Maimonides School
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Maimonides School (
Hebrew Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: ישיבת רמב"ם ''Yeshivat Rambam'') is a
coeducation Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...
al,
Modern Orthodox Modern may refer to: History *Modern history ** Early Modern period ** Late Modern period *** 18th century *** 19th century *** 20th century ** Contemporary history * Moderns, a faction of Freemasonry that existed in the 18th century Philosophy ...
,
Jewish day school A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of Jews, Jewish parents with both a Jewish and a secular education in one school on a full-time basis. The term "day school" is used to differentiat ...
located in
Brookline, Massachusetts Brookline () is an affluent town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, and part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area. An exclave of Norfolk County, Brookline borders six of Boston's neighborhoods: Brighton, Boston, Brighton ...
. The school was founded in 1937 by Rabbi
Joseph Soloveitchik Joseph Ber Soloveitchik ( ''Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik''; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic d ...
and his wife Tonya Soloveitchik. It is named after Rabbi
Moses Maimonides Moses ben Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (, ) and also referred to by the Hebrew acronym Rambam (), was a Sephardic rabbi and philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Torah scholars of the Middle A ...
. Today, Maimonides is a
Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...
institution with approximately 550 students from early childhood (2–4 years) through
grade twelve Twelfth Grade (also known as Grade 12, Senior Year, Standard 12, 12th Standard, 12th Class, or Class 12th or Class 12) is the twelfth and final year of formal or compulsory education. It is typically the final year of secondary school and K–12 ...
with over 2,000 alumni, including multiple Rhodes Scholars, National Merit Scholars, prominent professors, scientists and business leaders. More than 325 of them are living in
Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...
.


Campus

Maimonides School currently is situated on a campus in central Brookline, and is housed in one building.


Saval Campus

The Saval campus, named after Maurice Saval, a longtime school Chairman and benefactor, includes the Elementary School (kindergarten through grade five), Middle School (grades six through eight), Upper School (grades nine through twelve), business office, and other administrative offices. Other features of the Saval campus are the Judge J. John Fox gymnasium, S. Joseph Solomont
Synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
, 22,000 volume Levy
library A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
and Beit Midrash (house of religious Judaic study), laboratories, a student lounge, and additional office and study space. The inner courtyard includes a SprinTurf playing surface—the Ezra Schwartz Field—for outdoor play. The Esther Edelman Learning Center has undergone a cosmetic upgrade with new furniture, computers, air-conditioning and thermal pane windows. The Middle School level includes the Study Zone, a nurse's office, an art room, a science lab and a social worker's office.


Brener building

Between 1998-2019, the elementary school was housed in the Brener building, which is across the street from the Saval building, where the Elementary School had formerly been. In addition to classrooms, the building contained a lunchroom, small gym, admissions office, and library. Grades E2 - 5 also had their own playground for recess. The Brener building is named for Leonard Brener, noted philanthropist (to Maimonides and the Perkins School for the Blind among other educational causes). A decorated detective with the Boston Police Department, Mr. Brener was known affectionately as 'Brennan' to his (mostly Irish) coworkers. After his retirement from law enforcement, he became a financial advisor, achieving the rank of Senior Vice President with Dean Whitter Reynolds. In addition to the Brener building itself, Mr. Brener donated the art room on the Saval campus in memory of his sister. Nearing the end of the 2018-2019 school year, it was announced that due to decreased enrollment and a tighter budget, the following year the Elementary School would be moving back into the Saval building. Brookline Public Schools currently rent out the Brener building.


Student activities


Current clubs and activities

The following is an incomplete list of different middle and upper school student-run clubs and organizations, and other
extracurricular activities An extracurricular activity (ECA) or extra academic activity (EAA) or cultural activity is an activity, performed by students, that falls outside the realm of the normal curriculum of school, college or university education. Although approved ...
(listed alphabetically): *School Newspaper (''Spectrum'') :Published on the first day of every month, ''Spectrum'' contains school news, world news, sports, entertainment, world language, and opinion sections. ''Spectrum'' is now online at http://www.maimospectrum.com. *
Mock trial A mock trial is an act or imitation trial. It is similar to a moot court, but mock trials simulate lower-court trials, while moot court simulates appellate court hearings. Attorneys preparing for a real trial might use a mock trial consisti ...
:The 2009 team was the most successful team in Maimonides history having won the Massachusetts State Championship. The National Competition in Atlanta, Georgia accommodated Maimonides School in allowing the team to compete on Friday, thereby allowing the students to keep Shabbat-observance. Because of this deviation, the power ranking system did not apply to Maimonides, and the team was placed in the ranking at number 20, tied with Maine. The only previous time the team had qualified for the
Massachusetts State Tournament Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode Island to it ...
was a Sweet 16 finish in 2006. The 2010 team reached the Sweet 16, the 2012 team reached the Final 4, and the 2013 team reached the Elite Eight. The 2021 team had a Sweet 16 finish in the Massachusetts State Tournament, competing for the first time over Zoom, due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. *
Model United Nations Model United Nations, also known as Model UN (MUN), is an educational simulation of the United Nations, which teaches students about diplomacy, international relations, global issues, and how the United Nations is run. During a model UN confe ...
Annually, the Maimonides School delegation receives multiple awards at the Yeshiva University National Model United Nations. *Troop 54, Boy Scouts of America *
Chessed (, also Romanized: ) is a Hebrew word that means 'kindness or love between people', specifically of the devotional piety of people towards God as well as of love or mercy of God towards humanity. It is frequently used in Psalms in the latter se ...
Committee who coordinate seasonal supply-drives, volunteer days, and awareness speakers. *Chidon Hatanach (National Bible Contest)- Menachem Shindler, the 2009 North American Champion, won 2nd in the Diaspora and 5th in the World contests in the Yom Haatzmaut Chidon HaTanach HaOlami contest. Alexander Kahan was the 2010 North American Champion, competed in the 2011 Chidon HaTanach HaOlami contest. Past Chidon HaTanach champions from Maimonides include Yechiel Robinson and Yochanan Stein. *David Project Club which teaches students about current events and Israel Advocacy. *Drama Club (produces annual high school
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
production - http://www.freewebs.com/maimonidesdramaclub) * Junior Achievement: Titan The 2006 Co-state-champion Titan team placed fourth in the northeast, and thirteenth nationally. *Literary Magazine (''The Current''): Has won several awards in the past, noted for its creativity in original music pieces, photography, poetry, and short stories. *The Weekly Briefing: A weekly newspaper containing articles about various news stories pertaining to the last week's worth of current events. The paper also posts the weekly schedule and events, a list of student birthdays, puzzles and trivia. It is posted every week. *Math team :The 2006 team won second place in their division in the New England region. :The 2018 team came in first in a competition between over 150 Jewish day schools in the world. *''A Bisol Torah'' is a weekly student-run ''parsha'' publication. *
Student Council A student council (also known as a student union, associated student body or student parliament) is an administrative organization of students in different educational institutes ranging from elementary schools to universities and research or ...
*Book Club *Yachad Board is a subgroup of Greater Boston Yachad, a chapter of Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilities *
Yearbook A yearbook, also known as an annual, is a type of Annual publication, a book published annually. One use is to record, highlight, and commemorate the past year of a school. The term also refers to a book of statistics or facts published annually ...
(''Halapid'') * Mishmar Talmud : Once taught by Rabbi Dovid Shapiro, now taught by Rabbi Yaakov Jaffe. Each Thursday night following the days worth of classes, high school students are invited to learn extra
Gemara The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemore) is an essential component of the Talmud, comprising a collection of rabbinical analyses and commentaries on the Mishnah and presented in 63 books. The term is derived from the Aram ...
.


Athletics

Maimonides is a member of the
Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) is an organization that sponsors activities in thirty-three sports, comprising 374 public high school, public and private high school, private high schools in the U.S. state of Mass ...
. Interscholastic sports include basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, and tennis. The school's teams are named the ''M-Cats''. In November 2010, the school's athletic teams received the MIAA Sportsmanship Award in recognition of their good sportsmanship.


Boys teams

*
Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
( Varsity and Junior Varsity - Division III North) * Intramural Football *
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
(Varsity,
Junior Varsity A varsity team is the highest-level team in a sport or activity representing an educational institution. Varsity teams train to compete against each other during an athletic season or in periodic matches against rival institutions. At High school, ...
and Middle School - Division IV North) *
Intramural Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...
Hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
*
Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
(Varsity - Division III North) *
Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
(Varsity & Junior Varsity) *
Wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
(Varsity)


Girls teams

*
Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
(Varsity, Junior Varsity and Middle School - Division IV North) *
Intramural Intramural sports are recreational sports organized within a particular institution, usually an educational institution, for the purpose of fun and exercise. The term, which is chiefly North American, derives from the Latin words ''intra muros'' m ...
Hockey ''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
*
Soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
(Varsity - Division III North) *
Softball Softball is a Variations of baseball, variation of baseball, the difference being that it is played with a larger ball, on a smaller field, and with only underhand pitches (where the ball is released while the hand is primarily below the ball) ...
(Varsity - Division III North) *
Volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
(Junior Varsity & Varsity - Division III North) *
Tennis Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
(Varsity & Junior Varsity)


Students versus faculty


Faculty Basketball Game

This game is a longstanding tradition that matches the male members of the senior class against the male faculty in a game of basketball, proceeds from which are donated to charity. The 2008 game was particularly exciting, as the seniors raced back from a large deficit to tie and win the game in the last few minutes. In 2009 the faculty won the game for the first time, only to lose again by one point in 2010. In 2011 the game was an easy win for the seniors, but the faculty won again in 2012 and 2013. The faculty won in 2017. In an incredibly close game in 2018, the seniors beat the faculty.


Tuition

Tuition for the 2023-2024 academic year is $38,340 for the high school.


Controversies


Finances and governance

In late 2005, the school faced mounting budget deficits. To help alleviate the deficit, the School's Board of Directors initiated cost-cutting, layoffs, and an extraordinary fund-raising effort. The school successfully balanced its budget for 2006–07 and seemed to have achieved that with which most Jewish Day Schools continually struggle—correcting financial course without severely damaging enrollment or the quality of its education. At the same time, the school's governance structure changed. Formerly managed by a 7-member school committee, the school was now governed by a new board and a new board chair, Timberland CEO Jeff Swartz. The school committee became much smaller (3 members) and supervised only one person, the school's Rosh Yeshiva. After the cost-cutting measures, the school was sued for age and gender discrimination by three of the laid-off teachers. On July 3, 2009, The Jewish Advocate reported on the outcome of the Deborah Onie case: "The court found, however, that the reason the school gave for not renewing the contract was non-discriminatory, as it related only to her refusal to accept the authority of rincipalsKlammer and Posner. In 2005, Onie brought the allegation of age discrimination to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, the state's chief civil rights agency, which was unable to conclude that there was a violation of statutes." The Evelyn Berman and Phyllis Schwartz cases were settled out of court. According to varying news reports, the private Maurice Saval trust, whose sole beneficiary is the school, lost between three and eight million dollars due to the Bernard Madoff scandal. In April 2009, the school did not renew several teacher contracts due to the financial crisis caused by the Madoff scam, and to increased demand for financial aid caused by the recession. The school also raised tuition 9.9% to meet rising expenses, its highest increase. Additional teacher layoffs occurred in the spring of 2010 due to a decline in enrollment in the elementary and upper school divisions. Class sizes were increased and the number of high school sections was decreased. With these decreases in the number of faculty came an increase in the size of the administration. In 2009, Barry Ehrlich, a former NH high school history teacher and former Head of School of NYU Langone's Child Study Center was hired as the school's K-12 Director of Curriculum. In 2010, the administration was expanded again with the hiring of a high school assistant principal, Rabbi Dov Huff, an alumnus. The school announced on May 6, 2018 that for the 2019 - 2020 school year that they plan on renting out the Brener building and consolidating all of the school into the Saval building in order to further reduce expenses.


Notable alumni

*
Binyamin Appelbaum Binyamin Appelbaum is an American journalist and author. As of 2019, he is the lead writer on business and economics for the editorial board of ''The New York Times''. He was previously a Washington correspondent for the ''Times'', covering the ...
'96, journalist at the ''
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' *
Yoni Appelbaum Yoni Appelbaum (born 1979 or 1980) an American historian and journalist, is Senior Editor for politics at ''The Atlantic''. Appelbaum was previously a columnist for the publication. Early life and education Appelbaum is the son of Diana Muir K ...
’98 politics editor of TheAtlantic.com and a senior editor of the ''Atlantic'' magazine. *
Etan Cohen Etan Cohen (; born March 14, 1974) is an Israeli-American screenwriter and film director who has written scripts for Hollywood movies, including '' Idiocracy'' (2006), '' Tropic Thunder'' (2008), '' Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa'' (2008), '' Men ...
'92, Hollywood screenwriter and Director *
Eliot Cohen Eliot Asher Cohen (born April 3, 1956) is an American political scientist. He was a counselor in the United States Department of State under Condoleezza Rice from 2007 to 2009. In 2019, Cohen was named the 9th Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of ...
'73, influential neo-conservative and professor of foreign policy at Johns Hopkins University * Adam (AJ) Edelman, Olympian and 4x Israeli Champion in the sport of
skeleton A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...
. *
Alex Edelman Alex Edelman (born March 20, 1989) is an American stand-up comedian. He was named Best Newcomer at the 2014 Edinburgh Festival Fringe for his show Millennial. He has toured three shows since 2014: ''Millennial'' (2014–2015), ''Everything Hande ...
,
Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...
winning comedian *
Noah Feldman Noah Raam Feldman (born May 22, 1970) is an American legal scholar and academic. He is the Felix Frankfurter Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and chairman of the Harvard Society of Fellows. He is the author of 10 books, host of the podcas ...
'88, Rhodes Scholar, Harvard law professor, critic of Modern Orthodoxy *
Marc Gopin Marc Gopin is the director of the Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution (CRDC), and James H. Laue Professor at the School of Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University. The Association for Conflict Resolut ...
'75, director of the Center on Religion, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution,
George Mason University George Mason University (GMU) is a Public university, public research university in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. Located in Northern Virginia near Washington, D.C., the university is named in honor of George Mason, a Founding Father ...
*
Jessica Hammer Jessica Hammer is an assistant professor in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University and a game designer. Early life and education Hammer, who was a finalist in the Regeneron Science Talent Search, attended the Mai ...
, Professor of computer games at
Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The institution was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools. In 1912, it became the Carnegie Institu ...
. *
Matthew Levitt Matthew Levitt is an American political scientist. He is an expert in Hamas. Biography He serves as the Fromer-Wexler Fellow and director of the Jeanette and Eli Reinhard Program on Counterterrorism and Intelligence at the Washington Institute fo ...
'88, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, specializing in terrorism and US policy *
Asher Lopatin Asher Lopatin (born September 1, 1964) is the Director of Community Relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Lopatin is a Modern Orthodox rabbi and leader of Kehillat Etz Chayim, a Modern Orthodox synagogue i ...
'82, Rhodes Scholar, former rabbi in ASBI Congregation in Chicago, president of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah *
Barry Lowenkron Barry F. Lowenkron (born 1952) is an American specialist in foreign relations. He was Vice President of the Program on Global Security & Sustainability at the MacArthur Foundation from 2007 to 2014. Life Lowenkron is a graduate of the Maimonide ...
'69, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor * Esther Petrack '10, Contestant on Cycle 15 of America's Next Top Model *
Haym Soloveitchik Haym Soloveitchik (; born September 19, 1937) is an American Modern Orthodox rabbi and historian. He is the only son of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik. He graduated from the Maimonides School which his father founded in Brookline, Massachusetts ...
'54, historian at
Yeshiva University Yeshiva University is a Private university, private Modern Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Jewish university with four campuses in New York City.
and the only son of Rabbi
Joseph B. Soloveitchik Joseph Ber Soloveitchik ( ''Yosef Dov ha-Levi Soloveychik''; February 27, 1903 – April 9, 1993) was a major American Orthodox rabbi, Talmudist, and modern Jewish philosopher. He was a scion of the Lithuanian Jewish Soloveitchik rabbinic ...
* Michael Strassfeld '67, rabbi, co-author of ''The Jewish Catalog'' *
Mayer Twersky Mayer E. Twersky (born October 17, 1960) is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox rabbi and one of the Rosh yeshiva, roshei yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) of Yeshiva University. He holds the Leib Merkin Distinguished Pro ...
'78, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva University-RIETS


References


Further reading

* *


External links

*
History
* MIAA
School Listing

Coaching Staff
{{authority control Modern Orthodox Jewish day schools in the United States Educational institutions established in 1937 Buildings and structures in Brookline, Massachusetts
School A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
Private high schools in Massachusetts Schools in Norfolk County, Massachusetts Private middle schools in Massachusetts Private elementary schools in Massachusetts 1937 establishments in Massachusetts Jewish day schools in Massachusetts