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School in Brooklyn, New York, United States From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Yeshivah of Flatbush is a Modern Orthodox private Jewish day school located in the Midwood section of Brooklyn, New York. It educates students from age 2 to age 18 and includes an early childhood center, an elementary school and a secondary school.
Yeshivah of Flatbush ישיבת פלטבוש | |
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Elementary school | |
Address | |
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919 East 10th Street (elementary) 1609 Avenue J (high school) Brooklyn, New York United States | |
Coordinates | 40°37′32″N 73°57′36″W |
Information | |
Type | Private, Jewish day school, College-prep |
Motto | אם אין קמח אין תורה Im ein kemach ein Torah (Without work (literally: flour) there is no Torah, "The Standard of Excellence.") |
Religious affiliation(s) | Modern Orthodox Judaism |
Established | 1927 |
Founder | Joel Braverman |
Principal |
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Rosh Yeshivah | Raymond Harari |
Grades | Atidenu (preschool)–12 |
Number of students | 10,644 |
Color(s) | Maroon and gold |
Mascot | Freddy the Falcon |
Team name | Falcons |
Newspaper | The Phoenix |
Yearbook | Summit |
Website | www |
The Yeshivah of Flatbush was founded in 1927 by Joel Braverman, among others. The institution, located on East 10th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn (a neighborhood sometimes identified with nearby Flatbush) at first consisted of an early childhood program, an elementary school and a middle school.[1] The high school, founded in 1950 to complement the elementary school, was originally housed in an adjoining building. In 1962, the high school moved into a new building on nearby Avenue J, and the elementary school expanded into what was formerly the high school building.
The institution combines a Torah education and 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.
One of the Yeshivah of Flatbush's fundamental tenets is its "Ivrit b'Ivrit" (literally, "Hebrew 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.[2] With this technique, the Yeshivah aims to enable its students to achieve fluency in the Hebrew language.[3]
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 Jews whose families originated from communities in Germany, Poland, Eastern Europe and Russia. In recent years, the majority has shifted to students of Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish descent. The overwhelming number of Sephardic students can be attributed to the growth of the Syrian Jewish 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 schools and yeshivot in those areas.[4] In 2022, the lower school consisted of 1,400 students.[1]
Many graduates participate in year-long programs at yeshivot, seminaries and volunteer organizations in Israel 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 and Boston University 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.
David Eliach was the principal emeritus, following a decades-long tenure as principal of the high school.[5] In later years, Raymond Harari, an alumnus of Yeshivah of Flatbush High School, served as the "head of school" of the high school, followed by Joseph Beyda.[6]
The Elementary School was formerly led by Lawrence Schwed.[4]
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.
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.
Each year, the Yeshivah holds events that cater to the New York Jewish community. The largest ones include the annual Yom HaShoah (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. In addition to this a 9/11 memorial program is held annually.
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 addition to this there are also many alumni and members of the community come to help at programs.
Since the early 1990s, the yeshivah has gained acclaim through its high school and chamber choirs. Under the direction of Daniel Henkin until the year 2007, the choral program at the yeshivah has been featured at venues including New York's city hall, Brooklyn's 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 School in Manhattan. Henkin was replaced by Brian Gelfand, and was eventually replaced by Mordy Weinstein and finally Ricky Sasson, who directs the elementary and high school choirs to date.[citation needed] The school also has a production of musicals performed in Hebrew each year by a select amount of talented students. The students write these plays and translate them from English to Hebrew, as well as star in them each year.[citation needed]
In addition to this, Flatbush High School has an Expressive Arts class during 9th grade, which includes a music class and an acting/improv course, as well as a full-year 10th grade art class class- both of which are built into the school curriculum.
The Flatbush Falcons compete in a number of sports: the hockey, basketball and volleyball, and bowling teams compete in the fall, while the softball, pickleball, 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.
The Flatbush Varsity Tennis Team won their first championship ever in June, 2017 beating Heschel 3–2. Players like Meyer Tawil, Joe Benhaim, and Meyer Kassin led the team to victory.
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.
The Yeshivah of Flatbush's academic teams compete in a wide range of areas. Some of the teams include: debate, Mock Trial, Model Congress, the Yeshiva University National Model United Nations, Envirothon, chess, mathematics, College Bowl and Torah Bowl.
![]() | This section of a biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (November 2011) |
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