17th Annual PBI
Eric Horowitz - There’s an old adage that the defining feature of democracy is not a free election, but the peaceful transfer of power. It’s not from Pirkei Avot, but the importance the adage places on power transfers nevertheless rings true. Moments in which power changes hands have come to define modern history, whether it’s the reconstruction of Europe throughout the 20th century, or the titanic rifts in the music industry that occur whenever gang violence causes somebody new to be crowned “Best Living Jewish Rapper.”
Now, in its 17th year, the PBI finally stares down its first true transfer of power. The original board members, in the face of a rapidly diminishing audience for their jokes about the Prager administration, have begun to cede control to a new generation of leaders who exhibit the proper combination of philanthropy kavanah and knowledge of local Chipotle locations. This momentous change has left a single question bouncing around the PBI hivemind: Should we be concerned?
On one hand, moving on from founding personalities is a big step. Cautionary tales abound. Think about Apple in the wake of Steve Jobs’ departure, or the era after Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai passed away and his reincarnation of the Sanhedrin needed to find direction in its new home in Yavneh.
On the other hand, if there’s one thing JDS students learn, it’s how to react when responsibility for a community is thrust on your shoulders. We all know what it’s like wake up one frigid February morning and realize that the cheeky teens who spent the last 13 years perched above you have all run off to get drunk in Prague. Suddenly you’re left in the center of a school-wide power vacuum. Who will aimlessly roam the halls so that 7th graders learn it’s ok to not be in class? In what way will the dress code subtly be violated? Countless decisions must be made about what boundaries to push in order to improve the school.
JDS seniors don’t get to stroll in the doors in September and slowly mold the school to their liking. All that responsibility—all that power—is dumped in their lap in the middle of junior year. Like an early 1990’s Doug Duncan, JDS juniors must learn how to wield their new responsibility while still remaining true to the path set by those before them. Yes, the circumstances surrounding the PBI are different today—the power vacuum results from the allure of a Netflix and NPR-filled middle age, not the siren song of early graduation and a part-time job at Koshermart—but the new board members have had proper preparation.
It might be tempting to see the first major board shuffle as a sign that the PBI runs counter to the momentum of our lives—that the game somehow fails to align with everything else we do. But that would be wrong. Instead, there is a great congruency between the always-developing PBI and our day-to-day progression into adulthood. They exist in symbiotic balance, like the cycle of JDS fundraising emails followed by surveys about the effectiveness of the fundraising emails. This isomorphism gives the PBI the power to spotlight the best things inside all of us—community, compassion, and being only two degrees removed from Enrique Iglesias.
And so, as we gather for the 17th year, there’s little need to fret about a new board. The PBI will always be a reflection of who we are, and that won’t change because somebody different is putting in the long hours to make it happen.
Eric Horowitz - There’s an old adage that the defining feature of democracy is not a free election, but the peaceful transfer of power. It’s not from Pirkei Avot, but the importance the adage places on power transfers nevertheless rings true. Moments in which power changes hands have come to define modern history, whether it’s the reconstruction of Europe throughout the 20th century, or the titanic rifts in the music industry that occur whenever gang violence causes somebody new to be crowned “Best Living Jewish Rapper.”
Now, in its 17th year, the PBI finally stares down its first true transfer of power. The original board members, in the face of a rapidly diminishing audience for their jokes about the Prager administration, have begun to cede control to a new generation of leaders who exhibit the proper combination of philanthropy kavanah and knowledge of local Chipotle locations. This momentous change has left a single question bouncing around the PBI hivemind: Should we be concerned?
On one hand, moving on from founding personalities is a big step. Cautionary tales abound. Think about Apple in the wake of Steve Jobs’ departure, or the era after Rabbi Yochanan Ben Zakkai passed away and his reincarnation of the Sanhedrin needed to find direction in its new home in Yavneh.
On the other hand, if there’s one thing JDS students learn, it’s how to react when responsibility for a community is thrust on your shoulders. We all know what it’s like wake up one frigid February morning and realize that the cheeky teens who spent the last 13 years perched above you have all run off to get drunk in Prague. Suddenly you’re left in the center of a school-wide power vacuum. Who will aimlessly roam the halls so that 7th graders learn it’s ok to not be in class? In what way will the dress code subtly be violated? Countless decisions must be made about what boundaries to push in order to improve the school.
JDS seniors don’t get to stroll in the doors in September and slowly mold the school to their liking. All that responsibility—all that power—is dumped in their lap in the middle of junior year. Like an early 1990’s Doug Duncan, JDS juniors must learn how to wield their new responsibility while still remaining true to the path set by those before them. Yes, the circumstances surrounding the PBI are different today—the power vacuum results from the allure of a Netflix and NPR-filled middle age, not the siren song of early graduation and a part-time job at Koshermart—but the new board members have had proper preparation.
It might be tempting to see the first major board shuffle as a sign that the PBI runs counter to the momentum of our lives—that the game somehow fails to align with everything else we do. But that would be wrong. Instead, there is a great congruency between the always-developing PBI and our day-to-day progression into adulthood. They exist in symbiotic balance, like the cycle of JDS fundraising emails followed by surveys about the effectiveness of the fundraising emails. This isomorphism gives the PBI the power to spotlight the best things inside all of us—community, compassion, and being only two degrees removed from Enrique Iglesias.
And so, as we gather for the 17th year, there’s little need to fret about a new board. The PBI will always be a reflection of who we are, and that won’t change because somebody different is putting in the long hours to make it happen.
