(Courtesy of BPY) The BPY community is gearing up for the excitement of its annual dinner on March 4. The school’s theme this year is “Etz Chayim Hee,” the Torah is a tree of life, and this metaphor is a wonderful way to view their celebrated honorees. As a tree of life, the Torah has powerfully strong roots, and in its growth it provides sustenance, shelter and support for all those around it. The BPY honorees likewise have provided nurturing roots and visionary foundations to the BPY family, and in turn, the BPY family draws sustenance, shelter and support from the inspirational model that these pillars of BPY have provided.
At the annual dinner, BPY family and friends will have the opportunity to express appreciation and admiration for BPY’s accomplishments — as the only yeshiva elementary school in Bergen County with the prestigious joint accreditation from the N.J. Association of Independent Schools and the Middle States Association of Schools & Colleges — as well as an unparalleled acceptance rate to high schools of first choice for its eighth grade graduates. These, along with the new BPY night Seder program, Memories of the Mizrach, a student-led Sephardic oral history project, exemplary Ivrit skills and Hebrew immersion on the part of the students, and the consistent growth in all academic areas year after year as evidenced by the rigorous ERB standardized assessments, all attest to the exciting growth of BPY’s programs.
This year’s honorees, Ari Harary and Carly Teichman, exemplify the passion and spirit of BPY through their unwavering dedication to the beloved yeshiva. Harary is a member of the board of trustees of BPY, and has served as a president of the PTO. She grew up in a mixed Sephardic-Ashkenazic family, and is therefore enthusiastically devoted to the BPY model of experiencing the world of Am Yisrael’s sacred heritages and minhagim. Harary led a project at BPY which culminated in the dedication of the Sandy Goldwyn Abilities Ramp, which was celebrated with an Avraham Fried concert at the school. As PTO president she helped initiate the Glow-in-the-Dark Havdalah Night for early childhood, the Seudat Amenim, and the Family Challah Bake, all now classic staples at BPY. Harary is so appreciative of the warm relationship that her children have with their teachers, and especially with the many BPY shlichim. Harary is an active member of the Benaroya Sephardic Center at Ahavath Torah in Englewood.
Teichman is serving her third term on the board of trustees and, together with Harary, has served as PTO president. Her guidance, wisdom and counsel are greatly appreciated, not only by the board, but especially by Rabbi Zucker, the head of school, in Teichman’s role as chairperson of the Head of School Support and Evaluation Committee. Teichman has been a steady force in helping to develop and enhance inquiry-based learning experiences, and has seen the immense value in the embrace of both Sephardic and Ashkenazic traditions as evidenced in her own children’s appreciation of these areas. An active member of Shaare Tefillah in Teaneck, Teichman exemplifies the ideal and value of becoming immersed in communal involvement, seeing outstanding results from her efforts.
BPY is proud to honor Dr. Shoshana Poupko with the annual Community Service Award. Poupko has served on the BPY board of trustees, was a member of the Head of School Search Committee that brought Rabbi Zucker to BPY, and served on various committees from academic areas to chesed. As the rabbanit of Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, Poupko knows very well how important communal involvement is in developing a heartfelt giving and confident member of the tzibbur.
In that spirit, and to celebrate and commemorate the kindness and warm smiles of family life, Poupko, together with her husband Rabbi Chaim Poupko, established the annual Chana Poupko, a”h Memorial Chesed Day, held on Lag B’Omer every year at BPY. Poupko’s vision, that each grade has its own dedicated chesed project, is actualized every year as a highlight of the students’ communal giving. Students look forward with great excitement to this program as they see how much they can make a difference in the lives of others. Poupko’s dreams of community service serve as a model and inspiration for students, faculty and parents alike.
The BPY Faculty Award will be presented to Morah Sharon Rand. A master teacher at BPY for the past 18 years, Rand is a legend in the early childhood division and beyond.
Recognizing that early childhood is a pivotal time in a person’s development, where values, emotional needs, and educational foundations are established, Rand helps each child gain the skills, tools, confidence and independence to soar. An active member of the Sephardic Center of Fair Lawn, Rand understands how important it is for students to experience learning and growth in the context of a larger community. Faculty and administrative members at BPY often look to Morah Sharon for her kind and generous advice and guidance in their own growth.
As the school expressed hakarat hatov to these extraordinary leaders of the BPY family, it invites the community at large to join hands, strengthen their bonds, and help to support the vibrant and glorious future of BPY. This celebration will take place, be’H, on Tuesday evening, March 4, at 7 at the Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, New Jersey. For reservations and more information, call (201) 845-5007 or reach out to [email protected].
