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The Weekly Newsletter of
Weinbaum
Yeshiva High School
Parshat Bo
Friday, January 11 2008
Shabbat begins in Boca @ 5:29
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From the desk
of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
I wish you all could have joined us last weekend for a
truly uplifting Shabbat with our male alumni studying
in Israel. Earlier this year, Mrs. Kanner and Rabbi
Spodek each flew
to New York, and Mrs. Kanner flew to Israel to serve as
couselors to our alumni. Why are alumni
services
such a high priority at
WYHS?
Our care and concern for our students does
not
stop when they receive their diplomas. Our
connection to our talmidim is not motivated by
tuition
dollars. When they are out of sight, they are not out
of mind. As we say, Once WYHS, Always WYHS.
We try to aid our graduates
in their transitions to Israel and college. College
students often lack a
mentor to give dating, career, and religious advice.
The WYHS Judaic staff makes itself available to our
graduates at shabbatonim, college and yeshiva
visits, by phone, and when the students return to
South
Florida for visits.
Our present students find our alumni to provide
invaluable advice about colleges, seminaries,
and
yeshivot. When we greet visiting alumni, we
announce the schools they have and are attending.
We often share alumni e-mail addresses and
cell phone numbers with present students seeking
advice.
Due to our commitment
to alumni, there will be no school and no Yeshiva
Highlites on the eve of our 10th Anniversary Alumni
Shabbaton, Friday, February 1. Yeshiva Highlites will
return again on Friday, February
8.
The School Shabbaton video is complete!.
Seven students took 3-4 hours of video footage and
3,000 still photographs. Many thanks to the members
of WYHS' videography electives, freshmen Ari Hizkiya,
Josh Stadlan, and Jessica Wiesel and junior Jeremy
Hodkin, along with
their able teacher Mrs. Claudia Cohen for treating this
as a labor of love. Click here to watch it.
Good luck on midterms, enjoy a well earned vacation,
and Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Click
on the images below
to
link to these
nine websites
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Upcoming Events
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Monday, January 14
10:30am - Math Midterm
12:45pm - Girls Chumash Midterm
12:45pm - Boys Gemara Midterm
Tuesday, January 15
Midterm Study Day
Wednesday, January 16
9:00am - History Midterm
11:00am - Girls Tushba/Gemara
11:00am - Boys Chumash Midterm
Winter Vacation
Thursday, January 17 -
Sunday,
January 27th
10 Year Anniversary
Alumni Shabbaton
Friday- Saturday February 1-2
in Fair Lawn, NJ
Click Here
to RSVP
Alumni,
Click Here
To Update Your Contact Information
10 Year Anniversary
Dinner
Tuesday, March 25 @ 6:00pm
Click Here
to Join the Tribute Committee Click Here to
Download the
Ad Blank
for the Dinner
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Good & Welfare
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Mazel tov to:
Elie ('03) Gittler and Julia on their recent
marriage
Doug and Director of Technology Claudia
Cohen on the birth of a grandson
Jenna Bienenfeld ('05) on her
engagement
to Sam Goldstein of New York
Maya Sava ('03) and Mitchell Slugh ('04)
on
their engagement
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How Israel
Schools Have Changed
New Trends in Shana B'aretz
By Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Every year, a WYHS staff member visits each
seminary and yeshiva, and after a four year hiatus, I
dedicated two weeks to
investigating the options for post secondary Torah
study in Israel for boys. I
visited twenty four boys schools and got together last
Friday with our alumni girls (pictured above). I
observed some
noteworthy trends.
What's new in Israel schools? Amongst the
trends I noticed were:
More Personal Attention- It's amazing
to
see shiurim of 8 boys in many schools, and in
schools with larger classes a shoel umeishiv
(teachers aide) helps the students prepare for
class and understand the shiur afterwards.
Variety of Classes- The quantity and
variety of afternoon and evening offerings in Bible,
Halacha, Hashkafa, Ulpan, and Jewish History
has greatly increased. Morning seder rebbeim
often teach something in addition to Talmud.
Exposure to Israelis- After years of moving
towards separate American programs, there are a
number of programs on different academic levels
who proudly fly the flag of Israeli integration.
In addition, the Masa scholarship requires Ulpan.
Emotional Support- Personal issues that
students were able handle in high school, come to
the forefront when they are with a new group of people
24/7. More schools have professionals on staff or on
call to address these issues.
Schools Desperately Want "Out of Town"
Kids- The added competition due to the
tremendous number of schools that have opened
have made diversity of the student body crucial to each
school's market share and long term health.
Athletic Facilities- Originally an answer to
Intifada era security concerns, schools have built or
rent exercise and sports venues. Intramural and inter-
yeshiva leagues in multiple sports are encouraged.
Better Facilities- I saw beautifully
carpeted Batei Medrash, better meals, nicer
campuses, and better furniture. Most schools
understand and are addressing students' higher
expectations in terms of creature comforts.
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Getting Ready
To
Open
Our Doors To
The Class Of
2012
Exciting Update on
our
Admissions
Process
By Mrs. Melissa Pereira, Admissions
Director
A record 66 eager and somewhat nervous
prospective students wrote WYHS' entrance
exam, the SSAT, this past Sunday morning. It was a
standardized test in true WYHS style, with
davening, breakfast, and a goody bag filled with
snacks and encouraging words. The excitement
permeated the hallways.
WYHS' admissions season begins with the Open
House in early December. Leaving the Open House
with a clear understanding of WYHS and its
admissions process, prospective families begin the
application process. As members of the Secondary
School Admissions Testing Board, our school utilizes
an online common application, which affords parents
and students the opportunity to track their application
and recommendations in real time.
After winter vacation, when transcripts, applications,
and teacher recommendations (four per student) have
been submitted, each student will be interviewed by
two WYHS faculty members.
Our annual Prospective Student Barbeques
held at the homes of Rabbi Tirschwell and Mrs.
Kanner, will take place on Sunday, February 10.
These
events allow prospective freshmen to get to know
each other in an informal setting. The faculty and staff
who join these students, thoroughly enjoy getting to
know each prospective student.
Armed with all of this information, the admissions
committee meets in February. Prospective
students are informed of the committee's decisions
during the first week in
March.
The Class of 2012 will enjoy each other's company
one more time before summer vacation when they
take the Math and Hebrew Placement Exams
that are
held in May.
The WYHS Experience begins full force with
freshman orientation, which will take place
Friday, August 22. Its goal is to make each incoming
freshman feel as comfortable and at home at WYHS
as the sophomores, juniors, and seniors do.
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Click on Picture for
Slideshow
Tu B'Shevat HiGiah
Students Help Replant Trees
In
Honor Of Rosh Chodesh Shevat
By Mrs. Heather Andron (Chesed and CIA
Advisor)
This past Tuesday morning, we
celebrated Rosh Chodesh Shevat with a
Tu B'Shevat themed chagiga.
As the
students walked in, the delicious smell of warm
pancakes, croissants, and fresh fruit overpowered the
room. After breakfast, our school band, CHAZAK, led
simcha dancing for everyone.
CIA Committee Head Aleeza Rubin ('09), gave an
inspiring Dvar Torah connecting the
mitzvah of
Rosh Chodesh with this week's Parsha,
Parshat Bo,
and Tu
B'Shevat.
The highlight of the morning was hearing from Dr.
Raanan Gissin, a well-renowned advisor to
Former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and a
spokesman on behalf of Israel. Dr. Gissin spoke
about Israel being a winning state and as the future
leaders of Israel, we should be honored to be a part of
the Jewish people. WYHS thanks our friends at the
Jewish National Fund
who made it possible for Dr. Gissin to address our
students.
This Rosh Chodesh chagiga was the
culmination
of CIA's latest tzedakah project. For the past two
weeks, CIA sold leaves and will be using the
money to replant tress in Northern Israel in
conjunction with JNF's Operation Northern Renewal
Program. Operation Northern Renewal strives to
rebuild and renew northern Israel since the
destruction from the second Lebanon war. Our leaves
adorn a gorgeous tree (designed by our very own
Mrs. Loren Stein) which is hanging in our downstairs
hallway. CIA raised $500 toward Operation Northern
Renewal thanks everyone who purchased leaves
and trees.
This Rosh Chodesh Chagiga was filled with a
lot of ruach and love for our brothers and sisters in
Israel . Yasher Koach to all the students who
were involved in planning this chagiga!
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"The high caliber of instruction, the lively and
energetic
atmosphere, and the overall
professional
environment
that I encountered reinforced my
belief
that we are
fortunate to have a place like
WYHS
to
send so many of our graduates."
-- Rabbi Adam Englander
Upper School Principal at Hillel Day School
commenting on his recent visit to our
school
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Yeshiva Highlites
Staff |
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| Danielle Wolkowicz
(’09) |
Editor-in-
Chief |
LeeLee Borzak (’10)
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Assistant
Editor |
Mrs. Claudia
Cohen |
Director of Technology
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Alana Dweck(’09)
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Photo Editor |
Daniella Greer(’09)
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Features Editor |
Josh Kaminetsky(’09)
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Layout Editor |
David Petrover(’10)
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Assistant Photo
Editor |
Aleeza Rubin(’09)
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Chief of
Correspondents |
David Spektor(’10)
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Assistant Photo
Editor |
| Rabbi Josh Spodek |
Staff Advisor |
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