News

MTA is proud to announce that Mrs. Tova Fish-Rosenberg, MTA Director of Hebrew Language and Special Programs and Founder of Names, Not Numbers, has been named a winner of the prestigious Wilbur Award by the Religion Communicators Council, for the Names, Not Numbers project and her role as its Producer/Creator. Since 1949, the Wilbur Awards have been presented annually to recognize excellence in the communication of religious issues, values, and themes in public secular media. Through the awards, the Religion Communicators Council (RCC) recognizes the work of individuals, production companies, and agencies as they communicate about religious issues, values, and themes with professionalism, fairness, respect, and honesty.

IVDU LI just launched a new personal safety initiative created by Magenu and especially developed with a special education population in mind. The program aims to cover important personal safety rules and teach students important skills about how to keep themselves safe. The goal is to educate students about themselves and to teach more danger and safety awareness when out in the community.

This year, Yom HaZikaron was incredibly moving at HANC Middle School. Although we were not all together in the Beit Midrash but rather in our separate classrooms, the content of the program was fantastic.

Under the guidance of the Ivrit department chairperson, Morah Pnina Aronowitz, students in her eighth grade class gave a moving tribute to the fallen soldiers. The program began with an emotional reading, which centered on the idea, “My heart is in the East and I am in the West.” Our hearts are always connected to the Land of Israel.

Next, the students watched a video about Max Steinberg, ob”m. Max went on a birthright trip in 2012 and, after that, decided to move to Israel and enlist in the Army. He had to work hard to learn Hebrew. He trained to be a sharpshooter. Max was killed in the summer of 2014.

The students next learned about Dvir Imanuelov. He also gave his life while fighting for Israel. There was a video that showed how his mother was heartbroken but she decided to go to a concert. At the concert, she heard someone call out the name Dvir. It turned out the little boy was named after the woman’s son. It was very emotional.

Two students sang very meaningful songs. A number of t’filos were recited, including the Keil Malei Rachamim and the prayer for the Medinah. At one point, there was a siren and silence in all of the classrooms. In a most meaningful way, the program ended with the singing of Hatikvah.

Students and teachers commemorated Yom HaShoah on Thursday morning with a meaningful and interactive program. The morning began with our participating Names, Not Numbers seniors lining the school halls with burning candles. The program opened with T’hilim, led by Ms. Leah Moskovich, followed by the lighting of six yahrzeit candles, symbolizing the six million lives lost in the Shoah. Each candle was introduced and lit by someone in the Central community who has a personal connection to someone who perished in the Holocaust.

MTA set the tone for Yom HaAtzmaut with post-davening divrei chizuk from Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Michael Taubes and Maggid Shiur Rabbi Avraham Shulman, who discussed the importance of appreciating kedushas Eretz Yisrael and the miracle of its existence, as well as the significance of the State of Israel to each talmid, and their celebration of Yom HaAtzmaut. The entire yeshivah was privileged to hear from special guest speaker Rabbi Ephy Greene, Aish Gesher Mashgiach, who spoke live from Israel about his life in Eretz Yisrael. Everyone enjoyed a delicious Israeli-style lunch from Golan and had a great time testing their knowledge of Israel and participating in the Israel Pursuit 2021 global Kahoot, hosted by Unpacked for Educators.