Akiba-Barrack Alumni

Last Tuesday evening, over 50 members of our Akiba/Barrack community attended our sold out 23rd Annual Gala, Our History and Our Future. Together, we paid tribute to Lisa Sandler, honored our visionary past presidents, and shared in a night of celebration and laughter with comedian Elon Gold. The night was filled with a special sense of connection and community of over 450 in attendance as we celebrated our rich history and our shared commitment to the future of Jewish education.

We are deeply grateful to our gala committee, honorary chairs, and co-chairs for their thoughtful leadership and care in creating such a meaningful evening—and we especially thank our sponsors and donors whose support helps ensure that Barrack continues to be a place where students grow with purpose, confidence, and a strong sense of identity to become the next generation of Jewish leaders. Thank you to everyone for being a part of this evening and for helping sustain the future we are building together.

You can see more photos from our 23rd Annual Gala here: jbhacademy.smugmug.com/23rd-Annual-Gala-2026

Join us for our annual Pre-Thanksgiving Akiba/Barrack Alumni gathering on November 26 from 7-9 PM. Our gathering will be held at South Bowl in Philadelphia and we look forward to seeing you there!

RSVP Here: https://forms.gle/tt2PR3zdDqv8XpWF8

We are overjoyed to have had the opportunity to bring together so many Akiba/Barrack alumni in Israel this past week! Fellow alumnus Head of School Rabbi Marshall Lesack ‘97 reconnected with members of the class of 1972 through 2025! We hosted a dinner at Goshen in Tel Aviv and a delicious food tour of the Mahaneh Yehudah Market, followed by a lunch and special dinner for our most recent graduates. 🇮🇱

Chag Sameach! We are so excited to be hosting TWO alumni events in Israel in the coming weeks! Please share the news with fellow alumni and register to join! We cannot wait to see you there!

Tel Aviv: Tuesday, October 21, 2025 at 7 PM (Dinner)
https://forms.gle/ZjgwYDExBwdy36Ha7

Jerusalem: Thursday, October 23, 2025 at 11 AM (Lunch)
https://forms.gle/xiCRSoXqcyQPi82n9

Please join fellow Akiba/Barrack Alumni for a night of mingling, networking, drinks, delicious food and conversation.

RSVP to NYC Event: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfIsKOKsPxqhnM7V7UbBbyaPt_-MyAunjglwPoCrlDhUoxdMQ/viewform

RSVP to DC Event: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBTTjuyUx2bO_HlXOBHZsq_Zn-_htiCvrdPbvO5ecPfpbPqg/viewform

Over the past 50 plus years Akiba/Barrack athletics have been an integral and important piece in the lives of our students and school culture. It is with great enthusiasm that the nomination process for the Class of 2025 Akiba/Barrack Hall of Fame is now open! Please use the link below for nominations.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdj4m0kK-vyL805hkAud0JRHyX8H_3tfHcuxnq9Qnb2dn-dKg/viewform

This past Wednesday evening, over 450 members of our Akiba/Barrack community gathered to celebrate our school and the strength of our connection to one another. Together, we honored Howard and Ronit Treatman for their tireless commitment to our school and to the Jewish community locally and around the globe and heard from keynote speaker Michael Oren, Israel's former Ambassador to the United States, on the importance of Am Echad—that we are one nation and one people.
Thank you to the honorary chairs, gala co-chairs, programs co-chairs, and our gala committee for their energy and passion in helping to create such a memorable evening and enormous gratitude to our sponsors and donors for their exemplary generosity and steadfast commitment to our school.
You can see highlights from the event, including videos, photos, and the tribute journal here: jbha.org/22nd-annual-gala-highlights

Join us for a special virtual panel on Navigating the Different Paths of the Medical/Healthcare Fields featuring Akiba/Barrack alumni Leah Lande '89, MD, FCCP Pulmonologist (Pulmonology Associates, Inc. at Main Line Health); Davi Cohen '18 Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (D1); Gefen Galfand '19 Bachelors of Science in Nursing at Thomas Jefferson University (Senior year of Fact 2 BSN Program); Benji Joffe '16 Doctor of Medicine at Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University (M3); Shira Perloff '19 Doctor of Occupational Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University (OTD2) & Jared Shotel '18 Doctor of Physical Therapy at Thomas Jefferson University (DPT2)

Tuesday, February 4, 2025
7:30 p.m.
Register here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdsmLY_0haSxl2Ncnx-pKyzoAvS-M_nVqNk88ekQLgmWJsgiA/viewform

Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the devastating wildfires in California. To our Akiba/Barrack Alumni community please know we are thinking about you during this challenging time. Please stay safe and let us know if there's any way we can support you. Shabbat Shalom