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What needs do community members have? The Bais Yaakov Academy of Queens fourth grade students began the school year learning about communities, what makes them the same, and what makes them different. To internalize the message of, “What are some of the needs of our community members?” Mrs. Judy Goldberg, BYQ’s CIJE computer teacher, spoke to the girls about a member of her family’s recent experience in the hospital. Before the fourth grade classes kicked off the school-wide Shabbos Kit Chesed Project, now in its fifth year, and decorating materials for Shabbos kits to be distributed at local hospitals before Rosh HaShanah, the girls heard firsthand about what it’s like to spend Shabbos in the hospital, without family, friends, or the comforts of home. How much more difficult it must be to spend Rosh HaShanah at the hospital? The girls were excited to take part in this tremendous mitzvah of chesed by brightening up the Shabbos and Rosh HaShanah experiences for those patients.

The freshmen headed down the Delaware River this week for their maiden voyage as a grade: a rafting trip! In six-person rafts and with their senior Big Sisters and Grade Deans in tow, the newly minted Central students paddled their way through the day, which ended at Mrs. CB Neugroschl’s home for dinner. Freshman Shira Rosoff expressed that “It was a great way for our grade to bond. If you were in a raft with people you knew, you got to know them better; and if you were with people you didn’t know, it was a great way to hang out for the first time.” It wasn’t all smooth sailing, though. Tallyah Akhavan and Sophia Shaool said, “We definitely got stuck a few times on boulders or on the sides of the river and had to get ourselves out! It was really fun, though, and we pulled through together.”

SKA’s Freshman Class of 2023 enjoyed an exciting bonding experience in Camp Kaylie on Tuesday, September 12.

On Monday, September 16, MTA Seniors visited the Museum of Jewish Heritage, where they learned about the vibrant Jewish communities that thrived in pre-World War II Europe. This experiential learning opportunity highlighted the strength, vitality, and dedication to Torah and mitzvos that were prevalent in many cities throughout Europe, and simultaneously demonstrated the vulnerability of the Jewish community. For Seniors participating in the Names, Not Numbers elective course where they will create their own Holocaust documentary, the trip was a necessary introduction to appreciating the devastation that was experienced during the Holocaust. Talmidim also participated in a workshop on Ethical Wills, where they studied several ethical wills that were written to the children and grandchildren of those who perished at the hands of the Nazis. These ethical wills, designed to pass ethical values from one generation to the next, discussed ethics, morality, and what it means to be part of klal Yisrael.

Students at YTM watched in amazement as strongman John Pritikin of Lodi, California, rolled an aluminum frying pan in his hands, bent a steel bar, and broke a baseball bat with his leg.

The start of a new school year brings the start of many different programs. This past week, Mesivta Yam HaTorah kicked off its Mishmar program, where groups of students were paired with Beis Midrash bachurim from Yeshiva Zichron Aryeh to have an opportunity to review the material they had been learning in a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere. The intimate groups provided more focused learning as well as general chizuk from the older mentors. These groups will be kept the same throughout the year, helping build a stronger connection between the Beis Midrash bachur and the students. This will not only allow them to learn together but to develop a mentor and role model to assist them in other facets of life. We look forward to the growing success of our Mishmar learning and to the delicious suppers that will ensure an all-around enjoyment of this program.