Testimonials

Upper School

“At Barrack, we learn more than academics...We learn how to live...”
Ruthie

“I came to Barrack in 9th grade from a public school because I wanted to be with students who share Jewish values... Everyone was very warm and welcoming; I found great teachers and friends for life here. I also have a passion for science and was a member of the 9th grade Annenberg Science Symposium Team. Our topic was My Personal Genome: A Matter of Heart. We won the ‘Best Clinical Application of Medical Issues’ Award.”
Danielle

“At Barrack, we are taught to practice deeds of loving kindness...to take care of one another with love and respect... to make our community and world a better place. I bring these Jewish values alive when I volunteer for the Friendship Circle, help tutor students at the Gompers Elementary School, and support the work of the Pulsera Project, a homeless shelter in Nicaragua.”
Marnie

“Being part of a pluralistic school, with students from all Jewish backgrounds, broadens my perspective about Judaism and at the same time reinforces what I believe in as a member of the Modern Orthodox Community. In addition, the combination of secular and Jewish studies balances what I need to know in life, as well as how to live my life.”
Jared

“John F. Kennedy once said...‘the ignorance of one voter in a democracy endangers the safety of everyone.’ This quote taught me that everyone has a responsibility to participate in decisions we make as a society...a responsibility that is encouraged at Barrack.”
Josh

“I love to draw portraits and sketches of people in charcoal and pencil and enjoy every aspect of my art classes at Barrack. My self-portrait was also an illuminating project. I did see myself in a whole new light.”
Dara

“I have a major interest in business, economics, and entrepreneurship and want to know more about how the world of business affects our society. At Barrack, we are encouraged to pursue our interests and take the initiative. I proposed a Math Entrepreneurs elective for 9th and 10th graders, which is being offered this fall.”
Michael

Study Abroad

“Being on Muss has changed my life, and I really think if you talk to anyone that has come back from this program they will say they returned to the States as a better version of themselves. At Muss, I discovered what it really means to be Jewish and why I love Israel so much. Thank you to all who make this incredible experience possible.”
Gracie

“The Shabbat we spent in Tzfat after our yam liyam, was especially meaningful to me. Israel became a living classroom for all of us. We hiked from the Mediterranean to the Kinnert (the Sea of Galilee) and our class bonded in a special way... Sharing Shabbat at the end of the tiyul was a special spiritual experience.”
Jesse

“On Masada, I think we all felt a strong connection to our past and felt it was our duty to protect Israel now and to see that Masada never falls again. We strongly identified as Jews, together and in our own way.”
Maya

“Being in Krakow with other students from Jewish schools in Britain and Israel is something I will never forget. We thought about the Jews who were killed in World War II, and here we were as ‘proof’ that the Jewish people live on...”
Naama

“I never felt this connected to Israel or Judaism in my life...At the Kotel, I was proud that I was standing there for the first time with my arm around a 16-year old girl and the other around an 18-year old woman (an Israeli solder) about to risk her life for the safety of the same Kotel ...and that we were singing together and did not know whose voice was whose...”
Shoshana

“....Judaism isn't just the religion or even the way of life of the majority population of this country. Judaism is deeply rooted into the land, woven into the fabric of daily life. It asserts itself in overt and subtle ways... Everything here has a spirit about it, an aura of connection that enhances our lessons and values. Israel brings Judaism alive in the land, its inhabitants, and its visitors.”
Annie

“On Masada, I felt the connections between myself and my personal Jewish identity, my Jewish history and tradition, as well as my Jewish future.”
Yaakov

Parents and Grandparents

“Every time we walk into Barrack, we know why we love it here and why it was the right Middle School choice for our sons and our family three years ago. It’s more than the great academics. Barrack is a warm and welcoming community. We feel at home here and appreciate that students care about each other, develop warm relationships with their teachers and have a sense of K’lal Israel. And we are delighted to see that the older students are role models, mentoring and looking after the younger ones... It’s the perfect school and community for our whole family.”
Jodi & Jared Gordon
Parents of David ’16 and Simon ’17

“All three of our daughters are Akiba-Barrack alumnae and have been well-prepared for college and for life. Each one was accepted to her first-choice college or university where they are playing, or have played, leading roles in the classroom and in their respective communities. They are also carrying on the Jewish tradition of repairing the world. We are very proud of all three of them.”
Joyce & Dr. Jeffrey Retig
Parents of Akiba-Barrack alumnae: Julie ’06, Jennifer ’07, & Jackie ’10

“We are delighted that three of our grandchildren are at Barrack now and that one, a graduate, is a freshman at Brown. Of course it’s very important to us that our grandchildren carry on Jewish learning, values and tradition and give back to the world, but it’s more than that. All of our Barrack grandchildren are very different and they have, and had, opportunities to grow as individuals, pursue their own interests, and develop a strong Jewish identity and community.”
Bunny & Jerome Chapman
Grandparents of Hannah ’11, Sarah ’13, Tali ’16 & Noah ’18

“Barrack is a jewel. It plays an essential role in encouraging creativity, independent thinking, academic excellence, Jewish values and community vibrancy. We are proud that three of our grandchildren are alumni and that one is a current student. We believe that if you want Jewish children and grandchildren to become dedicated Jewish adults who will become national and international leaders, give them a Barrack education.”
Lillian & Dr. Robert L. Brent
Grandparents of Rachel ’06, Hannah ’08, Jonathan ’10 & Michael ’14

Alumni

“Combining my interests in science, medicine and social action came naturally at Barrack. We were always challenged to apply what we learned in class to pursuing justice and solving problems in the real world... developing a global perspective. My Middle and Upper School education set the stage for my majors at Yale: Global Health, Economics and Social Entrepreneurship.”
David Carel ’09
Yale 2013 graduate
Rhodes Scholar for 2013

“I am extremely grateful for the Jewish education and strong sense of identity that I received during my years at Akiba... This education and early exposure to the Middle East sparked my interest in continuing my engagement with the region and learning more about the peoples and places now constantly in the news.”
Miriam Berger ’08
Wesleyan 2012 graduate
2012 Fulbright Fellow in Egypt

"Throughout my Jewish day school education, I was taught that Judaism’s intellectual heritage values questioning and dissent. The importance of taking personal responsibility was underscored by rabbis and scholars...And the way I understood tikkun olam was that it applied to the whole world, from my Jewish community in Philadelphia to as far away as China.”
Alison Klayman ’02
Journalist and Award-Winning filmmaker
Director of AI WEIWEI: NEVER SORRY

“Sharon Levin’s political conventions taught me that students have a responsibility to be civically engaged. It was partly due to the lessons she taught me that I chose a career in public service... In our Jewish ethics class, we drew the same conclusion about social responsibility but from a Jewish perspective.”
Josh Shapiro ’91
Chairman, Board of Commissioners, Montgomery County, PA

(Excerpt from Jake Tapper’s 2012 keynote commencement address)
“You have learned a lot at Barrack...I know it myself firsthand. The academics are superlative. The double curriculum grounds you in not just another language and worldview, but in a set of ethics, of expectations of behavior, of instructions in right and wrong. The respect for pluralism will serve you well as it has served me...and continues to shape me personally and professionally.”
Jake Tapper ’87
CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent

“What Akiba did so well for me was to teach me how to think broadly and how to tackle a problem. Science is what we don’t know...science changes. We learn things as we go. The combination of Jewish Studies, science, history and English all contributed to my ability to think critically and creatively...My teachers taught me well.”
David B. Agus, MD ’83
Noted oncologist, biomedical engineer & author of The End of Illness

“Jewish day school does more than educate, it helps shape character. Its influence reaches far beyond the years we spend at school. I am glad and grateful for my knowledge, pride and passion for Jewish life that is my legacy from Akiba Hebrew Academy, now Barrack.”
David J. Wolpe ’76
Communal leader, author & educator
Named most influential pulpit rabbi in the U.S. by Newsweek Magazine