|
|
The Weekly Newsletter of
Weinbaum
Yeshiva High School
Parshat Behar Bechukotai
Friday, May 11, 2007
Shabbat begins in Boca at 7:40pm
|
 |
|
|
From the desk
of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
I frequently hear principals, parents and day
school advocates express the opinion that
federations
do not support Jewish education enough. Frankly, that
has not been our experience with the Jewish
Federation of South Palm Beach County.
Our Federation has been extremely kind to
us.
Before we opened our doors nine years ago, they
provided us an office. Since our opening, the SPBC
Federation has provided scholarships for deserving
students to attend WYHS. This year, Federation has
also funded our Chesed and Israel
Coordinator
as a "program package". This year's total Jewish
Federation support to WYHS comes to $200,000.
Federation has invited us to join them on their
impressive 100 acre campus in west Boca
Raton.
There are many strengths to being located on the
Federation campus: many chesed
opportunities (JARC, Menorah House, Alzheimers
Patients), joint programs and shared resources with
other day schools (HDS & DKJA), security, and
accessibility to the Florida Turnpike.
Along with a cadre of dedicated lay leaders, Shimmie
and I are spending a number of hours a week in
meetings with land planners, architects, attorneys, tax
free bond financers, and Federation. Our goal is
to move to the Jewish Federation campus in the 2009-
2010 school year.
The credit for this relationship goes to WYHS' true
friends in the lay and professional leadership of the
South Palm Beach County Federation. In
particular, we wish to thank CEO and President, Mr.
Bill Bernstein, Chair, Mr. Stewart Harris, Director of
Planning, Richard Jacobs, Director of Operations, Mel
Lowell, and Immediate Past Chair, Mrs. Etta
Zimmerman for their past, present, and future support.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Click
on the images below
to
link to these
nine websites
|
|
Upcoming Events
|
Freshman Shabbaton
Friday, May 11- Motzei Shabbat, May 12
Yom Yerushalayim Chagiga
Wednesday, May 16 @ 12:00pm
Boca Raton Community
Yom
Yerushalayim
Chagiga
Wednesday, May 16 @ 6:15pm @ Hillel
Student Council Elections
Friday, May 18
|
|
|
Good and Welfare
|
Mazel Tov
Mr. & Mrs. Rainbeau on the birth of a
grandson
Elie Berkowitz on his recent
engagement
Helen Esquenazi ('05) on her recent
engagement
Lazer and Yehudis (Halbstein '03) Steinberg on
the birth of a baby girl
Meira Pearl ('07)
being WYHS' first Alisa Flatow Memorial Scholarship
Recipient
Condolences
Alex Beck ('02) on the loss of his father.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click On
Picture Above For A Exciting Slideshow!
Dinner Is "Served"!
WYHS
Celebrates Student Athletes
At 2nd
Annual Sports Banquet
By Danielle Wolkowicz ('09)
This past Monday night, WYHS hosted
its
second annual Sports Recognition Dinner. It was a
very
exciting event that celebrated the dedication and
athletic
talent of the school's student athletes who played
on a
total of ten sports teams throughout the year.
Student athletes and their families had the
privilege of
hearing from guest speaker Tony McAndrews, who
encouraged
the
students to never give up and always pursue their
goals.
Later, the coach of each team spoke movingly
on
each of their players and handed out personal
achievement
trophies to each player. Several outstanding
athletes
from each team received MVP and MIP awards.
This ceremony was a great way to recognize
the
efforts and talents of each of the students and the
coaches in a public yet personal setting. Thank you to
Marcelle Bouganim on putting together this event and
to
Athletic Director, Jon Kaweblum on a fantastic year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Scoring At The
Top
WYHS Juniors
Among
Highest
National
Scorers
on 2006 PSAT
By Shira Borzak ('07)
Last October, more than 1.4 million high school
juniors
across the U.S. took the 2006 PSAT, an abbreviated
version
of the SAT. This exam serves as the screening test for
the
National
Merit Scholarship Program, a nationwide competition
for
recognition and awards. The National Merit
Scholarship
Corporation recently notified the 50,000 students who
scored highest nationwide on the October PSAT.
WYHS is
pleased to announce that among the students
honored
are four of the 33 members of the class of 2008 :
Alexa
Bryn, Anosh Zaghi, Harry Ganz and Shira Poliak.
While only
3.6%
of students who take the PSAT are eligible for the
program
nationwide, 12% of the juniors qualified.
Next fall, the 16,000 highest scoring entrants
will be
notified that they have been selected as National Merit
Scholarship Semifinalists. The remaining 34,000
students will be named Commended Students.
Eligibility for
semifinalist status is determined on a state-by-state
basis,
with the top 1% of scorers statewide
qualifying.
WYHS will offer the PSAT to next year's junior class on
October 17, 2007.
Congratulations and good luck to the four
contenders!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Tisches, Kumzitzes,
And A
Whole Lot Of Chulent
By LeeLee Borzak ('10)
It was a bittersweet day on Monday, May 7, as the
Class of 2007 had their last day of classes at WYHS.
To
mark the special day, and to reflect on the past
four
years, we celebrated WYHS style with a Kumzitz for the
girls and Tisch for the boys.
As the boys sat down for their Farewell
Tisch, they were immediately served chulent, a crowd
favorite, while the senior boys led their fellow
peers in
inspiring song accompanied by guitar members
of our
band, Chazak.
The highlight of the Tisch was when Hillel
Lefkowitz
('07) spoke about how important decisions are and
how
they can impact your life forever. Rabbi Horowitz spoke
to
the students about how "in high school you must
begin to
think for yourself and that the steps you take in
high
school will set you up for the rest of your life."
Rabbi
Sugerman also explained to the seniors that the end
of high
school marks the start of real responsibility and the
beginning of a new life.
As soon as the girls entered the ball
room, they sat down to start the Kumzitz. Sitting in a
circle
and holding song sheets, we sang inspirational
songs.
Seniors Andrea Marder, Shira Borzak, Ali Cristina,
Stephanie
Trachtenberg, Esti Tokayer and Rachey Berkowitz all
spoke
about the lessons they learnt throughout their WYHS
years.
Their powerful words and meaningful messages
left a
tremendous impact on our underclassmen.
Thank you, class of 2007 for a great
four years and Mazel Tov on your upcoming
graduation.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Click On
Picture Above For A Great Slideshow
Laughter, Donuts, and
"Ha'Levaya
Ha'Chorfit"
WYHS Enjoys First Ever
Hebrew Girls Play
By Shira Poliak ('08)
On Friday, May 4th, the advanced girls Hebrew
class
performed its much anticipated Hebrew play, "A
Wintery
Funeral" before the WYHS female student body.
Written by Chanoch Levin, "A Wintry Funeral" is an
absurdist
comedy in which the sudden death of a family
member, the
bride Velvetziya's aunt, threatens to postpone her
wedding
and leaves her family fleeing to the beach and to the
Himalayas in an attempt to dodge the news from her
cousin,
Latcheck Bobbecheck.
The advanced girls Hebrew class assiduously
rehearsed the play over the past three months and
through
their practice, learned to embody the eccentric
characters and convey humor in a foreign language.
Although the Hebrew skills of the WYHS student
body
are varied, the actresses were able to communicate
the
story with their enthusiasm and skills, and the entire
audience was roaring with laughter.
In addition, WYHS' first ever girls Hebrew play
affirms
WYHS' commitment to bring Hebrew to life, to
explore mediums of humor and theater in other
languages
and cultures, and to develop unique curriculums to
best
meet its students' needs.
The talmidot in the play would like to thank Mrs.
Alcalay
and her daughter Sharon for their dedication,
encouragement and expertise, and Mrs. Kanner
for
enabling them to explore a different Hebrew medium.
Thank
you to WYHS for providing the girls with a delectable
Dunkin
Donuts breakfast that made the play even sweeter.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
He Said/She
Said
With Hillel Lefkowitz and Meira
Tirschwell
By Daniella Greer ('08)
As the last days of school for the Seniors of 07'
come
to a close, Hillel Levkowitz (07') and Meira Tirshwell
(07')
spoke to us about their experience at WYHS, their last
kumsitz/tish, and gave to the underclassmen advice
on
how
to spend their remaining years at WYHS.
If you were to describe your four year experience at
WYHS in one sentence, what would it be?
Hillel: A great adventure and journey with lessons I
learned
that will remain with me for the rest of my life.
Meira: WYHS has shaped me academically and
spiritually
and I owe my accomplishments and future goals to
this
school.
What were your thoughts and feelings during your final
tish/kumsitz at WYHS this past Monday?
Hillel: It really made me think about how far I have
come
since I was a freshman. In 9th grade I was a little shy
and unsure of myself,
whereas opposed to now I'm so comfortable and I
feel as if
this school is my second home.
Meira: I realized how much my grade and I have grown
since 9th grade and how much wisdom and
knowledge we
have to pass on to the rest of the school, which was
very
inspiring to me. I also felt so much unity within the
room as
we were all singing and as the underclassmen
listened to
the
seniors' advice on how to get through high school.
In what ways will you apply what you learned at WYHS
for
your upcoming years in Israel, college and beyond?
Hillel: I have learned at WYHS to not wait for tomorrow
to
get things done. I will always remember in the future
to not
procrastinate and to get things done as soon as
possible.
Meira: WYHS' passion towards Israel has inspired
me to want to move to Israel "biezrat Hashem",
and to
attend university there. I've
also learned to take my academics more seriously
and
recognize the need to set goals for myself.
What final message would you like to leave the
students at
WYHS?
Hillel: Think about what's important and what you
should
really be doing. High school is a crazy time but when
you're
seniors everything ends up coming together so don't
worry!
Meira: Think of the future, live in the present, and
remember
the past.
|
|
|
|
|
|
115
Number of people who saw the Hebrew play
2 Number of people who
understood it
|
41 Number of CRAZY
Seniors
'07
16 Number
of goldfish used in the Senior Prank
|
|
|
|
|
"Another feather in
WYHS' cap; this evening was
wonderful. It
was
gratifying to hear the parents
of freshmen so
pleased
with the school and the
classy way WYHS
does
everything!"
-- Parent and Executive Board
Member, Lisa Baratz,
commenting on our
sports
banquet
|
|
|
|
|
here
Yeshiva Highlites
Staff |
|
| Shira Borzak (’07) |
Editor-in-Chief |
Alexa Bryn (’08) |
Assistant Editor |
Mrs. Claudia Cohen |
Director of Technology |
| Alana Dweck ('09) |
Assistant Photo Editor |
Jordana Kaminetsky (’07) |
Senior Editor |
Benjamin Shai (’07) |
Photo Editor |
| Rabbi Josh Spodek |
Staff Advisor |
Danielle Wolkowicz ('09) |
Chief of Correspondents |
|
|
|
|
|
