MARCH 10 • 2022 | 11

OUR COMMUNITY

F

arber Hebrew Day 
School (formerly 
Yeshivat Akiva) in 
Southfield, has been accred-
ited for the first time by 
ISACS, the Independent 
School Association of the 
Central States.
Farber provides general 
and Jewish instruction in a 
Modern Orthodox/Zionist 
context for 290 students from 
pre-kindergarten through 
high school.
“This is a wonderful mile-
stone in the history of Farber 
Hebrew Day School and 
establishes the school as an 
institution with high stan-
dards and professional oper-
ations,” said Rachel Tessler 
Lopatin, acting director of 
marketing and communica-
tions.
The school’s 90 staff and 
faculty spent more than a 
year working on the self-
study and various reports 
required by ISACS. The pro-
cess began in the summer 
of 2019, on the initiative of 
Rabbi Scot Berman, former 
head of school. 
The self-study involved a 
dozen different areas, from 
finances to physical plan, 
personnel, curriculum and 
teaching. The committee 
undertook an in-depth 
analysis of operations more 

detailed than anything the 
school had done previously, 
Lopatin said. All the com-
mittees involved in the self-
study completed their reports 
by June 2020.
Normally, a site visit by 
representatives of other 
ISACS-accredited schools 
would have been done the 
following fall, but because of 
COVID, it was postponed a 
full year, Lopatin said. 

The visiting committee was 
chaired by Steve Freedman, 
head of school at Solomon 
Schechter Day School of 
Bergen County in New Jersey, 
and included five others from 
schools around the coun-
try. Only Freedman, who 
was head of school at Hillel 
Day School of Metropolitan 
Detroit until June 2019, was 
able to visit in person, with 
the other committee members 
visiting virtually. 
“I am a huge proponent 
of schools being a part of 

ISACS, as it indicates the 
school’s commitment to 
growth and excellence,” 
said Freedman, adding 
that Farber “made the right 
choice to go through the rig-
orous process to become an 
ISACS-accredited school.” 
Lopatin said ISACS accred-
itation is a “stamp of approv-
al” that makes the school 
eligible for certain grants and 
professional development 

opportunities. It also helps to 
promote the school as prac-
ticing “an identified standard 
of excellence among private 
schools in the Midwest area.”
Hillel in Farmington 
Hills and 
Frankel Jewish 
Academy in West 
Bloomfield are 
also accredited by 
ISACS.
Nachshon 
Wyman, a history 
and physics teach-
er, chaired the Farber accredi-

tation steering committee. He 
said the most challenging part 
of the process was maintaining 
momentum when the COVID 
pandemic added an entire year 
to the process. “Students and 
staff alike were left wondering 
when and how the results of 
our work would finally come 
together,” he said.
He said he enjoyed getting 
to know the nitty-gritty of 
every aspect of the Farber pro-
gram. “I have come to realize 
just how incredible Farber 
Hebrew Day School really is,” 
he said, adding that Farber is 
second to none among mixed 
Judaic-general studies pro-
grams in the area.
“The ISACS process 
enabled us to shine a spot-
light on ourselves, celebrate 
what we do well, identify 
areas for growth, 
listen closely to 
all of our stake-
holders and 
plan for a better 
tomorrow,” said 
Josh Levisohn, 
PhD, Farber’s 
head of school. 
“We were so grateful for the 
kind comments from the 
visiting committee about the 
school, and we look to go 
from strength to strength in 
the next stage of the ongoing 
process.” 

Farber Hebrew Day School 
earns accreditation.

Stamp of 
Approval

“THIS IS A WONDERFUL 
MILESTONE IN THE HISTORY OF 

FARBER HEBREW DAY SCHOOL. ”

— RACHEL TESSLER LOPATIN

Nachshon 
Wyman

BARBARA LEWIS CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Farber Hebrew 
Day School

Dr. Josh 
Levisohn

