Yeshivah of Flatbush
Encyclopedia
The Yeshivah of Flatbush is a Modern Orthodox private Jewish day school
located in the Midwood
section of Brooklyn
, New York
. It includes an early childhood center, an elementary school and a secondary school.
. The high school was founded in 1950 to complement the elementary school. The high school was originally in a building adjoining the elementary school. After 1962, a new high school building was built on Avenue J, and the elementary school expanded into what was formerly the high school building.
The institution, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2007, aspires to provide a Torah education
combined with a secular education for both boys and girls. The school's philosophy is a synthesis of Judaic studies (Bible, Talmud, Jewish Thought) and the liberal arts. Its array of extracurricular activities, and its encouragement of participation in them, offers many opportunities for student involvement and places great emphasis on character development. The school has been described as enjoying an unparalleled reputation as one of the most selective and demanding schools of its kind in North America.
The school has two mottos: "The Standard of Excellence" and "Im ein kemach ein Torah," which roughly translates to: "Without food (literally: flour) there is no Torah."
in Hebrew") philosophy of teaching Judaics. This means that every such class is conducted completely in Hebrew, regardless of the level or ability of students. With this technique, the Yeshivah aims to enable its students to achieve fluency in the Hebrew language
.
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 in Middle East
ern countries. The overwhelming number of Sephardic students can be attributed to the growth of the Syrian community
in Flatbush, and the decline in Ashkenazi enrollment can be attributed to the movement of Modern Orthodox communities to Long Island
and New Jersey
, with a concomitant increase in the number and quality of Jewish day school
s and yeshivot in those areas. Some Yemenite
and Ethiopian Jews
have also been enrolled.
for a year. Afterwards, some continue their studies in similar institutions, enroll in university or enlist in the Israel Defense Forces
for another year or more. However, most come back to the United States
for university. Graduates of the Yeshivah of Flatbush have studied at universities and colleges across the country, from Tulane to the University of Maryland
to Yale
. Some of the most popular universities among Flatbush's alumni, including Yeshiva University
and the City University of New York
, grant as much as a year's worth of credit to students who study in Israel for a year, allowing them to apply these credits to their undergraduate degree.
A large number of students graduate with college credit due to the many Advanced Placement Program
(AP) courses offered in the Junior, Senior, and more recently Sophomore years of high school.
, his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
(RIETS), and his PhD in Jewish History from New York University
. In addition to his leadership roles at the school, he continues to teach a course in Talmud to high school students. Previously, between 1980 to 1998, Rabbi Harari led the Bnei Shaare Zion minyan at Congregation Shaare Zion
. Currently, the Rabbi leads the Kol Israel Synagogue in Brooklyn, NY.
Rabbi. Ronald Levy is its principal, and Joel Littman and Jill Sanders serve as associate principals.
Rabbi Lawrence Schwed heads the elementary school. Within the elementary school, Leonard Zeplin and Rabbi Lawrence Schwed are principals of the lower school (grades Pre-K
through 5.
Grades 6-8 are led by Mr. Alstar and Rabbi Hertzberg.
Debbie Levine-Greenbaum is the Director of Early Childhood, presiding over Atideinu (literally, "Our Future"), Nursery and Kindergarten classes.
Rabbi Dr. David Eliach is principal emeritus, following a decades-long tenure as principal of the high school.
The Senior Council is similarly chosen every year. Juniors elect four of their peers to lead them into and during their last year in the high school. The Council's responsibilities include collecting senior dues and planning the wintertime Senior Ski Trip, the springtime Senior Trip, and the year-ending Senior Dinner.
(Holocaust
Remembrance day) and Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Israel Independence Day) programs, which traditionally feature performances by the high school's Choir and Chamber Choir, now under the direction of Brian Gelfand.
Recognizing the religious needs of Brooklyn's Sephardic community, the Yeshivah of Flatbush, in conjunction with Young Sha'are Zion, published one of the first Sephardic Passover
Haggadot
in North America as a Senior Project in 1975. The Editors (from the High School class of 1975) were Jackie Sutton, who is a successful businessman but who also graduated with an MD from SUNY-Downstate in 1983 and is a licensed physician, and Seth Orlow, who went on to receive his B.A. from Harvard and his M.D.-Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He is now the Chairman of Dermatology at New York University School of Medicine in NY. The editor of the Halacha ['Laws'] section, Jeffrey Ben-Zvi, is also an M.D., having graduated from Columbia University and remaining on the Faculty there as a Gastroenterologist.
Each month, there is the Sunday Morning Learning program where students, faculty, and alumni get together for prayers, breakfast, and a faculty-prepared presentation of given texts.
in Manhattan. Henkin was replaced by Mr. Brian Gelfand, who directs the choir to date.
, basketball
and volleyball
, and bowling
teams compete in the fall, while the softball
, soccer and boys varsity volleyball squads play in the spring; the swim
, Badminton and tennis
teams compete year-round. In most cases, teams are members of the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League, which represents many of the Jewish day schools in the New York area.
Two basketball tournaments are held every year. The Thomas Hausdorff Memorial Basketball Tournament in November brings the male junior varsity teams of three American Jewish high schools to Brooklyn for a weekend of competition and solidarity. At the Marc Sackin Memorial Basketball Tournament in December, the varsity team competes against other New York-area Jewish high schools. Hausdorff was a former principal of the school; Sackin was a student killed just days before his scheduled graduation in 1973.
, Mock Trial
, Model Congress
, the Yeshiva University
National Model United Nations
, Envirothon
, chess
, mathematics
, College Bowl
and Torah
Bowl.
Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full time basis, hence its name of "day school" meaning a school that the students attend for an entire day and not on a part time...
located in the Midwood
Midwood, Brooklyn
Midwood is a neighborhood in the south central part of the New York City borough of Brooklyn, New York, USA, roughly halfway between Prospect Park and Coney Island. The neighborhood is within Community District 14...
section of Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. It includes an early childhood center, an elementary school and a secondary school.
History and mission
The Yeshivah of Flatbush was founded in 1927 by Dr. Joel Braverman, among others. At first, the school consisted of an elementary school, middle school and an atedenu located on East 10th Street in FlatbushFlatbush, Brooklyn
Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....
. The high school was founded in 1950 to complement the elementary school. The high school was originally in a building adjoining the elementary school. After 1962, a new high school building was built on Avenue J, and the elementary school expanded into what was formerly the high school building.
The institution, which celebrated its 80th anniversary in 2007, aspires to provide a Torah education
Torah study
Torah study is the study by Jewish people of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts...
combined with a secular education for both boys and girls. The school's philosophy is a synthesis of Judaic studies (Bible, Talmud, Jewish Thought) and the liberal arts. Its array of extracurricular activities, and its encouragement of participation in them, offers many opportunities for student involvement and places great emphasis on character development. The school has been described as enjoying an unparalleled reputation as one of the most selective and demanding schools of its kind in North America.
The school has two mottos: "The Standard of Excellence" and "Im ein kemach ein Torah," which roughly translates to: "Without food (literally: flour) there is no Torah."
Teaching philosophy
One of the Yeshivah of Flatbush's fundamental tenets is its "Ivrit b'Ivrit" (literally, "HebrewHebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
in Hebrew") philosophy of teaching Judaics. This means that every such class is conducted completely in Hebrew, regardless of the level or ability of students. With this technique, the Yeshivah aims to enable its students to achieve fluency in the Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
.
Student demographics
The Yeshivah of Flatbush comprises Jewish students and teachers from a variety of backgrounds. In the past, more than half of the students were Ashkenazi JewsAshkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
whose families originated from communities in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. In recent years, the majority has shifted to students of Sephardic
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
descent, mainly those whose families originated in Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern countries. The overwhelming number of Sephardic students can be attributed to the growth of the Syrian community
Syrian Jews
Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern state of Syria, and their descendants born outside Syria. Syrian Jews derive their origin from two groups: from the Jews who inhabited the region of today's Syria from ancient times Syrian Jews are Jews who inhabit the region of the modern...
in Flatbush, and the decline in Ashkenazi enrollment can be attributed to the movement of Modern Orthodox communities to Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, with a concomitant increase in the number and quality of Jewish day school
Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide Jewish children with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full time basis, hence its name of "day school" meaning a school that the students attend for an entire day and not on a part time...
s and yeshivot in those areas. Some Yemenite
Yemenite Jews
Yemenite Jews are those Jews who live, or whose recent ancestors lived, in Yemen . Between June 1949 and September 1950, the overwhelming majority of Yemen's Jewish population was transported to Israel in Operation Magic Carpet...
and Ethiopian Jews
Beta Israel
Beta Israel Israel, Ge'ez: ቤተ እስራኤል - Bēta 'Isrā'ēl, modern Bēte 'Isrā'ēl, EAE: "Betä Ǝsraʾel", "Community of Israel" also known as Ethiopian Jews , are the names of Jewish communities which lived in the area of Aksumite and Ethiopian Empires , nowadays divided between Amhara and Tigray...
have also been enrolled.
Post-High school
Many graduates participate in year-long programs at yeshivot, seminaries and volunteer organizations in IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
for a year. Afterwards, some continue their studies in similar institutions, enroll in university or enlist in the Israel Defense Forces
Israel Defense Forces
The Israel Defense Forces , commonly known in Israel by the Hebrew acronym Tzahal , are the military forces of the State of Israel. They consist of the ground forces, air force and navy. It is the sole military wing of the Israeli security forces, and has no civilian jurisdiction within Israel...
for another year or more. However, most come back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for university. Graduates of the Yeshivah of Flatbush have studied at universities and colleges across the country, from Tulane to the University of Maryland
University of Maryland, College Park
The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
to Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
. Some of the most popular universities among Flatbush's alumni, including Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
and the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
, grant as much as a year's worth of credit to students who study in Israel for a year, allowing them to apply these credits to their undergraduate degree.
A large number of students graduate with college credit due to the many Advanced Placement Program
Advanced Placement Program
The Advanced Placement program is a curriculum in the United States and Canada sponsored by the College Board which offers standardized courses to high school students that are generally recognized to be equivalent to undergraduate courses in college...
(AP) courses offered in the Junior, Senior, and more recently Sophomore years of high school.
Leadership
Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari is the rosh yeshivah, or "head of school," of the high school. Rabbi Dr. Raymond Harari, an alumnus of Yeshivah of Flatbush High School, received his BA in philosophy and MA in Jewish Studies from Yeshiva UniversityYeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
, his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary
Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary , or Yeshivat Rabbeinu Yitzchak Elchanan, is the rabbinical seminary of Yeshiva University, located in Washington Heights, New York. It is named after Rabbi Yitzchak Elchanan Spektor, who died the year it was founded, 1896...
(RIETS), and his PhD in Jewish History from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
. In addition to his leadership roles at the school, he continues to teach a course in Talmud to high school students. Previously, between 1980 to 1998, Rabbi Harari led the Bnei Shaare Zion minyan at Congregation Shaare Zion
Congregation Shaare Zion
Congregation Shaare Zion, is an Orthodox Sephardic synagogue located at 2030 Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, New York. One of the largest Orthodox Jewish congregations in New York, it has an estimated 1,500 worshipers who attend its services Fridays and Saturdays for Shabbat...
. Currently, the Rabbi leads the Kol Israel Synagogue in Brooklyn, NY.
Rabbi. Ronald Levy is its principal, and Joel Littman and Jill Sanders serve as associate principals.
Rabbi Lawrence Schwed heads the elementary school. Within the elementary school, Leonard Zeplin and Rabbi Lawrence Schwed are principals of the lower school (grades Pre-K
Pre-Kindergarten
Pre-kindergarten refers to the first formal academic classroom-based learning environment that a child customarily attends in the United States. It begins between the ages of 3-5 depending on the length of the program...
through 5.
Grades 6-8 are led by Mr. Alstar and Rabbi Hertzberg.
Debbie Levine-Greenbaum is the Director of Early Childhood, presiding over Atideinu (literally, "Our Future"), Nursery and Kindergarten classes.
Rabbi Dr. David Eliach is principal emeritus, following a decades-long tenure as principal of the high school.
Student government
Each spring the student body of the Yeshivah of Flatbush High School elects four juniors to positions in the Student Government Organization (SGO). These students assume their respective positions the following fall. The SGO plans various trips and other activities for students throughout the year. The SGO also organizes and plans Color War, which occurred recently for the first time, two years in a row. This was the result of the persuasion of the SGO 2009.The Senior Council is similarly chosen every year. Juniors elect four of their peers to lead them into and during their last year in the high school. The Council's responsibilities include collecting senior dues and planning the wintertime Senior Ski Trip, the springtime Senior Trip, and the year-ending Senior Dinner.
Community interaction
Each year, the Yeshivah holds events that cater to the New York Jewish community. The largest ones include the annual Yom HaShoahYom HaShoah
Yom HaZikaron laShoah ve-laG'vurah , known colloquially in Israel and abroad as Yom HaShoah and in English as Holocaust Remembrance Day, or Holocaust Day, is observed as Israel's day of commemoration for the approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the...
(Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
Remembrance day) and Yom Ha'atzma'ut (Israel Independence Day) programs, which traditionally feature performances by the high school's Choir and Chamber Choir, now under the direction of Brian Gelfand.
Recognizing the religious needs of Brooklyn's Sephardic community, the Yeshivah of Flatbush, in conjunction with Young Sha'are Zion, published one of the first Sephardic Passover
Passover
Passover is a Jewish holiday and festival. It commemorates the story of the Exodus, in which the ancient Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt...
Haggadot
Haggadah of Pesach
The Haggadah is a Jewish text that sets forth the order of the Passover Seder. Reading the Haggadah at the Seder table is a fulfillment of the Scriptural commandment to each Jew to "tell your son" of the Jewish liberation from slavery in Egypt as described in the Book of Exodus in the Torah...
in North America as a Senior Project in 1975. The Editors (from the High School class of 1975) were Jackie Sutton, who is a successful businessman but who also graduated with an MD from SUNY-Downstate in 1983 and is a licensed physician, and Seth Orlow, who went on to receive his B.A. from Harvard and his M.D.-Ph.D. from the Albert Einstein School of Medicine of Yeshiva University. He is now the Chairman of Dermatology at New York University School of Medicine in NY. The editor of the Halacha ['Laws'] section, Jeffrey Ben-Zvi, is also an M.D., having graduated from Columbia University and remaining on the Faculty there as a Gastroenterologist.
Each month, there is the Sunday Morning Learning program where students, faculty, and alumni get together for prayers, breakfast, and a faculty-prepared presentation of given texts.
Music and The Arts
Since the early 1990s, the yeshivah has gained acclaim through its high school and chamber choirs. Under the direction of Mr. Daniel Henkin until the year 2007, the choral program at the yeshivah has been featured at venues ranging from New York city hall, Brooklyn city hall, The Jewish Heritage Museum, and others. Their repertoire spans across genres which include arrangements of both secular and religious pieces. In 2008, Daniel Henkin resigned as choir director and assumed a position at the Ramaz Upper SchoolRamaz School
The Ramaz School is a coeducational, private Modern Orthodox Jewish prep school located on the Upper East Side of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It consists of a lower school , a middle school , and an upper school .The Ramaz Upper School is a college preparatory school...
in Manhattan. Henkin was replaced by Mr. Brian Gelfand, who directs the choir to date.
Sports
The Flatbush Falcons compete in a number of sports: the hockeyHockey
Hockey is a family of sports in which two teams play against each other by trying to maneuver a ball or a puck into the opponent's goal using a hockey stick.-Etymology:...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
, and bowling
Bowling
Bowling Bowling Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule Bowling (1375–1425; late Middle English bowle, variant of boule...
teams compete in the fall, while the softball
Softball
Softball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of 10 to 14 players. It is a direct descendant of baseball although there are some key differences: softballs are larger than baseballs, and the pitches are thrown underhand rather than overhand...
, soccer and boys varsity volleyball squads play in the spring; the swim
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
, Badminton and tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
teams compete year-round. In most cases, teams are members of the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League, which represents many of the Jewish day schools in the New York area.
Two basketball tournaments are held every year. The Thomas Hausdorff Memorial Basketball Tournament in November brings the male junior varsity teams of three American Jewish high schools to Brooklyn for a weekend of competition and solidarity. At the Marc Sackin Memorial Basketball Tournament in December, the varsity team competes against other New York-area Jewish high schools. Hausdorff was a former principal of the school; Sackin was a student killed just days before his scheduled graduation in 1973.
Academic teams
The Yeshivah of Flatbush's academic teams compete in a wide range of areas. Some of the teams incluse:debateDebate
Debate or debating is a method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examines consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examines what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is a technique of persuasion...
, Mock Trial
Mock trial
A Mock Trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisting of volunteers as role players to test theories or...
, Model Congress
Model Congress
Model Congress gives students a chance to engage in a role-playing simulation of the United States Congress. Such events are hosted by the Congress itself, Rutgers University, American International College, Columbia University, Princeton University, the University of Pennsylvania, Yale, The...
, the Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University
Yeshiva University is a private university in New York City, with six campuses in New York and one in Israel. Founded in 1886, it is a research university ranked as 45th in the US among national universities by U.S. News & World Report in 2012...
National Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
, Envirothon
Envirothon
Envirothon is an annual environmentally themed academic competition held by the United States and Canada on a regional, state, and national level. It is sponsored by Canon, conservation districts, the U.S. Forest Service, and the National Association of Conservation Districts...
, chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
, mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
, College Bowl
College Bowl
College Bowl was a format of college-level quizbowl run and operated by College Bowl Company, Incorporated. It had a format similar to the current NAQT format. College Bowl first aired on US radio stations in 1953, and aired on US television from 1959 to 1970...
and Torah
Torah
Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
Bowl.
Publications
- The Phoenix - Student newspaper
- Imrei Shefer - A D'var TorahTorahTorah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five books of the bible—Genesis , Exodus , Leviticus , Numbers and Deuteronomy Torah- A scroll containing the first five books of the BibleThe Torah , is name given by Jews to the first five...
weekly (Hebrew)first initiated in 1974 by Marc Lichtenthal ז’ל a member of the Class of 1975. - Haaretz V'haam - An IsraelIsraelThe State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
-affairs newspaper - Summit - Senior yearbookYearbookA yearbook, also known as an annual, is a book to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school or a book published annually. Virtually all American, Australian and Canadian high schools, most colleges and many elementary and middle schools publish yearbooks...
Notable alumni
- Robert J. AvrechRobert J. AvrechRobert J. Avrech is an American screenwriter, whose works include the 1984 film Body Double and A Stranger Among Us ....
- Emmy AwardEmmy AwardAn Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
-winning screenwriterScreenwriterScreenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:... - Rabbi Dr. David BergerDavid Berger (professor)David Berger is the dean of Yeshiva University's Bernard Revel Graduate School, as well as chair of Yeshiva College's Jewish Studies department...
- academic, expert in medievalMiddle AgesThe Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
Jewish historyJewish historyJewish history is the history of the Jews, their religion and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions and cultures. Since Jewish history is over 4000 years long and includes hundreds of different populations, any treatment can only be provided in broad strokes... - David BernsteinDavid Bernstein (law professor)David E. Bernstein is Foundation Professor at the George Mason University School of Law in Arlington, Virginia, where he has been teaching since 1995....
(1967-), Professor, George Mason University School of LawGeorge Mason University School of LawGeorge Mason University School of Law is the law school of George Mason University, a state university in Virginia, United States...
and author - Lee BienstockLee BienstockLee Harrison Bienstock was a contestant of the fifth edition of the NBC reality show The Apprentice, where he was the runner-up to winner Sean Yazbeck. Bienstock was born and raised in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, and at the time of the show lived in Lawrence, New York.At the age of 22,...
(1983-), finalist on The ApprenticeThe Apprentice (U.S. TV series)The Apprentice is an American reality television show hosted by real estate magnate, businessman and television personality Donald Trump, created by Mark Burnett and broadcast on NBC...
5The Apprentice 5The Apprentice 5 is the fifth series of The Apprentice, with Donald Trump as the Executive Producer and Host. Applications were available online and filming occurred in the fall of 2005. Sean Yazbeck was named the winner and hired by Donald Trump as the new Apprentice during the season finale...
. - Baruch Samuel BlumbergBaruch Samuel BlumbergBaruch Samuel "Barry" Blumberg was an American doctor and co-recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine , and the President of the American Philosophical Society from 2005 until his death.Blumberg received the Nobel Prize for "discoveries concerning new mechanisms for the origin...
(1925-2011), recipient of the 1976 Nobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
, identified the Hepatitis B virusVirusA virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea... - Rabbi Chaim BrovenderChaim BrovenderChaim Brovender is an Israeli Modern Orthodox and Religious Zionist rabbi. In October 2000, Brovender was beaten by Palestinian police while head of the Yeshivat Hamivtar yeshiva in the Israeli settlement of Efrat.-WebYeshiva:...
- rosh yeshivah of Yeshivat HaMivtarYeshivat HaMivtarYeshivat Torat Yosef - Hamivtar is a men's yeshiva located in Efrat in the West Bank. The Roshei Yeshiva are Rabbi Yonatan Rosensweig and Rabbi Shlomo Riskin. The institution is primarily focused on post college-aged students and is part of the Ohr Torah Stone educational institutions founded by... - Abraham FoxmanAbraham FoxmanAbraham H. Foxman is the National Director of the Anti-Defamation League.-Early life:Foxman, an only son, was born in Baranovichi, just months after the USSR took the town from Poland in the Nazi-Soviet Pact and incorporated it into the BSSR. The town is now in Belarus...
(1940-), current director of the Anti-Defamation LeagueAnti-Defamation LeagueThe Anti-Defamation League is an international non-governmental organization based in the United States. Describing itself as "the nation's premier civil rights/human relations agency", the ADL states that it "fights anti-Semitism and all forms of bigotry, defends democratic ideals and protects...
. - Dr. Baruch GoldsteinBaruch GoldsteinBaruch Kopel Goldstein was an American-born Jewish Israeli physician and mass murderer who perpetrated the 1994 Cave of the Patriarchs massacre in the city of Hebron, killing 29 Palestinian Muslim worshipers and wounding another 125....
, perpetrator of the Cave of the Patriarchs massacreCave of the Patriarchs massacreThe Cave of the Patriarchs massacre was a terrorist attack that occurred when Baruch Goldstein, an Israeli settler and member of the far-right Israeli Kach movement, opened fire on unarmed Palestinian Muslims praying inside the Ibrahim Mosque at the Cave of the Patriarchs site in Hebron in the...
. - Gideon GartnerGideon GartnerGideon I. Gartner is an entrepreneur and philanthropist, best known as the founder of Gartner, an information technology research and advisory company.- Early life :Gartner was born in Israel and grew up in New York City...
(1936-), founder of the The GartnerGartnerGartner, Inc. is an information technology research and advisory firm headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, United States. It was known as GartnerGroup until 2001....
Group. - Rabbi Dr. Judith HauptmanJudith HauptmanJudith Rebecca Hauptman is a feminist Jewish Talmudic scholar. She grew up in the Brooklyn borough of New York City, New York, United States....
(1943-), FeministFeminismFeminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
ic scholar and professor at the Jewish Theological SeminaryJewish Theological Seminary of AmericaThe Jewish Theological Seminary of America is one of the academic and spiritual centers of Conservative Judaism, and a major center for academic scholarship in Jewish studies.JTS operates five schools: Albert A... - Rabbi Yehuda Henkin (1945-), noted Israeli posekPosekPosek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....
- Rabbi Meir KahaneMeir KahaneMartin David Kahane , also known as Meir Kahane , was an American-Israeli rabbi and ultra-nationalist writer and political figure. He was an ordained Orthodox rabbi and later served as a member of the Israeli Knesset...
(1932–1990) (Elementary school graduate), founder of the Jewish Defense LeagueJewish Defense LeagueThe Jewish Defense League is a Jewish organization whose stated goal is to "protect Jews from antisemitism by whatever means necessary"...
and former Israeli KnessetKnessetThe Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
member. Head of the KachKach and Kahane ChaiKach was a far-right political party in Israel. Founded by Rabbi Meir Kahane in the early 1970s, and following his Jewish nationalist ideology , the party entered the Knesset in 1984 after several electoral failures...
party. - Eric Kandel (1929-), 2000 Nobel PrizeNobel PrizeThe Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
laureate in Physiology or MedicineNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineThe Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine administered by the Nobel Foundation, is awarded once a year for outstanding discoveries in the field of life science and medicine. It is one of five Nobel Prizes established in 1895 by Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, in his will...
. - Elihu KatzElihu KatzElihu Katz is an American and Israeli sociologist.-Biography:Katz has spent most of a lifetime in research on communication, his main focus being the interplay between media, conversation, opinion, and action in the public sphere...
(1926-), American sociologist and founder of Israeli television - Rabbi Naomi LevyNaomi LevyNaomi Levy is an American rabbi, author and speaker.Levy was born and raised in the Boro Park section of Brooklyn, New York. She attended Bialik School and Yeshiva of Flatbush....
- Member of the first class of women to enter Jewish Theological Seminary, bestselling author and founder of Nashuva, The Jewish Spiritual Outreach Movement. - Isaac MizrahiIsaac MizrahiIsaac Mizrahi is an American TV presenter, fashion designer, and was the creative director of Liz Claiborne. He is best known for his eponymous fashion lines.-Early life:...
(1961-), fashion designFashion designFashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics or natural beauty to clothing and accessories. Fashion design is influenced by cultural and social latitudes, and has varied over time and place. Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories....
er. - Neal HendelNeal HendelNeal Hendel is a judge on the Supreme Court of Israel.Born in the United States and a graduate of the Yeshiva of Flatbush, Hendel graduated New York University in 1973 with a B.A. in sociology and Jewish studies and later studied Talmud Yeshiva University with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik...
Israeli Supreme Court Justice - Bertram L. PodellBertram L. PodellBertram L. Podell was a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from New York. Born in Brooklyn, Podell attended St. John's University and Brooklyn Law School. He served in the United States Navy from 1944 until 1946. He was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1955...
(1925–2005), former member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... - Dennis PragerDennis PragerDennis Prager is an American syndicated radio talk show host, syndicated columnist, author, and public speaker. He is noted for his conservative political and social views emanating from conservative Judeo-Christian values. He holds that there is an "American Trinity" of essential principles,...
(1948-), public speaker and radio talk showTalk showA talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host. - Kenneth PragerKenneth PragerKenneth Prager is an American physician. He is Professor of Clinical Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Allergy and Critical Care Medicine, Director, Clinical Ethics and Chairman of the Medical Ethics Committee at the Columbia University Medical Center.Prager is a 1964 graduate of Columbia College...
, physician - Rabbi Samuel SchaflerSamuel SchaflerSamuel Schafler was a New York-born rabbi, historian, editor and Jewish educator. He was Superintendent of the Board of Jewish Education of Metropolitan Chicago and President of Hebrew College in Brookline, Massachusetts....
), rabbi, historian, editor and Jewish educator. - Rabbi Dr. Daniel SperberDaniel SperberDaniel Sperber is a professor of Talmud at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, and an expert in classical philology, history of Jewish customs, Jewish art history, Jewish education and Talmudic studies.-Biography:...
- professor of TalmudTalmudThe Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
at Bar-Ilan UniversityBar-Ilan UniversityBar-Ilan University is a university in Ramat Gan of the Tel Aviv District, Israel.Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is now Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has nearly 26,800 students and 1,350 faculty members...
and winner of the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
in 1992 - Rabbi Joseph TelushkinJoseph TelushkinJoseph Telushkin is an American rabbi, lecturer, and author.-Biography:Telushkin attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, was ordained at Yeshiva University, and studied Jewish history at Columbia University....
(1948-), author and speaker on Jewish topics. - Wendy WassersteinWendy WassersteinWendy Wasserstein was an American playwright and an Andrew Dickson White Professor-at-Large at Cornell University...
), playwright. - Larry WeinbergLarry Weinberg (businessman)Larry Weinberg is an American real estate developer who was one of the founders of the NBA's Portland Trail Blazers. Weinberg is a US military veteran who served in the US 6th Army Group as and infantry grunt during World War II. He was severely wounded in combat in France and spent over a year...
- former president of AIPACAmerican Israel Public Affairs CommitteeThe American Israel Public Affairs Committee is a lobbying group that advocates pro-Israel policies to the Congress and Executive Branch of the United States...
and former owner of the Portland Trail BlazersPortland Trail BlazersThe Portland Trail Blazers, commonly known as the Blazers, are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. They play in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The Trail Blazers originally played their home games in the... - Leon WieseltierLeon WieseltierLeon Wieseltier is an American writer, critic, and magazine editor. Since 1983 he has been the literary editor of The New Republic.Wieseltier was born in Brooklyn, New York and attended the Yeshiva of Flatbush, Columbia University, Oxford University, and Harvard University, and was a member of...
(1952-), writer, editor of The New RepublicThe New RepublicThe magazine has also published two articles concerning income inequality, largely criticizing conservative economists for their attempts to deny the existence or negative effect increasing income inequality is having on the United States...
. - Joel B. WolowelskyJoel B. WolowelskyDr. Joel B. Wolowelsky is on the Faculty at the Yeshiva of Flatbush, and an author on topics pertaining to the role of women in Judaism and Jewish medical ethics. He is the Associate Editor of Tradition, the Journal of Jewish Thought and of the Toras HoRav Foundation, which is bringing to print the...
- Noted author and current Dean of the Faculty at the Yeshivah of Flatbush High School - Alan ZelenetzAlan ZelenetzAlan Zelenetz is an American film producer and comic-book writer best known for co-creating the series Alien Legion for the Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics and a founder of Ovie Entertainment...
- (former Principal), Co-founder of Ovie EntertainmentOvie EntertainmentOvie Entertainment is an American independent film motion picture production company based in New York City.Founded by Thoma Kikis, Christopher Kikis, Nicholas Levis, Cheesey Botox, and Alan Zelenetz in 2003 to produce independent and commercially viable films and with an obligation to the past...
, and comic book writer for Marvel ComicsMarvel ComicsMarvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media... - Dr. Efraim ZuroffEfraim ZuroffEfraim Zuroff is an Israeli historian of American origin, who has played a role in bringing Nazis indicted for war crimes to trial...
(1948-), Director of the Simon Wiesenthal CenterSimon Wiesenthal CenterThe Simon Wiesenthal Center , with headquarters in Los Angeles, California, was established in 1977 and named for Simon Wiesenthal, the Nazi hunter. According to its mission statement, it is "an international Jewish human rights organization dedicated to repairing the world one step at a time...
, Israel