fbpx

Governance

A Message from the Board President

Dear Berman Community,

It is with great pride that I begin my tenure as the next Board President of Berman Hebrew Academy. As we enter our school’s 80th year I’m filled with gratitude for the generations of Berman students, alumni, parents, grandparents, teachers, and administrators who have built this amazing institution. As a proud alumnus of the class of 1995 and a parent of Berman students spanning all of our divisions, I am a personal beneficiary of our amazing school. 

Reflecting on Berman at 80 gives me tremendous confidence and excitement for our next 80 years. On שבת and holidays we recite the verse from תהילים פרק צ:

ימי שנותינו בהם שבעים שנה ואם בגבורת שמונים שנה
The span of our life is 70 years, or given strength, eighty years

Thank God, Berman has been blessed with a lifetime of strength for 80 years. The blessing of 80 years, the Psalmist teaches, is not simply the blessing of living a long life but of living a life of accomplishment measured by its impact on the generations that follow. The verse continues: 

יראה אל עבדיך פעלך והדרך על בניהם
Let your deeds be seen by servants, your glory by their children

The strength of 80 ensures that the generations that follow will experience the beauty of Hashem and HisTorah

Baruch Hashem, due to the labor and investment of those before us, Berman’s future is very bright. We enter our 80th year with a record increase in enrollment, students who pursue excellence and practice mentschlachkeit, best-in-class faculty and administrators, and upgraded facilities and spaces. 

Perhaps most consequential for this new era of שמונים שנה is the arrival home of Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder. For the first time in our school’s history we have a Head of School who grew up in our community and attended Berman — he is a product of our ואם בגבורת שמונים שנה . Rabbi Broder’s spiritual leadership, educational expertise, and passion for teaching students promises that the Berman community will enjoy another 80 years of strength, success, and blessing. 

I look forward to working with the Berman community to ensure that our school produces another generation of students steeped in Torah values, academic excellence, good citizenship, and a love of עם ישראל וארץ ישראל.  

Please feel free to contact me at president@mjbha.org.

Reuven Zakheim 

By-Laws


Board of Directors
Executive Committee:
President Reuven Zakheim
1st Vice President/Development Chair Elan Burman
2nd Vice President Ellie Kagan
Treasurer Evan Smith
Secretary Naomi Carmel
Trustee Alana Fine
Trustee Ben Galper
Trustee Tova Jaffe
Chair, Governance Committee Moshe Schwartz
Chair, Planned Giving Manette Mayberg
Co-Chair, External Relations Diana Epstein
Immediate Past President Benny Berkowitz
Head of School Rabbi Dr. Hillel Broder
Directors:
Ben Berger Ari Moskowitz
Dafna Berman Rena Opert
Aharon Boltax Elise Saks
Mandy Book Darren Schneider
Benjamin Freedman Neil Siegel
Stephanie Gurevich Talia Stansbury
Tova Jaffe Joy Sturm
Aviva Lebson
Ex-Officio Members of the Board:
Chair, PTO Shana Siesser
2nd Past President Dave Sloan
3rd Past President Orlee Turitz
President, Jewish Federation Robin Hettleman Weinberg
CEO, Jewish Federation Gil Preuss

Development Committee

The Development Committee is charged with expanding the reach of the Annual, Capital and Endowment fundraising efforts of Berman. Serving on the development committee entails direct solicitation and outreach to new potential supporters. With the full support of the Berman staff and the chair, the committee will communicate mostly through e-mail and phone in addition to periodic meetings. The committee will have regular solicitation training and access to all Berman marketing materials. Please contact Elan Burman, Development Chair.