Ma Hadash? What's New At Barrack

Dear Barrack Community,

We began the year with an announcement of our annual theme: “Derech Eretz/דרך ארץ,” which we are translating as “Everyday Ethics” to capture the

principles that guide how we strive to live, act, and be in the world.

Throughout the past trimester, I have witnessed how our core values serve as a common thread within our community, connecting us to one another and imbuing our work, learning, and relationships with greater meaning. More than just theoretical ideals, our values are a unifying undercurrent—a shared understanding of how to live and be our best selves. While we recognize that this work is a journey, an ongoing process, that is the beauty and blessing of education: it invites us to imagine what is possible and work together towards actualizing it.

It has been deeply inspiring to observe how these Everyday Ethics have manifested on our campus and in our Barrack community:

Our upper school students organized hesed projects—through the Hesed Club or by leading projects during middle school Shabbatonim—guiding their younger peers on how to do good in the world and give back to others.

Our JLI fellows regularly facilitate spirited communal observance around Jewish ritual. Nearly all of our school-wide Shabbat Schmoozes this trimester have featured some thoughtful focus—such as writing notes of gratitude to IDF soldiers or participating in a mass tefillin laying to honor the wishes of one of the freed Israeli hostages. These communal acts enrich our students’ shared experience of winding down the week and welcoming Shabbat together.

In our school-wide coffeehouses, our seniors cheered and encouraged our middle school students when they bravely performed their talents in front of the assembled crowd.

On our athletic fields, our students supported not only their fellow Cougars but also cultivated camaraderie and sportsmanship with athletes from competing schools.

We have held wonderful evening programs at which our families have shown up and supported their children, as well as their peers, as they present the results of their hard work.

We have organized field trips that bring our middle and upper school students together in shared exploration and learning, such as the 7th and 12th grade AP Environmental Science students’ joint travels to a nearby park to examine plant life and water sources. 

Our students have come together in lively Batei Barrack events, cheering one another on and connecting across grades in fun, feel-good competitions that build friendships and strengthen school spirit.

Our extended Barrack community gathered in October to celebrate the official dedication of our campus as the Leonard & Lynne Barrack Campus for Jewish Life in a joyful morning filled with connection, purpose, and the promise of our strong and shared future.

Through hosting one another’s children for b’nai mitzvah and other milestones, coordinating carpools for co-curricular activities, and bridging the gaps of our geographically diverse kehillah, our Barrack families create a network of support that keeps our community close despite distance.

I hope you will take some time to read through this first newsletter of the year to learn about the countless ways our community is living our values and embodying "Everyday Ethics"...every day.

L'Shalom,

 
Rabbi Marshall Lesack ‘97