BARKAI YESHIVAH LAUNCHED IN 1999 WITH A CLASS OF 13 STUDENTS WHOSE FAMILIES WERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT. BASED ON THE EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM DEVELOPED BY RABBI DAN BE’ERI IN ISRAEL, THE BARKAI METHOD WAS DESIGNED TO TEACH CHILDREN THE COMPLETE TANAKH AND MISHNAH, COMPLETE WITH TE’AMIM. TAUGHT IN TANDEM WITH A ROBUST GENERAL STUDIES CURRICULUM, AND DELIVERED IN A WARM, CHILD-CENTERED ENVIRONMENT, THE BARKAI YESHIVAH AS WE KNOW IT TODAY WAS BORN.
That class of 13 students has since grown to 627, and is projected to reach 1,128 by 2037 across both the elementary and high school. Barkai graduates carry the values they learn in Barkai throughout their lives, exemplifying them as they build families and careers. Families throughout the community have chosen Barkai Yeshivah for its “whole-child approach,” seeking an institution that is based on the belief that all elements of our world should be recognized through the framework of Torah. To meet the growing demands, Barkai has undertaken a massive expansion across both its elementary and high school campuses.
On Sunday, October 11th, community members gathered to celebrate the expansion at a groundbreaking ceremony in honor of the exciting future homes of the school. The event brought together leaders, parents, alumni, and faculty to mark this important milestone as construction is already underway, the foundation has been poured, and the high school expansion is progressing, further building anticipation for Barkai’s future.
Speakers included Board President Ephraim Setton, administrators Rabbi Albert Setton and Rabbi Richard Tobias, eighth grader Linda Cohen, alumnus and Board member Albert Richter, and past president Richie Chalmè. Supporters enjoyed a video series highlighting the school’s rich history and plans for the years ahead, and took an up-close look at the construction site and the progress made thus far.
The elementary school campus expansion will transform the school’s footprint from 43,068 square feet to an impressive 151,110 square feet across three contiguous lots, more than tripling the space available for learning and growth. The expanded campus will feature 36 new classrooms, world-class athletic facilities, a state-of-the-art auditorium, a recording studio, and dedicated art labs.
As the high school prepares to celebrate its first graduating class this spring, it too will continue to grow, with expanded spaces for academics and athletics. Together, these improvements will position both schools for continued growth.
These exceptional facilities will provide Barkai students with unique opportunities for growth and learning, reflecting the school’s commitment to educating the whole child and bringing a long-held vision to life. Yet buildings are only the setting. What matters most happens inside, children reading every pasuk of the Humash with te’amim, speaking Hebrew with Barkai’s Israeli shellihim, singing pizmonim, and growing into confident young people who know who they are. Barkai means “first light of dawn.” Twenty-seven years after the idea first took shape in a living room, its light keeps rising, and with the community’s support, this next chapter will shine for generations.
