News

Taking a break from regular morning seder, Yeshiva Toras Halachah hosted its bi-annual Yarchei Kallah on Monday, February 17, Presidents’ Day. Talmidim, alumni, and the Kew Gardens Hills community joined for a special morning of learning and brunch in their beis midrash at 70-03 147^th Street. Great Neck, the Five Towns, and Queens were all well represented at the event.

Congratulations to the Central Debate Team on impressive victories at the debate at Flatbush last week. The debate included eight schools, and the topic was “Houses of worship and other religious institutions should no longer be tax-exempt.” The team was accompanied by their advisor, Mr. Erez Bar-Levy. Sophomores Aviv Amar and Sarah Hamerman won second place in team debate, and Sarah Hamerman won first place for individual debater. Way to go!

This past week, hundreds of people from the United States came to Eretz Yisrael for Agudah’s annual Yarchei Kallah in Yerushalayim. Among them, came a notable group from the Queens community that brought Rabbi Ilan Meirov, the director of the Chazaq organization, to join them on their three-day journey.

The sixth and seventh graders of the Bais Yaakov Academy of Queens eagerly anticipated the annual science fair to share and display their scientific explorations with their families. Parents and teachers packed the school and were extremely impressed with the girls’ work as they circulated throughout the gym and cafeteria to hear each girl articulate about the scientific process and research. The show boards were works of art as much as they were scientific journeys. The project topics were so varied, and included topics such as how much weight egg shells can hold, building architecture, wind resistance, and buoyancy. The girls shared their questions, hypotheses, research, and experiment results. Although all the girls were stars in every sense, the judges had to choose the most outstanding explorations. Mazal tov and hatzlachah to the winners, who will, b’ezras Hashem, represent Bais Yaakov of Queens and compete in the Inter-Yeshiva Science Congress in the spring.

To link the messages of previous generations to the generations yet unborn, we turn to the young people of the present, whose care and creativity will carry our nation forward. This year, Shevach students have joined many thousands of people across the globe in commemorating the 75^th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camps. Through original projects, educational trips, and inspiring events, Shevach students are growing in their knowledge of klal Yisrael’s past and in their commitment to its future.

MTA welcomed more than 400 talmidim and their families, as well as prospective Eighth Grade families, to the yeshivah’s Family Melaveh Malkah, featuring Eitan Katz, on Motza’ei Shabbos, February 22. The tremendous energy, ruach, and achdus that MTA is known for were felt throughout the entire event, as talmidim, rebbeim, fathers, brothers, and friends sang and danced together to the inspiring music of Eitan Katz. It was a truly unforgettable and uplifting evening of pure simchah, friendship, and fun.