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From the desk of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
I believe that students should be challenged,
but not overwhelmed. Each year our program
has become stronger, and this year is no exception.
We are blessed with a faculty which takes its mission
with its students very seriously.
A natural by-product of strong classes is demanding
homework, quizes and tests.
Finding the right balance in the students' workload is
one of the challenges we at WYHS have. I'd much
rather have this challenge than the opposite one,
though they both must be overcome. In response to
feedback we have solicited from
students and parents,
this coming week the faculty will investigate the
workload at WYHS in order to make sure that it's
manageable for each
student on his or her level.
I look forward to this coming week's Town
Meetings in Hollywood and Boca (on Monday and
Tuesday evenings respectively) and the Meeting
for
Prospective Broward and Dade Students on
Wednesday in Hollywood. All three meetings will
be "open mic" nights where parents can share
suggestions and ask questions. For details see the
last article below.
are below).
Shabbat
Shalom
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Principal
| Students & Faculty Compete and Bond |
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Students and faculty spent the waning hours of
Chanuka at Veterans Park in Boca Raton competing in
friendly basketball and soccer games on one of
the
most beautiful days of the year.
The Second Annual Boys Varsity vs.
Faculty
Basketball Game wasn't exactly a "nail biter", but
was a lot of fun to watch and play in.
Understanding that this year's Boys Varsity
Basketball Team is the strongest in WYHS history,
the faculty team practiced for three weeks.
In order to somewhat level the playing field, a
number of "adjunct" faculty members were on the
teachers roster, including Rabbis Efrem Goldberg,
Seth Grossman and Moshe Schochet.
Senior Jake Singer was the MVP of the game
with 16 points. Rabbi Efrem Goldberg was the high
scorer for the Faculty team with 14 points. History
Instructor Mr.
Adam Dobrick was a formidable force under the
boards. When the final buzzer rang, the students
were ahead by 32 points.
At half time the students competed
in foul and goal shooting contests. Jason Mann,
Amanda Ruben and Meira Tirschwell won WYHS tote
bags.
Thank you to Meridian Capital for sponsoring
the
faculty tee-shirts and to the family of freshman Elie
Baratz for lending
us their electronic scoreboard for this very special
game.
 The second annual
Girls Varsity vs. Faculty &
Moms Soccer game that took place
simultaneously was just as enjoyable. The adults
played valiantly and "survived",
keeping their loss to 0-3. Two goals were scored by
junior Nicole Treyfus and one by senior Debbie Ganz.
Senior Amanda Schiff played an excellent
defense.
The roster of the Faculty Team included
faculty members Lisa Chadwick, Carolyn Lawrence,
Melissa Pereira, Liz Saddler & Dana Sardano; parents
Dora Amram, Rachel Trachtenberg, Toby Treyfus and
board member Dr. Hindy Rubin.
Last Friday afternoon, the boys went to Veterans
Park for
softball, wiffle ball and soccer games. Rabbi
Sugerman had two double plays in softball, and Jason
Mann was the MVP. Rabbi Spodek's team trounced
Rabbi Sugerman's team 5-1. In wiffle ball,
senior Dovi Lamet and junior Alex Schneider made
amazing catches.The soccer game
pitted the Lieber twins as captains of opposing
teams, and Dov Lieber's team was victorious.
High scorers were Jordan Lieber and Yarden
Hadad.
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| The Chanuka That Never Ended |
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Last Friday's Photo Scavenger Hunt tested
the girls' ingenuity and creativity. Each of the seven
teams was given a disposable camera and a list of
clues of twenty situations which they had to take
pictures of their entire team. Tasks included getting
all the members of the team to spin dreyls at the
same time, to take a human menora, and showing
that your team was one happy family (as pictured at
left)
One of the most memorable days of the year
at
WYHS is the Teacher Auction for Charity
that takes place during Chanuka. It teaches the
students to be creative in fundraising efforts, and
trains them to be charitable themselves.In
anticipation of this day, students had been
purchasing tickets for silent auction items
for two weeks. Items up for grabs included a dropped
quiz, a week without homework, cookies baked for a
class each day for a week, etc. At the program on
Monday, Program Director Rabbi Josh Spodek ran an
exciting live auction for coveted items such
as Mrs. Sugerman's deli wraps for an entire class, a
shabbos for eight with the newly born daughter of
Rabbi Benjy and Mrs. Amy Horowitz and an evening of
laser tag and pizza for an entire grade.This
year's beneficiary was the Jewish Federation
of South Palm Beach County, which in addition
to all its good work locally, nationally and overseas,
provides over $200,000 in tuition assistance to WYHS
students. As the festivities began, Federation
Executive Vice President Bill
Bernstein had an interactive discussion with the
students about the purpose of federations and
highlighted three little-known types of aid that
federation provides for Jews around the corner and
around the world.
Throughout the spirited auction, the music of the
popular Jewish music band Blue Fringe blared in the
background. During intermission, the students
enjoyed a buffet of
fruit & choclate fondue and traditional chanuka
jelly
donuts. The auction took place in the fully Chanuka-
decorated ballroom of the Boca Raton Synagogue.
Kudos to seniors Atara Aroll and Sarah BenSimon for
doing an outstanding job organizing this great
event.
After Tuesday's special Chanuka davening and
a special breakfast of waffles, pancakes and
croissants, the students enjoyed a shiur by
WYHS Founder Rabbi Kenneth Brander on
the topic of Chanuka Candlelighting. The shiur was
dedicated in memory of the grandmother of Yael
Koeningsberg, '04, and freshman Tamar. Their father,
Dr. "PK" Koeningsberg, gave a beautiful dvar
Torah about Chanuka and shared some memories
of his mother.
Summing up the great week of programs at WYHS,
senior Brandy Brenner said that "Chanuka was a
lot
of fun- you can really see how much time and effort
the teachers put into it. It was all the more special
to me and my friends because it's our last year at
the school."
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| Great Basketball and Girls Soccer Games |
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On Thursday, the Girls Varsity Soccer team played
the best game of the season. With only 11
players to field, the Storm managed to score two
goals, though one was questionably disqualified for
off sides. Kudos to junior Nicole Treyfus and
sophomore Ali Cristina. Seniors Debbie Ganz and
Amanda Schiff and
sophomore Malka Hizkiya played a tough defense,
though the Storm lost 2-1.
Sophomore Raquel Amram, who plays the position of
goalie, said about the Girls Soccer team that, "We
are like a family. We have the two most important
things- drive and unity that we bring to
each and
every game."
In the Girls Varsity Basketball game against
Grandview Prep this past Tuesday, sophomore Shira
Borzak scored her first points at WYHS and had
amazing rebounds. Sophomore Jordy Kaminetsky had
a number of stupendous steals and Tamar
Koeningsberg "stepped up."
The Boys Varsity Basketball team won and
lost one this past week. In Thursday's game against
Boca Prep, the new blood of the Storm showed what
they are "made of." Freshman Anosh Zaghi scored
nine
points and freshman Elie Baratz scored eight points.
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| There Is Life After Chanuka! |
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This week there will be two Town Meetings
for present parents to share suggestions and ask
questions- on Monday at 8:00 p.m. at the home of
Usher and Brenda Bryn, 3491 North 47th Ave. in
Hollywood and on Tuesday at the home of Dr. Moshe
and Shari Hirth, 7798 Tennyson Court in Boca
Hamlet.
On Wednesday evening there will be a meeting for
Prospective Parents from Broward and Dade
Counties at the home of Danny and Linda Singer,
4300 North Hills Drive in Hollywood.
Wednesday is also the Fast of
Asara
B'Tevet. After hearing words of inspiration from
Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro, Rav of Congregation Shaarei
Tefilla of North Miami Beach, the students will daven
mincha and then be dismissed at 1:45 p.m.
The long awaited showdown
between the Yeshiva
Storm and the RASG Hebrew Academy of
Greater
Miami Warriors boys basketball teams will take place
at center court in the
American Airlines Arena (home of the Miami Heat
and "the Shaq") a week from Monday, on Monday,
December 27, at 2:00 p.m. After lunch, students who
are attending may drive or take the bus to the game.
Transportation will be provided for students who are
not attending the game.
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|
Israeli Exchange Students Visit WYHS |
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Eight high school students from Boca Raton's
sister city in Israel spent Chanuka with their
counterparts in our community. Kiryat Bialik, a suburb
of Haifa, is a secular Israeli community, a long
distance both geographically and ideologically from
the Israel with which our students identify. These
students chose to be members of an after-school
program called "Jewish Roots" which explores Jewish
tradition.
Students from WYHS, Donna Klein Jewish Academy,
and the after-school Community Jewish High School
have been meeting once a month since last
spring
to discuss issues of Jewish identity. Every other
month, that meeting has included a
videoconference with the students in the program in
Kiryat Bialik.
Israeli students stayed at the homes of Boca
students. Many of them experienced their first
traditional shabbat. The week included many
roundtable discussions about topics such as "Can
Someone Be Jewish and Secular" and the "Place
of
Israel in Jewish Identity." There were fun activities
such as Saturday night at the Bissaleh Cafe, Israeli
vs. American basketball game, and a find the
menorah and dreidels scavenger hunt at Town Center
Mall.
"It was a great experience to have fun and learn
about people from a different background and
culture. It was great to see at the end we were
all
good friends", commented junior Daniel
Poliak.
This program is coordinated by Dr. Leon
Weissberg of the Jewish Education Commission
of the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach
County, and is funded through the Partnership
2000 project of our federation.
Eight students from our program in Boca will be
spending the week of Purim in Kiryat Bialik.
Preliminary plans for the trip include a shabbat
together in Tzefat and Shushan Purim in
Jerusalem.
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GOOD and WELFARE
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| Mazel tov to Dr. Mark and Tilda Fischer on the bar mitzvah of their son, and to sister sophomore Jennifer |
| Refuah Shleima to board member Bernie Oppenheim |
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