Schools

Hadar Bet Yaakov hosted a beautiful end-of-year celebration this past Sunday that featured students’ performance in a production and dance, as well as improv games and a dance party, where mothers and daughters joined together in vibrant activity. The event was billed as a “Mother-Daughter Evening of Theatre” and it commenced with an exciting flash mob start, where girls entered the stage from all points in the auditorium as they danced their way on stage. Mothers and relatives clapped to the beat, followed by principal Mrs. Friedman’s introduction of their play. She explained that the production wasn’t a stand-alone activity, but rather the culmination of what they had done in drama classes with drama teacher Mrs. Leora Nadtouchy over the year. Drama was about character exploration, much in the same way literary analysis is, and she underscored how particularly important that skill was in developing one’s self-awareness and growth as a bas Yisrael.

MTA celebrated the incredible learning accomplishments of all of the yeshivah’s talmidim at its annual Seudas Preidah and Siyum on Thursday, June 3. Talmidim and rebbeim participated in the event in person, and parents, grandparents, and family members joined via livestream. The evening began with inspiring remarks from Head of School Rabbi Joshua Kahn and Yeshiva University President Ari Berman (’87), followed by the siyum. Five siyumim were made on Masechtos Megillah, Makos, Tamid, P’sachim, and on Shas Mishnayos by student representatives Elie Husarsky (’24), Yosef Weiner (’23), Ezra Schechter (’22), Aryeh Manevitz (’23), and Shneuer Agronin (’21) on behalf of all of the talmidim who completed them. The event also culminated MTA’s Shalsheles HaMesorah Mishnah Project, a program that provides grandparents and their grandchildren, parents, or other relatives and children with the meaningful opportunity to take advantage of the Shalsheles HaMesorah (the chain of tradition), and increase Torah learning in the MTA community. The program, which began on Pesach and finished on Shavuos, enabled talmidim to learn a masechta or part of a masechta of mishnayos with a grandparent, parent, or other relative over this time period, and everyone who participated had the opportunity to make a siyum on all of Shishah Sidrei Mishnah at the seudas preidah.

Earlier this school year, Central applied for and was awarded the prestigious Microgrant from The Jewish Education Project. The school received grant money for the project proposed by Programming Director Mrs. Hadassah Frankel, which was called the “Dor L’Dor Links Fellowship.” In this fellowship, Central students had the opportunity to connect with grandparents who may have felt isolated due to the pandemic, while learning and exploring their family heritage. Seven Central students were accepted to this fellowship, which was fully funded by the grant.

HALB Seventh Graders built musical instruments all made of recycled materials in their science class. Students incorporated their knowledge of sound waves, frequency, pitch, and amplitude.

The girls from Bnos Malka’s seventh grade met privately with HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky shlita, as the first stop on their class trip to Philadelphia. The Rosh HaYeshiva spoke to the girls about their timeless role in the future of klal Yisrael. He inspired them to realize the importance of bnos Yisrael in the continuity of our nation, and to continue to grow into this role.

Mazal tov to the Stella K. Abraham Mock Trial Team!

On May 23-25, SKA competed against the winners of each of New York’s counties. With SKA representing Nassau County, the team swept the semifinals and, out of 242 teams, came in second place in the New York State Finals! In an email, the Honorable Kim O’Connor, who judged the semi-final round, stated that the SKA students “were all very prepared, thought well on their feet, and are incredibly talented.” We are incredibly proud of this tremendous accomplishment and wish continued success to the Mock Trial Team.