Two of the most prominent and respected Jewish day schools in the Philadelphia area, Perelman Jewish Day School and Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy, are in the process of joining forces, according to a press release.
Perelman, a pre-K-5 institution, and Barrack, a pluralistic, 6-12 operation, will complete their transition to one institution by the fall of 2027, pending regulatory approval from the state attorney general’s office. The schools will operate across their three campuses in Melrose Park, Wynnewood and Bryn Mawr.
Their unification will create the first pre-K-12 Jewish community day school in Greater Philadelphia, per the release.
The schools “share a commitment to exceptional academics and programs infused with Jewish wisdom and values, a strong connection to Israel and the Jewish people, and the preparation of students to live lives of purpose, leadership, and contribution,” the release stated.
“For nearly two years, Board leaders and Heads of School from both institutions have engaged in thoughtful, sustained collaboration to explore how best to advance Jewish education for the future. This work has affirmed what we believe deeply: together, we can build on the distinctive strengths, traditions, and cultures families cherish at each school — while creating something even stronger for the next generation,” wrote Dov Haselkorn, Perelman’s board president, and Jonathan Zabusky and Scott Erlbaum, Barrack’s board co-presidents.
The unified school does not yet have a name. That “will be announced at a later date,” per the release. But it does have a head of school: Rabbi Marshall Lesack, who currently serves in the same role at Barrack. Lesack is a Barrack alum who returned to lead the institution in 2021. He called the chance to lead the unified school “an opportunity that does not come along often.”
Perelman’s head of school, Mitchell Daar, is leaving to return to his Chicago alma mater, the Bernard Zell Anshe Emet Day School, after the conclusion of the 2025-26 academic year. Perelman will name an interim successor for 2026-27 ahead of the transition to the unified school by the fall of 2027.
“I am deeply honored to have been chosen to lead the new unified school and am committed to carrying forward the distinguished and rigorous academic standards and cherished traditions and cultures of both legacy schools as we engage in the sacred work of educating future generations of Jewish leaders,” Lesack said in the release.
Prior to taking his position at Barrack, Lesack served as a principal in the Donna Klein Jewish Academy within the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County in Boca Raton, Florida. The Donna Klein Jewish Academy is a K-12 institution, so the rabbi is familiar with the advantages of unifying schools across grade levels.
“Most importantly, if you can think of a child and young person’s trajectory over the course of 14 years, that is significant,” he said.
Lesack also said that it allows institutional leaders to think of STEAM, Jewish life experiences and other important subjects “in a unified way.”
The board presidents shared a vision of a unified institution rooted in the values that both schools already share.
“Our vision is a transformative educational experience in which students are known and nurtured, grow to their fullest potential, engage meaningfully in Jewish learning and life, deepen their commitment to Israel, and make a lasting impact in the world,” they wrote.
Daniel Eisenstadt, the new school’s board chair, added that, “Jewish education has never been more critical than it is now, and it is clear to us that a unified school will put us in the strongest position to ensure that Jewish education thrives in Greater Philadelphia and beyond for generations to come.”
Eisenstadt said that a possible unification had been discussed for years, but something always got in the way. Most recently, that was COVID. But since Oct. 7, 2023, “The idea of focusing on building a next generation of Jews who are actually aware and knowledgeable of our story is more apparent,” Eisenstadt said.
“One of the best responses to antisemitism and the challenges in the Jewish world is to make sure we know our own history, that we have pride in it and that we educate Jews to be joyful and to carry forward those traditions. Sometimes, we think the answer to antisemitism is to combat antisemitism. But that’s a defensive response,” he added.
Perelman and Barrack will begin the process of unifying their admissions and development programs during the 2026-27 academic year, per the release. Lesack said there’s a long list of things to do, including “connecting with and engaging our communities to move forward together, working in partnership and collaboratively with the educational teams, working with the lay leadership and boards to create a unified board, making sure we build the appropriate and thoughtful and evolved organizational structure to best meet the needs of a preK-12 school and system and making sure we’re going to focus on fundraising to make sure we invest appropriately in what we’re creating.”
The head of school has a vision.
“Just as each of these institutions has 80 and 70 years, respectively, we should be successful at least for the next 75 years,” he said. “My vision is that we continue to embrace the broad spectrum of our Jewish community, that we’re a model of Jewish peoplehood, that our students are bridgemakers and changemakers, that our academic programs are powerful and inspiring.”
Parents, prospective parents and other community members who wish to learn more can do so by visiting pjds.org/prek12/ and jbha.org/prek12 and by emailing [email protected] and [email protected].