Congratulations to Rabbi Sufrin

Congratulations to Rabbi Boruch Sufrin

on being awarded the Covenant Foundation 2014 Educational Leadership Award. http://www.covenantfn.org  

Rabbi Sufrin is the HOS at one of the two schools that created the Consortium for Information and Academic Technologies 

I first met Rabbi Sufrin 6 years ago when he walked through my Robotics Lab at Tarubut V'Torah Community Day school. The moment I met him I could tell that he was a leader and a man of vision. Yasher Koach on a well deserved Award!!

Rabbi Yisroel Boruch Sufrin, Head of School at Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy (HHHA) in Beverly Hills, CA for the past 11 years, has injected a powerful and expansive vision of Jewish education into the school, and in the process has transformed it, empowered students and teachers, and strengthened Jewish community nearby and beyond.

His philosophy, which places the student at the center, surrounded and buttressed by talented teachers, engaged parents, caring community, and immersive tools, fuels HHHA's success and has made it one of the nation's preeminent Jewish day schools and Rabbi Sufrin himself a leading advocate and practitioner of Jewish education.

"My personal life goal is to help any child become a leader and innovator," he said. "When we educate each student according to his or her unique way in a child-centered environment, then we ensure he or she will be successful in the future. To do this, each child has to feel and know that he or she is the center of the learning process. This approach also understands that it is critical for an educator or parent to focus on each child's achievements and accomplishments. We must provide a learning environment and culture that supports innovation and spiritual exploration.

"Our children deserve to know we value their part in the creation story. They are the continuation of creation. To create takes leadership, self-confidence, passion and knowledge. Imbuing these qualities in each child helps him or her to become an innovator and partner in the world's future."

Rabbi Sufrin has exercised and activated this philosophy in innumerable ways, and in the process has created a learning environment with an energy and vitality that defines the school and the larger community.

"(He) is one of the most influential and charismatic Jewish educational leaders ever," said Dawn Kreisberg, Early Childhood Education Director at HHHA, who nominated Rabbi Sufrin for The Covenant Award. "He has made it a goal to teach, empower and inspire every student at every level plus all staff and to instill in them, in addition to strong Judaic values, the qualities of leadership and creativity.

"He knows that leadership is not about status but about creating a purpose and vision. I have never met a Jewish educator who embraces education from all directions."

At the school, which enrolls 580 students from early childhood age to 8th grade, Rabbi Sufrin has moved to promote the use of technology in the classroom, elevate STEM and Hebrew language education, implement a Parashat Hashavua curriculum that involves parents, embrace community service initiatives, and fortify ties between the school and Israel.

But it is his devotion to students and community that is most often noted by those who are within his orbit and influence.

“Hillel has become a place where children can truly experience the joy of being practicing Jews, learning Jews, and part of a caring, nonjudgmental Jewish community,” said Dr. Miriam Heller Stern, Dean at the Graduate Center for Education at American Jewish University. “Rabbi Sufrin is driven by a genuine love of children and a dedication to nurturing their curiosity, passion, goodness and uniqueness as individuals. He honors every child as a human being.”

Reacting to his selection as a 2014 Covenant Award recipient, he echoed this devotion to children and the community.

"It is an honor and a privilege that The Covenant Foundation has selected me as a recipient of this prestigious national award. I am humbled to be associated with a group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to sharing innovations and inspiring their communities in meaningful ways. Receiving this award affirms my quest to unite the community while providing opportunities for Jewish children to excel. It will enable me to continue to achieve my goals, while expanding my educational and leadership vision on behalf of our children."

Yossie Frankel

Director - Consortium for Information and Academic TechnologiesMember Schools:

Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy - yfrankel@hillelhebrew.org
Oakland Hebrew Day School - y.frankel@ohds.org
Shalhevet High School - y.frankel@shalhevet.org 
Arete Preparatory Academy - yfrankel@areteprep.org
Yeshivat Yavneh - www.yha.org
Checkout my blog @ technorebbe.blogspot.com
Twitter:  @yossiefrankel
YouTube Channel: YossieFrankelChannel