Students arrived at the beautiful Bushkill Inn early Friday afternoon. After lunch, students enjoyed swimming in the indoor pool and playing sports. Before t’filah, students participated in exciting “pre-Shabbos ruach” and welcomed Shabbos with singing and dancing. The energy continued throughout davening and a musical Kabbalas Shabbos.
During dinner, divrei Torah were given by Eitan Berkowitz, Alex Hartstein, and Ariel Basalel. Students then broke into small learning groups with their rebbeim. The ruach levels stayed strong throughout the night with a “Schnitzel Extreme” game show – a Let’s Make a Deal type of game – hosted by the Schnitzel Guys. A rocking oneg Shabbos filled with more songs and Shabbos spirit concluded the night.
Shabbos morning kicked off with t’filah and a kiddush, and then students participated in an engaging and entertaining trivia game, featuring questions about Torah and sports written by Rabbi Bernstein. After a delicious lunch that featured divrei Torah from Jacob Geula, Mikey Fried, and Gabriel Koptiev, more games were played with rebbeim, including Jeopardy! and a guessing game involving baby pictures of school staff.
Minchah and a meaningful seudah sh’lishis, which included divrei Torah from Eli Samet, Brandon Rakhminov, and Yona Canter, wrapped up Shabbos, but the Shabbaton was far from over. After Havdalah, the ruach train was full steam ahead, with a musical melaveh malkah that featured more singing and dancing. A special shoutout to the eighth graders for really stepping up and leading the school with their enthusiasm. Throughout Shabbos, tickets were distributed for participation in activities, and the Shabbaton concluded with a mega raffle with some remarkable prizes, including a hoverboard!
Special thanks to Mr. Jacob Grossman, the Director of JHS Student Life and Activities, for all of his effort organizing the Shabbaton. All the rebbeim, their families, and the 17 alumni advisors, whose presence truly enhanced the Shabbaton, also deserve appreciation.
