars!

Boys Middle School Baseball: The Middle School Cougars got back to their winning ways after defeating Girard College, 19-4.

Tennis: No recap reported to-date.