From: Rabbi Perry Tirschwell <rpt@wyhs.net>
Subject: Yeshiva Highlites
Reply: rpt@wyhs.net

Friday, November 13, 2009
26 Cheshvan 5770
Parshat Chayei Sarah
Candle Lighting at 5:14 PM



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How To Choose An Israeli Yeshiva
 


It's the best of times and the worst of times in Israel Guidance- so many options, but SO many options! What criteria should seniors and their parents use to choose the school at which they will flourish most in their all-important gap year?

From most important to least important, I believe the following are the yardsticks our perplexed twelfth graders should use to make this decision;

1) Academic Level & Rigor- You are choosing a school, not a camp. Is the school above, below or on your level of ability and skills. Where do the people who know both you and the schools think that you will be challenged, but not in over your head?
  
2) What Inspires You- Gemara, Chesed, Tanach, Philosophy, Halacha, Art, etc. Teachers who you are close to, or world-renown Talmidei Chachamim? Straight study or occasional singing and dancing? Chavrusa or classes?
 
3) How Far Along Are You in Your Spiritual Journey- Different yeshivot and seminaries are geared to students who enter at different points in their religious development.
 
4) Do You Need a Hockey Jacket?- Are there kids like you? Despite variations in student population each year, do you identify with the type of student who traditionally goes to that school?
 
5) One Size Doesn't Fit All- Would you like to be in a place where everyone knows your name, or do you look forward to a larger school where you can develop your own group of friends.
 
6) Do You Wear Sandals? Do you want a school where the classes are in Hebrew? Is daily interaction with Israeli peers important to you?
 
7) Hashkafa- Some schools have a homogeneous faculty (avowedly "kippah seuga" OR "yeshivish"). Other schools have broad range of teachers by design. Is this important to you?   
 
8) Location, Location- Pick a school based on where you will learn better. You know yourself- do you need to be in the shadow of the Kotel? Will being outside of Jerusalem enable you to focus better?
 
9) Where Your Friends Are Going?- Unless making friends is a huge challenge for you, this should play the smallest role in choosing a school. You'll see them when you have free time (see #7).
 
Our school invests time and money in Boys and Girls Israel Guidance trips each year because we take seriously our responsibility to help you identify the best school(s) for you. May the Class of 2010 be as happy with their choices as the Class of 2009!



Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Perry Tirschwell

Head of School

Next Week
Mesibas At The Rebbes
Breakfast at Judaic Teachers' Homes
Tuesday, Nov  17

Sophomores
Night Out
Mon Nov 16

PLAN Exam
Tues Nov 17

R. Manis Friedman
Wed Nov 18

Kumistes
Fri.Nov 20, 1st Period

Chesed Hours Due
End 1st Trimester
Wed Nov 25

Good & Welfare
Great News
Mrs. Heather Andron on being profiled in this week's Sun Sentinel

Welcome to Raena Hordish- the 86th Freshman!

Nechama (Natalie Horowitz) & Iddo Gutman on the birth of Naftali Tzvi

 
Refuah Shleima
Rachel Masha bat Leah

Simcha Chaya bat Luna

Nachum Chaim ben Yehudit Rivka

Dovid Menachem Chaim Halevi ben Esther Bayla

News Brief
Hollywood Hosts
The Hollywood
 Family Shabbaton




By David Hopen ('12)

STAFF WRITER


This past Shabbat, Hollywood took the form of Boca Raton, in all its splendor and glory. After months of enduring long and tiring car rides, tedious and slightly perilous bus rides, and seemingly constant onslaughts of Shabbatot spent away from home, the WYHS Hollywood students were privileged and eager to usher in their rebbeim and teachers. 

Students and families alike were delighted to bond and spend quality and relaxing time with the faculty. Away from the stress and work, WYHS was able to come together in a meaningful and leisurely way with their favorite out-of-town-ers, enjoying a heartfelt and enjoyable Shabbat. After a remarkable weekend of eating, davening, singing, and socializing, everyone felt recharged and revitalized, especially the Hollywood students, now more excited than ever to embark on their daily journey to Boca.




Chesed Update
Giving Others
a Reason to
Say Thanks
WYHS Thanksgiving Chesed Drive Kickoff



By Ezra Kurtz ('12)

STAFF WRITER

With tears in their eyes, WYHS students listened to sophomore Talia Len's powerful story about her family's loss of their baby sister, Raizy z"l, to commemorate her yahrzeit.
 
 
Vice President of Chesed & Tzedakah Randi Prince, speaking about the hardships one endures when a family member is ill, formally kicked off the annual Thanksgiving Chesed Drive.

WYHS will be raising money for an organization known as Gilda's Club in memory of Raizy Len z"l.  Gilda's Club offers a unique service to people with cancer and their families. It gives these families emotional and social support to help deal with the tribulations of cancer in hope that the homely atmosphere it promotes will supplement the healing process. WYHS students look forward to dedicating their time and efforts to this extraordinary organization, collecting household items and food for this worthy cause.

kumzitzNews Brief
Bringin' the Storm to Miami

Girls Varsity Basketball JDS Tournament




  


By Leora Litwin ('12)

STAFF WRITER

This past Tuesday marked the beginning of the Girls' Varsity Basketball 2009-2010 season with the annual preseason Jewish Day School (JDS) Tournament held in Miami.

The team, led by Captain Daniella Litwin ('10), played a strong and hard fought game against Hillel of North Miami Beach and exhibited unbelievable potential, in particular newcomer and starter Megan Wasserstrom ('13). With a starting lineup consisting of mostly Varsity newbies, the team is skillfully demonstrating immediate chemistry and collaborative teamwork.

Congratulations to the the team on their victory  over Posnack (38 to 30) this past Thursday night!

Good luck to the entire basketball team in hopes for a dominating season.




The WYHS students and staff would like to express their gratitude to all the U.S. military veterans for making America a safe place in which to live. 

We are honored to be in the presence of two war veterans, faculty members Mr. Brian Carlson and Mr. Wayne Kraft.







bloodFeature Story

Taking Washington by a STORM
Students go to AIPAC Summit




Rashel Maikhor ('12)

STAFF WRITER


On the early morning of November 8, WYHS senior Esther Amram , juniors Daniella Eson, Shlomit Heering, Brandin Lieberman, Jacob Levenson, .and sophomores Amy Glaun  Elana Gelman, and Rashel Maikhor, travelled to Washington, DC with chaperones Mrs. Heather Andron and Mrs. Deena Borzak for the annual AIPAC High School Summit.

When we arrived in Washington, DC, we went directly to the Grand Hyatt Hotel, where we quickly checked in before heading out to do some touring. We went to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History and National Museum of Man. There we saw the the different historical backgrounds of people and animals, and some even saw the IMAX film Wild Ocean 3D before returning to the hotel.

Opening the event, Ada
m Harris, AIPAC's Early Engagement and National Operations Director, welcomed all the 425 high school students who came from all over the United States. Following his opening, the students played an ice breaker game and then split up into groups to head into their first seminar. Throughout the rest of the day and night, we attended the different seminars that taught us the importance of understanding AIPAC's mission, the U.S alliance with Israel, and what messages we can bring back to our schools.

Bright and early the next day, we dressed up in our best (boys-button down, girls- heels) and headed down to tefilah. After breakfast, the learning began once again. We learned about the Middle East conflict and Israel's quest for peace, found out about the "View from the Hill: AIPAC's Legislative Agenda." Then, we asked Director for Strategic Communications Josh Block and Leadership Development Director Jonathan Kessler the toughest questions in an open session and listened to Executive Director Howard Kohr's lecture on "Defeating the Challenges to Israel's Legitimacy."

After lunch, we departed for the Capitol; we took lots of pictures, toured the inside of the capitol, and enjoyed the gorgeous, non-Floridian chilly weather. When returning back to the hotel, the seminars continued. We had an interesting interactive activity where each of us made a presentation to a partner about the importance of the U.S alliance with Israel using the information that we had learned throughout the trip. After a long, busy day, we were entertained by a group of comedians called Capitol Steps. Then Tuesday came- the third and final day. On this day we were able to choose the workshops we wanted to attend. The workshops I attended were the "Effort to Stop Iran," led by Brad Gordon, Policy and Government Affairs Director, and "In the Shadows: Iran and the birth of Hezbollah," led by Ilan Berman, Vice President for Policy at the American Foreign Policy Council. Then, we were able to choose political skill classes, my choice being Advance Public Speaking led by Adam Harris and "On the Campaign Trail: Getting involved in 2010." We later met with Congressional Staffer
s from both the Republican and Democratic standpoint, which was very interesting and educational.

Finally, we had the farewell lunch and said our goodbyes to new friends and thanked the AIPAC staff for an enlightening and inspiring summit. We packed our bags and decided to tour Washington, DC one last time; we went to the White House, took pictures, bought souvenirs, and the girls made a final stop at the H+M store.

The AIPAC High School Summit truly educated and opened my eyes to the realities that are occurring in the world around me. It inspired me to use my voice and fight for the land I love and cherish--Israel. We don't need to be in Israel in order to help and support it; rather from our homes here in the U.S we have the power to make Israel a better place for everyone to live in. No matter where we come from, Israel will always be the land with which we can identify, because we are all Jews. We must fight for that country--the country that unites us all. Thank you to the advisors Mrs. Andron and Mrs. Borzak for a great trip!

alumniIn Focus
Tanach Touring
Judaic Faculty in Service with the Incomparable Rabbi Leibtag




By Andrew Wald ('12)
STAFF WRITER

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the school was privileged to host Rabbi Menachem Leibtag, a world-renowned scholar and teacher of Tanach.  He gave a lecture to the Judaic faculty and taught a few classes at WYHS during his stay in South Florida.  He teaches Tanach at Yeshivat Har Etzion as well as other yeshivot.  I had the honor of asking him a few questions over the phone as he waited for his plane ride back to Israel.           
 
 
Andrew Wald: How often do you visit schools and yeshivot in America and what is your favorite part about it?
 
Rabbi Leibtag: I visit many schools and yeshivot during my five yearly trips to America.  I enjoy meeting with teachers and students and sharing my experiences.  I like discussing different teaching methodologies, as I firmly believe that teaching students how to think is the most important thing that can be done in a class.
 
 
AW: What was your lecture to the staff about?
 
RL: I talked about the importance of learning not only what happened in Eichah, but why.  The cause of Aichah is significant even today.      
 
 
AW: Who is your favorite character to study in Tanach?
 
RL: I would say Korach, because there are some aspects of Korach inside every one of us
 
 
AW: What made you decide to become a scholar and teacher of Tanach?
 
RL: I was greatly inspired by one of my teachers who taught me many things that I thought were lacking in a regular Jewish education.  That is why I decided to teach mostly American students, to whom I can relay the ideas I learned years ago.

musicMultimedia
Jewish Music
Pick of the Week
By Zack Raab ('10)
MUSIC CORRESPONDENT


Album:
Shmoy Shel Melech

Artist: The Yeshiva Boys Choir

Shmoy Shel Melech is the fourth album by The Yeshiva Boys Choir. It is, similar to their first three, a mixture of pop and slow songs sung by kids. In this album, YBC continues to add a tinge of techno into some of their songs. Their new songs include their top hit, Sh'moy, in addition to a great new tune to the words of Hamalach Hagoel. In a nutshell, it's a great new CD by The Yeshiva Boys Choir to follow their previous three hit CDs.

My three favorite songs on this album are:
Shmoy
Atah Kidashtah
Hamalach


Click on the image above to listen to album samples.



picofweekArt & Culture Photography
Lensday
Wednesday


Lensday Wednesday was a day for the Freshmen photography elective class, taught by Mrs. Claudia Cohen, to discover the wonderful world of camera lenses- a world of fish eyes, wide angles, Lensbabies, telephotos, primes, macros, and zooms. All lenses were tried and examined so the students could decide on their own which  lens to use in order to actualize their artistic visions.


Spirituality  D'var Torah

Avraham is
Back in Business
Parshat Chayei Sarah



By Racheli Mizrahi ('11)

This week's Parshah, Chayei Sarah, speaks of the death of Sarah and continues on with the story of Avraham buying Ma'arat Hamachpelah for Sarah's burial. One can learn a great deal from this sale between Avraham and Ephron. The Mepharshim go back and forth debating whether Ephron was greedy or generous in this situation. However, we need not clarify his intentions in order to learn a great lesson. We are all aware that despite his motivations, Ephron did receive a large sum of money from Avraham in exchange for Ma'arat Hamachpelah.

This deal with Ephron shows us what a great businessman Avraham really was. Avraham teaches us that anytime we are faced with a negotiation, we, as Jews, should always ensure a win-win situation for all involved. In this case, Avraham bought the land where our Avot were to be buried, while Ephron received a great deal of money. Had Ephron indeed asked for a greedy sum of money, Avraham seemed more than willing to not only pay that price but even raise the price; and if one argues that Ephron was generous, we see that Avraham still insisted on paying Ephron a fair amount.

This lesson does not simply relate to business men, but it affects us in our everyday life.  We learn from this week's Parshah that in a beneficial situation in which we can gain, we must always be sure to give back in return.

Shabbat Shalom!












Next Week at WYHS



The Yeshiva Highlites Staff
Joshua Stadlan ('11)
Editor in Chief
LeeLee Borzak ('10)
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Michael Feit ('10)
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Paul Hess ('11)
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Photographer
Ilana Ben-Ezra ('10)
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Technical Editor
David Spektor ('10)
Head of Programming
Jonah Katz ('11)
Graphic Designer
Binyamin Feit ('12)
Video Engineer
Justin Stauber ('11)
Graphic Designer
Andy Agus ('13)
Graphic Engineer
Staff Writers

      Simcha Adelman ('12)
      David Hopen ('12)
      Elana Kaminetsky ('12)         
      Raziel Katz ('12)
      Ezra Kurtz ('12)
      Leora Litwin ('12)

Rashel Maikhor ('12)
Adam Poliak ('11)
Sarah Struhl ('12)
Andrew Wald ('12)
Mathew Wolkowicz ('12)



Mrs. Claudia Cohen    
Faculty Advisor
Rabbi Allan Houben    Faculty Advisor
Mrs. Amy Horowitz           Proofreader

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