{"id":130246,"date":"2026-03-05T11:09:07","date_gmt":"2026-03-05T11:09:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/130246\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T11:09:07","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T11:09:07","slug":"jack-m-barrack-hebrew-academy-and-perelman-jewish-day-schools-to-merge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/130246\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy and Perelman Jewish Day Schools to merge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hi, Lower Merion<\/a>! \ud83d\udc4b<\/p>\n

Two prominent Jewish day schools are merging. Here\u2019s why<\/a>. Also this week, the Gladwyne man who duped some of the region\u2019s wealthiest families into investing in his companies has been sentenced to prison<\/a>, the township is gearing up to present two final plans for Schauffele Plaza\u2019s redesign<\/a>, and the county has appointed members<\/a> to its human relations commission.<\/p>\n

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Perelman Jewish Day School and the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy are merging in a \u201cproactive\u201d move the two Jewish day schools say will keep them competitive.<\/p>\n

The schools plan to keep their geographic footprints, which span Barrack\u2019s Bryn Mawr campus and Perelman\u2019s Melrose Park and Wynnewood facilities.<\/p>\n

While many students currently matriculate from Perelman to Barrack, the merger will allow families to enroll students in a single institution from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade.<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t the first time the two schools have come together. In 2012, they combined their middle schools to create a sixth-through-eighth-grade program on Barrack\u2019s campus.<\/p>\n

Read more about the merger, which will go into effect in the 2027-28 school year<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\ud83d\udca1 Community News<\/p>\n

Josh Verne, the Gladwyne man who convinced some of the region\u2019s wealthiest families to invest in his companies only to use the cash to fund a lavish personal lifestyle, was sentenced yesterday to over nine years in federal prison. Verne\u2019s high-profile investors included Sixers co-owner David Adelman, Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin, and real estate developer Bart Blatstein<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ardmore\u2019s Schauffele Plaza is slated for a redesign, and two final options will be presented at the Lower Merion Building and Planning Committee Meeting next Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. The goal of the redesign is to better utilize the public space and make it more of what the township is calling a \u201cvibrant downtown gathering place.\u201d Both plans call for outdoor dining space and central lawns, but the sizes and amount of greenery in each varies, with one plan reducing overall parking spaces by 56 spots, and the other by 38. See the two plans here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Lankenau Medical Center named a new president this week. Anna Michelle Brandt succeeds Katie Galbraith and comes to the Wynnewood institution from University Hospital in New Jersey, where she was most recently its COO<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking of Lankenau, it was recently ranked among the best hospitals in the United States by Newsweek<\/a>, landing at No. 131. Bryn Mawr Hospital is No. 201 in the U.S.<\/p>\n

Last month, the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners appointed the first members<\/a> of its new human relations commission. The members are<\/a> Samuel Coleman IV, Desha Dickson, Fiona Dow, John Han, Rosemary Jenkins, Shahidul Partha, Burt Siegel, and Akilah Williams-Valdez. The commission will allow residents who believe they\u2019ve been discriminated against to mediate their claims<\/a>. Members will specifically focus on unlawful discrimination in employment, real estate, housing, and public accommodations across the county.<\/p>\n

Lower Merion Township has installed four new electric vehicle chargers<\/a> in the municipal lot in Bryn Mawr across from Ludington Library. Two of the spaces are ADA accessible.<\/p>\n

Services at the Center for Positive Aging in Lower Merion are returning<\/a> to its main building at 117 Ardmore Ave. in Ardmore after it underwent a renovation. <\/p>\n

Sugared + Bronzed is opening at Ardmore\u2019s Suburban Square on Monday. Located at 127 Coulter Ave., it will be in the ground floor retail space of the new apartment complex Coulter Place, which opened earlier this year<\/a>. Sugared + Bronzed offers \u201csugaring hair removal,\u201d as well as airbrush tanning.<\/p>\n

Leveaux Pilates in Ardmore has expanded and is now offering heated mat pilates<\/a>, a hot take on the classic workout.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfeb Schools Briefing<\/p>\n

Registration is open for all new students starting at any LMSD school for the 2026-27 academic year. Learn more about how to register here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Tonight is the Freedom Tournament at Cynwyd Elementary and Taste of Penn Wynne. Tomorrow, Lower Merion High has its jazz festival, Penn Valley is hosting its \u201cPV Idol,\u201d and Welsh Valley\u2019s spring musical, The Music Man Jr., kicks off. There are school board committee meetings on Monday and a fourth and fifth grade transition information session for Black Rock parents. See the district\u2019s full calendar here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Prom Boutique<\/a> is open again on Tuesday at Lower Merion High School from 3:30 to 7 p.m.<\/p>\n

Students from Bala Cynwyd, Black Rock, and Welsh Valley Middle Schools, and Harriton and Lower Merion High Schools raked in a collective 99 awards at this year\u2019s Pennsylvania Technology Student Association Region 5 Conference, held in late January, with 34 first-place finishes<\/a>. Some will move onto the state conference, which takes place in mid-April.<\/p>\n

Friends\u2019 Central School\u2019s girls\u2019 basketball team defeated the Westtown School 62-54 last week to claim the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association championship<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Shipley School sophomore Kate Ulrich took home second place<\/a> in the U.S. Squash Junior Championship Tournament in the Girls Under 17 division, which was held in January in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf7d\ufe0f On our Plate<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfb3 Things to Do<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf0b Science with Food<\/a>: Kids ages 6 and up can make several science-themed edible crafts, including one inspired by a volcano. \u23f0 Saturday, March 7, 4-5:30 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 $37.10 \ud83d\udccdThe Candy Lab<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udf40 St. Patrick\u2019s Day Crafternoon<\/a>: Kids can make a leprechaun craft during this drop-in event. \u23f0 Wednesday, March 11, 3-5 p.m. \ud83d\udcb5 Free \ud83d\udccdGladwyne Library<\/p>\n

\ud83c\udfe1 On the Market<\/p>\n

A 1930s stone manor in Bryn Mawr with a pool<\/a><\/p>\n

Built in 1939, this sprawling stone manor estate blends the past and present. The first floor features a formal living room with a gas fireplace and built-ins, a formal dining room with dedicated china closets and a crystal chandelier, an office with its own fireplace, and a kitchen with two-tone cabinetry, a large center island, high-end appliances, and granite countertops. Near the kitchen, there\u2019s also a butler\u2019s pantry. There are four bedrooms upstairs, including a primary suite with a dressing room and four closets, while the bathroom has a soaking tub and double vanity. Other features include a cedar closet in the attic and a partially finished basement. Outside, there\u2019s a pool, gardens, a covered patio, and a chicken coop. There\u2019s an open house Saturday from noon to 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

See more photos of the property here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Price: $3.5M | Size: 5,283 SF | Acreage: 2.04<\/p>\n

\ud83d\uddde\ufe0f What other Lower Merion residents are reading this week:<\/p>\n

By submitting your written, visual, and\/or audio contributions, you agree to The Inquirer\u2019s Terms of Use<\/a>, including the grant of rights in Section 10.<\/p>\n

This suburban content is produced with support from the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Foundation and The Lenfest Institute for Journalism. Editorial content is created independently of the project donors. Gifts to support The Inquirer\u2019s high-impact journalism can be made at inquirer.com\/donate<\/a>. A list of Lenfest Institute donors can be found at lenfestinstitute.org\/supporters<\/a>.<\/p>\n