Schools

The children at HANC ECC West Hempstead enjoyed an amazing Yom HaAtzmaut celebration. They crafted and decorated their own Yom HaAtzmaut crowns and Israeli flags. They enjoyed singing and dancing to Morah Kayli’s beautiful music. Thank you to HANC PTA for providing us with delicious blue and white cookies.

There was a sea of various shades of green in the halls of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Wednesday, April 14, in recognition of and solidarity with Yom HaZikaron. The observance of Israel’s Memorial Day at SKA was an inspiring way to acknowledge the contributions of the thousands of Israeli soldiers who gave their lives defending the State of Israel and mourn with the families of those who lost loved ones to war and terror.

Rosh Chodesh Iyar was celebrated in Shevach High School with an inspiring and enjoyable breakfast. The GO theme of the month, “Teamwork,” was addressed by Mrs. Chaviva Pfeiffer, teacher and mechaneches at the Bais Yaakov Academy of Queens. Mrs. Pfeiffer, daughter of Rabbi Paysach Krohn, has inspired audiences for many years both as a speaker and as a writer. She creatively spoke of Team and of Work, and tied both in with simchah and avodas Hashem. Her words were warmly received, and the girls left with much to think about and internalize into their daily lives.

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.

HALB Lev Chana’s second floor was transformed this week as our Kindergarten children and moros donned blue and white to prepare for Yom HaAtzmaut. Imagination and creativity flourished as our children were completely engaged in designing and constructing five different places in Eretz Yisrael: Ben Gurion Airport, a kibbutz, Yerushalayim, Tzfat, and Eilat. Our Nursery and Kindergarten tourists had their passports stamped in the airport as our classes started their tours of Eretz Yisrael at scheduled times.

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.