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The excitement was palpable at HALB as we celebrated Israel’s birthday last week.

At Lev Chana, students “traveled” to Israel. Everyone landed at Ben Gurion Airport, went through Customs Control and visited Kibbutz Lev Chana where they milked cows, guessed the type of vegetable by looking at the tops showing above the ground, found the hiding chickens, and added and subtracted oranges in the grove. Next came the cities of Eilat, where they enjoyed the colorful fish and pristine beaches, Tz’fas, where they admired the artwork and candles, and Yerushalayim, where they davened at the Kotel. Our children went home with souvenirs to remember the places they visited.

On the Day of Remembrance, HANC, along with Jews all over the world, honored the soldiers who risked, and lost their lives, for us and Israel. Every year, Morah Aronowitz and her class put on a meaningful production to educate and remember those who perished. Combined with the effort of Morah Aronowitz, Mrs. Fredman, and her students, the day was impactful and tapped into all who listened. The stories of Shawn, who was a soldier who wrote letters before the war, and lost his life in the process, the songs and instruments played by students, and the deep poems that touched everyone’s hearts. Thinking about all the parents who lost their children, and all the children who lost their parents, and everyone who may have lost a friend or someone they were close to. Although it was a day to remember, and a hard period to recall, it was extremely important. Many of us may not know of someone who was lost during that time, but every one of us was hit with each powerful word as we commemorated the heroes of the past.

The Rambam Mesivta held an impactful assembly to commemorate Holocaust Remembrance Day. It began with a viewing of the infamous “Auschwitz Album,” along with commentary from Rambam’s principal, Rabbi Yotav Eliach. The Auschwitz Album depicts the process of camp arrivals and the separation of Jews to the left and to the right by Nazi soldiers and “doctors.” Any images of gruesome or barbaric scenes were omitted to avoid traumatizing the young audience.

When the siren went off in the hallways and classrooms of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Thursday, April 28, students and teachers stood in silence, reflecting on those who had lost their lives in the Holocaust. Adding to the solemnity of the day, posters and original student art depicting the World War II war years were on display throughout the school.

At Lev Chana, teachers were surprised with treats throughout the week, including coffee and cakes, Berrylicious ice cream cake, and lunch from Central Perk. HALB Elementary had a sign out front, lunch from Central Perk, coffee and cake, and a room service cart filled with goodies that Administrators brought from classroom to classroom. Thank you to our HALB teachers for everything you do for the school and your students every single day!

Bnos Malka Academy had the honor of hearing from Mr. Yani Halpert on Yom HaShoah, where he shared his experience during the Holocaust. Mr. Halpert, born in Slovakia, survived the war as a child in hiding, together with his family. Using maps, he showed the route of his journey. “The places and towns are all foreign to the girls. The maps can give them a sense of where we hid in the forests and how far we had traveled.”