On Tuesday, November 2, 25 Central students were inducted into Arista, the New York City chapter of the National Honor Society. In order to qualify for Arista, students must be juniors or seniors who have achieved and maintained an impressive average for three consecutive semesters and have contributed to the Central community through leadership and involvement. Students must exemplify the principles of the school, which include leadership positions, service, and character. This year’s induction ceremony was held in honor of the memory of Rabbi Dr. Moshe David Tendler a”h, venerated community leader and father of Central faculty member, Mrs. Ruth Fried. Rabbi Tendler was a professor of microbiology and Jewish medical ethics at Yeshiva University in New York, a distinguished clinical cancer researcher, one of America’s leading bioethicists, and a president of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists. He also chaired the bioethical commission of the Rabbinical Council of America and the Medical Ethics Task Force of UJA-Federation of Greater New York.
In groups of four or five, students spent the past month, with the guidance of Rabbi Joshua Strulowitz, researching one of Rabbi Tendler’s piskei halachah through watching videos of bioethics lectures that he gave on the topic and reading his articles. Topics included the Torah perspective on the Theory of Evolution, Brain Death, Organ Donation, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, and Right to Try. Each group then presented their research with slides as a synopsis of Rabbi Tendler’s view on the topic. Mrs. Fried said of the evening, “the students independently delved into my father’s teachings and presented them with confidence, clarity and eloquence. They have provided me with true nechamah in showing me that my father’s words and message are alive and well.” May the neshamah of Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler a”h have an aliyah.