A 1983 article in The Jewish Week documented the 40th anniversary of the Hebrew Academy of Greater Washington, now known as Berman Hebrew Academy.
After a name change and a relocation, Berman most recently celebrated its 82nd anniversary. Its 2026 graduating class was 61 students, significantly larger than the group of 11 graduates who walked across the stage in 1983.
The first Jewish day school in the Washington, D.C., area, the Hebrew Academy was founded in 1944 by Orthodox Jewish community leaders who were committed to providing a “strong Jewish education” to children in the D.C. area, according to Berman’s website.
The school had modest beginnings, with 21 students on Decatur Street in Northwest D.C. Its 40th anniversary was of note because 1983 marked the graduation ceremony of the first high school class since 1959. The school moved to its current Aspen Hill location in 1999 and changed its name to honor its benefactor, Melvin J. Berman, in the process. The late Rabbi William Millen, the outgoing principal in 1983, spoke to the 11 graduates’ achievements during their time at the Hebrew Academy in The Jewish Week article, specifically through an intern program.
The internship program is still going strong decades later. The last day on campus for Berman seniors was April 15. Those students spent the next several weeks participating in Senior Seminars, internships and independent study, according to a Facebook post.
This year, the Berman community marked a number of notable achievements, including several Berman students’ art being featured in the “Through Our Eyes” exhibit created by five StandWithUs interns, and Ozzie Hollander, a Berman senior, breaking a decade-old track record with a sub-five minute mile.
While the 1983 article listed two valedictorians — Michael Radkowsky and Zvi Weiss — only one held that top academic honor in 2026: Amy Hollander, a former Washington Jewish Week intern.
She was joined on stage by six salutatorians, including Akiva Kranzler, a teen interviewed by Washington Jewish Week in 2024 for his participation in NCSY’s first set of summer programs since Oct. 7.
zbell@midatlanticmedia.com
