Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy, better known by the acronym, SAR Academy, 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 t ...
al, private
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
Philosoph ...
Jewish day school
A Jewish day school is a modern Jewish educational institution that is designed to provide children of 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 differentiate s ...
. The school is located in the Riverdale section of the New York Cityborough of the Bronx.
Its name derives from the three schools which merged to form it, Salanter (named after Rabbi Yisrael Salanter), Akiba, and the Riverdale Academy, all Jewish day schools. The three schools merged in 1968 and adopted the current name. The school is situated on the former estate of the Italian operatic and symphonic conductor
Arturo Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini (; ; March 25, 1867January 16, 1957) was an Italian conductor. He was one of the most acclaimed and influential musicians of the late 19th and early 20th century, renowned for his intensity, his perfectionism, his ear for orch ...
. The land for the school was purchased in 1968. The school moved into its new building in 1974. Designed by
Caudill Rowlett Scott
Caudill Rowlett Scott (CRS) was an architecture firm founded in Houston, Texas, the United States in 1946. In 1983, J.E. Sirrine, an industrial engineering firm, merged with the company and the company's name was changed to CRSS, popularly known a ...
, the building was given the
Albert S. Bard Award
The City Club of New York is a New York City–based independent, not-for-profit organization.
In 1950, ''The New York Times'' called the City Club of New York "a social club with a civic purpose""Bard Awards Honor 8 Examples of Good Urban Design," ''New York Times'' (June 12, 1975).
The school's founding principal was Rabbi Sheldon Chwat, who was followed by former Assistant Principal Rabbi Yonah Fuld, who was then succeeded by then assistant principal Rabbi Joel Cohn, all of whom subsequently moved to Israel; the principal since the 2005–06 academic year has been Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, who is helped by associate principals Alana Rifkin Gelnick, Sharon Richter, Beth Pepper, and Rebecca Ostro Nagata.
The school is closely affiliated with
SAR High School
Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School (SAR High School) is an Open Orthodox Jewish day school located in Riverdale, New York City. It was founded in 2003 by Rabbi Naftali (Tully) Harcsztark. The school is affiliated with SAR Academy, which is al ...
, which is headed by the former assistant principal of the Academy, Rabbi Naphtali (Tully) Harcsztark. Slightly more than half of the High School's student body is made up of students from the elementary school.
SAR requires students to take a dual curriculum, taking both
General Studies
General Studies is a multidisciplinary subject offered at different levels of education. Its scope varies by country.
North America
Some North American universities offer the Bachelor of General Studies degree.
England, Wales and Northern Ireland ...
courses as well as Judaic Studies. General Studies classes include
Math
Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
Gemara
The Gemara (also transliterated Gemarah, or in Yiddish Gemo(r)re; from Aramaic , from the Semitic root ג-מ-ר ''gamar'', to finish or complete) is the component of the Talmud comprising rabbinical analysis of and commentary on the Mishnah w ...
) and Bible studies ( Tanakh).
During the 1991–92 school year, Salanter Akiba Riverdale Academy was recognized with the
Blue Ribbon School
The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States Department of Education award program that recognizes exemplary public and non-public schools on a yearly basis. Using standards of excellence evidenced by student achievement measures, ...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education, the highest award an American school can receive. The school also fostered a creative arts program that began in 1985, headed by musician and educator, Jonathan Dzik and professional stage/film producer, Jay Michaels.
Predecessor schools
Akiba Hebrew Academy was affiliated with the Hebrew Institute of University Heights, predecessor to the Hebrew University of Riverdale. Members of the congregation asked its rabbi, Simon G. Kramer, to form a day school, because the area public schools were inadequate. It started with kindergarten in 1947, in the Hebrew Institute building, and added grades annually until it had a full K-8 program. Kramer led the school until 1964, when he left to head the Hebrew Theological College in Chicago. The school dissolved three years later, merging with Salanter and Riverdale.
Salanter Yeshiva originated in Harlem around 1906 by Rabbi Shmarya Leib Hurwitz, a constituent of his Rabbi Israel Salater Synagogue and Talmud Torah. The organization was located at 114th Street and Madison Avenue. It later move dto 74 East 188th Street in the Bronx, and then to Washington Avenue. In 1970, it merged with Akiba and Riverdale.
Controversies and investigations
Systemic sexual abuse
Stanley Rosenfeld, assistant principal
Stanley Rosenfeld, a convicted sex offender, was an assistant principal and English teacher at SAR. Nearly 40 witnesses have testified that while they were students there, Rosenfeld would invite children to his home on
shabbat
Shabbat (, , or ; he, שַׁבָּת, Šabbāṯ, , ) or the Sabbath (), also called Shabbos (, ) by Ashkenazim, is Judaism's day of rest on the seventh day of the week—i.e., Saturday. On this day, religious Jews remember the biblical storie ...
for a sleepover, and sexually abuse them while they slept. There are also allegations of physical abuse. When other faculty alerted the principal, no actions were taken. Even after he was dismissed from the school, he was brought back to teach language arts, years later. In a documented report, it's noted that administrators were aware of his actions even when he was hired back.
Rabbi Sheldon Schwartz, teacher
Schwartz, formerly a Judaics teacher at SAR, was also named in reports of systemic sexual abuse at SAR. Former students reported that he assisted Rosenfeld in recruiting students for sleepovers, stayed with them overnight as well, and told students that their abuse had been a dream. He was employed until his dismissal in 2018.
Production of child pornography
Rabbi Jonathan Skolnick was the associate principal of Judaic Studies at SAR until he was arrested by the FBI on September 13, 2019, for the production of child pornography, on charges of "charges of child enticement; production, receipt, and possession of child pornography; and sending extortionate communications" with the students of SAR. It was disclosed to the school in an email sent the following Monday, three days after his arrest on Friday night. Skolnick was accused of posing as several teenage girls to trick underage boys into sending nude photographs of themselves, and then threatening to publicly release the ones he had to secure the sending of more. Geoffrey Berman at the Department of Justice commented that "This arrest exemplifies law enforcement's ability to detect those attempting to use the 'anonymity' of the internet to prey on young children."
The FBI investigation revealed some evidence that Skolnick had a known pattern of such behavior prior to his appointment at SAR.
Skolnick pled guilty on April 5, 2022, to one count of child enticement and one count of possession of child pornography.
In October 2022, Skolnick was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
Notable alumni
*
Dahlia Adler
Dahlia Adler is an American author of young adult and new adult fiction.
Personal life
Dahlia Adler was born in New York City and raised in the suburbs. She is a graduate of New York University, with a BA in journalism. In addition to writin ...
, author
* Brian Ash, screenwriter, producer
* Ari Gold, singer-songwriter
*
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren, ( ; ; born October 14, 1939) is an American fashion designer, philanthropist, and billionaire businessman, best known for the Ralph Lauren Corporation, a global multibillion-dollar enterprise. He has become well known for his co ...
Chaim Potok
Chaim Potok (February 17, 1929 – July 23, 2002) was an American author and rabbi. His first book ''The Chosen'' (1967), was listed on ''The New York Times’'' best seller list for 39 weeks and sold more than 3,400,000 copies.
Biography
H ...
, author (graduated from Salanter)
* Regina Spektor, singer-songwriter
*
Jonathan Tropper
Jonathan Tropper (born February 19, 1970) is an American screenwriter, novelist, and producer. He is the internationally best-selling author of six novels that have been translated into over thirty languages. His last two novels, ''This Is Where ...
, novelist
*
Hillel Fuld
Hillel Fuld is an American Israeli technology business advisor, blogger, and vlogger. Fuld's work focuses on the Israeli high tech industry, guidance for startup companies, and marketing tips for growing a business or personal brands.
Fuld has b ...