Local

The seniors involved in Names, Not Numbers© reached a critical stage of their project this week: filming their interviews with Holocaust survivors. Students greeted the survivors at the door and escorted them to the library, where they were interviewed by four or five seniors.

Talmidim from across the tri-state area, the country, and the world, call the MTA dorm home during the school year and enjoy the warmth of the yeshivah’s dorm community. From Shabbatons to Sunday afternoon trips, weekly family-style dinners, and inspiring shiurim and chaburos, there is a variety of meaningful programming for dorm talmidim.

Yeshivat Kol Yaakov is connecting with local seniors in the Grand Rehabilitation & Nursing at Great Neck. Classes are visiting seniors every three to four weeks to do a “Read with Me” activity that has younger students joining hands with seniors as they read either a selection or a book together. Last week, for Veterans Day, Miss Abdolazadeh had her class write “thank you letters” to veterans, which they then read aloud and delivered to the veteran residents at Grand Rehabilitation & Nursing. The veterans received their thank you letters with heartfelt thanks after the students’ presentation. Boys then split into groups and joined smaller groups of residents to read and discuss an excerpt from the novel they’re reading as a class: Because of Winn Dixie. Kol Yaakov boys asked the seniors what they thought of the dog in the novel and if they agreed with the main character’s choice to take him home.

Every Thursday night, after a long, rigorous week with 12-hour days, bochurim in Mesivta Chofetz Chaim dedicate an additional hour of their time to learn.  From 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., talmidim can either attend a highly interactive, “hocking” shiur in Ketzos Hachoshen given by a rotation of Rebbeim including Rabbi Uri Becker, Rabbi Shlomo Lehrer, and world-renowned Rabbi Daniel Glatstein, or they can learn b’chavrusa for an hour. The program, started many years ago by Rabbi Yaakov Kier, has recently reached a record high attendance.

MTA Freshman families had a great time getting to know each other at the yeshivah’s Freshman Family Brunch on Sunday, November 17. The MTA community includes families from communities across the tri-state area, and this event is the perfect way for both parents and talmidim to get to know each other over brunch and a competitive game of panoply. It is one of many events hosted by MTA throughout the year for families to meet one another as well as spend time with their sons and rebbeim.