Rabbi Joseph Dweck, a member of the Barkai Yeshivah staff since 2003, recently became Principal of Judaic Studies. I had the pleasure of sitting down with him to discuss his introduction to, and history with, the yeshivah, his current thoughts on the yeshivah, and his goals and hopes for the future.
Most recently, Rabbi Dweck served as the Rav Yeshivah and administrator of the Barkai middle division. A shining star of the Barkai faculty, he was trained at the Hazon Ovadia Yeshivah (under the direct tutelage of Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, author of the Yalkut Yosef series and son of Rishon LeSiyon Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef). He is a graduate of the community’s own Sephardic Rabbinical College and is currently a student in Columbia Business School’s Institute for Day School Management.
Rabbi Dweck is an educator who is absolutely committed to the success of our community’s children. He is also the leader of Shaare Shalom, the illustrious Madison area synagogue and along with his wife Margalit, is the parent of four Barkai students.
David Tawil (DT): What motivated you to become a Barkai parent?
Rabbi Dweck (RD): I was motivated to send my children to the yeshivah because of its approach to Talmud Torah. When we walked into the building, we felt immediate warmth. We knew it was a place where we would feel confident sending our children. I was convinced that Barkai had effectively established the methods to achieve the goal of instilling our children with a bekiut in Torah (comprehensive and complete knowledge of Torah).
I was pleased with the teachers and the knowledge level of the students I had seen—both in general studies subjects and in Torah studies. In addition, Barkai has a commitment to maintaining a small class size, which created a classroom atmosphere dedicated to individualized and intimate attention and assured me that my children, their strengths and weaknesses, would be cared for.
DT: What motivates you as a Barkai teacher and principal?
RD: Our children are truly our future and, therefore, all that we dream of must start with them. Before beginning as a teacher at Barkai, I seriously considered where I wanted to invest my ability and potential long-term. I decided that, because of the founding principles and the yeshivah’s vision, I wanted most to see Barkai succeed and grow. It always has been, and it will always be, an honor for me to be a part of the school’s growth and development.
DT: Tell me some secrets about Barkai.
RD: I’m not sure about secrets, but perhaps a little-recognized fact is that Barkai has a high ratio of teachers who send their children to the school. To me, that is a bold testament of the educators’ belief in the values of the school, and demonstrates that they are truly invested and wish to see the school succeed.
DT: What are some of Barkai’s greatest achievements?
RD: I see Barkai’s most notable achievements to date as our student’s awareness of their individuality. When children feel confident to come into my office and tell me about a project they are doing, or discuss what is going on in class, I feel the uniqueness of our school.
Children here are confident and feel that the school is a place where they are important and cared for. Barkai’s small-classroom environment fosters a strong sense of self and allows our educators and students to promote individual strengths and focus on areas of challenge.
DT: Can you give me a sense of the administration’s outlook for the school? What will the yeshivah look like in the future?
RD: Our goals for the school are to maintain our curriculum in Judaic and general studies—one that is second to none—and to teach it in a way that is second to none. We take pride in our unparalleled curriculum. It truly integrates general studies with Torah so that the world is not seen as foreign to Torah but expressive of the truths of Torah. We would like to see our boys and girls grow to be authorities on heritage, and the unique Sephardic approach to Talmud Torah and the world. Our dream is to have a structure that can house our students comfortably and appropriately so that their learning environment can maximize their learning potential, from early-childhood through high school.
DT: Discuss your administration team and some of the changes being instituted this year.
RD: Our administration is truly a team. It is comprised of individuals who pour their hearts into their work. This year, Rav Yehoshua Shani is returning as our Rosh Yeshivah, while Mr. Alan Kurland continues as our General Studies Principal. Ms. Sherri Horowitz is our Early Childhood Director, Rabbi Baruch BenMoshe is the Middle School Coordinator and Ms. Sara Rosenfeld is the Associate Principal.
Our administration has been together for several years and we complement each other very well. For the new members of the faculty, we will be having a mentoring program.
DT: With such a strong team and clear goals, may Barkai go from strength to strength.
RD: Amen!
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David Tawil is a Barkai board member.
