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From:   Rabbi Perry Tirschwell <rpt@wyhs.net>
Subject:   Yeshiva High-lites CHANUKAH Special
Reply:   rpt@wyhs.net


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Yeshiva High-lites CHANUKAH Special
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The Weekly Newsletter of Weinbaum Yeshiva High School
Friday, December 30, 2005 / Erev Shabbat Parshat Miketz 5766
Shabbat begins in Boca Raton at 5:20 p.m.

From the desk of
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell

One of the most remarkable aspects of this fantastic Chanukah week at WYHS was the Herculean efforts of the student Chanukah Committee. It began with over 25 students who spent 2-3 hours decorating the hallways, Beit Midrash and ballroom on Sunday night. It ended with a energy filled Charity Auction in which students raised approximately $3,000 for Shaarei Tzedek Hospital. We hope that the students enjoy the long Chanukah weekend and we look forward to getting down to pre-midterm business on Tuesday.

Mazel tov on our school being voted the Best Jewish High School in South Florida by the readers of Florida Jewish News! Mazel tov to Moshe (’01) and Keren Birnbaum on their wedding.
Mazel tov to Andre Jacobovitz (’02) on his graduation from Cornell University and his entrance into Yeshivat Birkat Moshe in Maaleh Adumim.

Refuah Shleima to former faculty member Mr. Michael Kaplan.

I am sorry to announce the untimely passing of one of our librarians, Mrs. Ruth Rabinowitz. Mrs. Rabinbowitz always had greeted students and faculty with a smile and a kind word. Yehai zichra baruch. Shiva will be observed at the Rabinowitz home, 22260 Larkspur Trail in the Thornhill Estates subdivision on Montoya circle, through Thursday morning. Shacharit will be at 8 am, mincha / maariv at 5:20.

Condolences to Mrs. Sara Wallerstein on the loss of her father, and to granddaughter Aliza (’09). Shiva will be observed at 3981 N. 42nd Street in Hollywood on Saturday night.

Shabbat Shalom

Rabbi Perry Tirschwell

We Are All Meant To Shine
Chanukah Chagigah Rocks WYHS

CLICK HERE FOR A GREAT SLIDESHOW (Turn on your sound!)

by Shira Borzak (’07)

This Chanukah, the students of WYHS enjoyed an incredible amount of fun and inspiration. From basketball games to a tzedaka auction, serving food to the needy, and having breakfast at our teacher's homes, there was never a dull moment during this week of Chanukah. However, the uncontested highlight of the of the week was the annual Chanukah Chagigah.

Bringing together students, faculty, families and alumni, the Chagigah holds a special place in the hearts of the WYHS family. Immediately after school, the students headed into the ballroom where they found the room transformed into a Chanukah wonderland with glittering decorations.

The festivities began with the lighting of the chanukiah by the head of the Chanukah Committee Avi Lasko (’07). A delicious dinner was served and as soon as the iconic school band, Under Construction, struck their first chord, the party really got started. Both sides of the mechitzah featured incredible ruach /spirit, intense dancing limbos and even some crowd surfing.

After the passionate stint on the dance floor, a beautiful d’var Torah was delivered by Ilana Singer (’06) about the inner light within all of us that can only be nurtured and sustained by Torah. In accordance with that message, a movie completely created by our own students was shown. Featuring an animated film and street interviews conducted by Brain Surasky (’06) and Zach Cohen (’06), the movie emphasized the true meaning of Chanukah and its importance in our everyday lives.

This amazing night could not have happened without the dedicated efforts of the entire Chanukah committee and Rabbi Spodek, who worked tirelessly to make this the best Chagigah ever.

Happy Chanukah!

Chesed Fest
Students Clean Up, Feed The Homeless and Care For The Sick

by Mrs. Heather Andron
Chesed Coordinator

This past Tuesday, the second day of Chanukah, all of our students had an opportunity to make a true difference for those less fortunate during this festive time of year. Giving back to our South Florida community and environment is a wonderful way to remind our students how important Chesed truly is. All of the students put their energy and effort into their respective project and helped make Chesed day a true success.

  • The 9th grade girls went to NE Focal Point in Deerfield Beach and worked with Alzheimer's patients. The girls colored, played games and socialized with the residents who were grateful for the company.
  • The 9th grade boys went to Gumbo Limbo in Boca Raton and cleaned the beach from debris and garbage still left over from Hurricane Wilma.
  • The 10th grade girls went to the Boca Raton branch of the American Red Cross, helping with the mailing and the post-hurricane organization.
  • The 10th and 12th grade boys visited Fern Forest in Coconut Creek and helped clean up part of the park which sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Wilma.
  • The 11th grade boys went to Tomorrow’s Rainbow in Coconut Creek, an organization that uses miniature horses to rehabilitate at-risk and sick children. Our students helped fix the stalls and assist with other needs at the facility.
  • The 11th and 12th grade girls visited Jubilee Center and Broward Outreach Center in Hollywood. These students had an opportunity to feed the homeless in a soup kitchen and organize donated clothing and toys for those in need.

  • Storm Teams “Light Up” The Courts

    by Jon Kaweblum
    Athletic Director

    Tuesday, the second day of Chanukah, was a day that the girls varsity basketball team had been anticipating for months. They got a chance to face off against our cross-county rival, the Hebrew Academy Warriors at the American Airlines Arena, the home of the Miami Heat.

    The Storm started off the first half with a bang, staying neck and neck with the Warriors. Leah Bensimon (’07) led the charge with her awesome intensity on defense and point guard Ilana Singer (’06) shined as a true leader with her command of the offense. The biggest surprise of the game for the Storm came from Amanda Markovitch (’06) and her unbelievable free throw shooting, showing extreme calm under pressure. Even though at the end of the day WYHS did not prevail, everyone had great time at this once in a lifetime experience.

    Meanwhile, the boys took part in a sports day barbecue extravaganza. The event included a delicious barbecue, football and the annual varsity vs. faculty basketball game. Surprising everyone, the staff stayed strong at the beginning of the game, keeping almost even with the Storm. However, the varsity team surged ahead and won the exciting game by eight points.

    All in all, this afternoon of sports and fun was another great addition to the great Chanukah schedule for the week.

    Teachers host Mesibas
    at the Rebbes

    CLICK HERE FOR A GREAT SLIDESHOW

    by Leah Wiznitzer (’08)

    On Monday morning, the first day of Chanukah, all of the students of WYHS were invited to their teachers’ houses for a mesiba style breakfast and a Chanukah celebration. Immediately after davening, the students rushed from the school and headed to the home of their respective teacher.

    The teachers and Rebbeim (or their wives) prepared delicious breakfasts and graciously opened their homes to all of the students. Beautiful songs were sung, inspirational words of Torah were spoken, delicious food was eaten, entertaining games were played, but most importantly, unbreakable bonds were created.

    These mesibas were so amazing and had such an impact on the students because it gave them the opportunity to interact with their role models and teachers in an informal setting. The breakfasts showed how willing the Judaic faculty of WYHS is willing to go above and beyond their roles as teachers in order to connect and bond with their students.

    The amazing ruach felt at these celebrations helped set the tone for the rest of the Chanukah week.

    Thank you so much teachers and Rebbeim.

    Students Give Generously at Annual Teacher Tzedaka Drive

    by Tamar Koenigsberg (’08)

    This past Thursday, the fourth day of Chanukah, WYHS held the much celebrated annual teacher auction/Tzedaka drive. Every year, teachers offer items for students who bid on these priceless prizes in both a silent and live auction. Over $2500 was raised for the Sha’arei Tzedek Medical Center in Jerusalem in order to purchase a new baby blanket warmer.

    Rabbi Spodek hosted this amazing event that saw extremely involved and passionate bidders. Hot items from the teachers included points on tests, a boat trip, and Shabbat meals at the teachers’ homes.

    In addition to these prizes were amazing items donated by students’ families including basketballs signed by NBA players, signed baseballs, and a pair of amazing Miami Heat tickets. Thank you to the Hodkin and Lasko families for their generous donations.

    The two highest biddings were five points for a class on a science mid-term won by the AP chemistry class for $220 and the Miami Heat tickets won by Zach Cohen (’06) for a whopping $300

    To add to the fun, spirited music played and delicious latkes and jelly doughnuts were served during the break. Special congratulations to the big winners of the day: Aryeh Genet (’08) and Aleeza Rubin (’09) who both were multiple winners in the silent and live auctions.

    Thanks so much to the Tzedaka Committee heads, Jen Adler (’06), Sahar Zaghi (’06) and Tuvia Brander (’06) who worked tirelessly to make this auction an amazing success.

    click on the logo below to read

    The Best 25 Minutes Ever
    Two Awesome Mid-Day Breaks

    CLICK ON THE PICTURE
    FOR A GREAT VIDEO

    by Alexa Bryn ('08)

    When students finished fourth period on Monday, the first day of Chanukah, many did not know what to expect for the much hyped mid-day break. They found the Beit Midrash covered in sports-themed decorations and blasting with music. The room was transformed into a mini-basketball court for various competitions to take place.

    In the free throw contests, Ari Struhl (’09) Ilana Singer (’06) Raquel Amram (’07), star goalie of the girls soccer team, and Doron David (’09), all fought hard, but only Ari and Doron walked away as the free throw champions.

    In the slam dunk competition Michael Schiff (’08) and Athletic Director Coach Jon Kaweblum showed off their athletic prowess, but in the end only Coach Kaweblum was awarded with near perfect scores. Rabbi Schochet and Rabbi Houben battled for the next slam-dunk title, complete with wipe-outs and complete misses. Rabbi Schochet wowed the crowd and the judges with his human springboard method and was awarded the most points. In the final and most thrilling event, the Director of College Preparatory, Mr. Dobrick, beat Admissions Director Melissa Pereira in the faculty round of the free throw contest.

    The second awesome mid-day break on Wednesday, the third day of Chanukah, was a school-wide dreidel hunt. The Chanukah committee scattered over a thousand dreidels over the field, and marked four with smiley face stickers. The four lucky participants who found these dreidels were given the chance to win a pair of Miami Heat tickets.

    Ultimately, the “lucky dreidels” were claimed by Mrs. Schochet, Jordan Lieber (’06), Daniel Zvouloni (’08), and Daniel Poliak (’06). Later that night at the Chagigah, the winners of the scavenger hunt battled it out in an extreme dreidel spin-off, with Jordan Lieber (’06) defeating Mrs. Schochet in the final round.

    The fun of the mid-day breaks has infused our school, inspiring students to get involved and participate in Chanukah, one of the most memorable holidays here at WYHS.



    email: rpt@wyhs.net
    phone: 561.417.7422

    Yeshiva High-lites Staff
    Shira Borzak (’07) Copy Editor
    Mrs. Claudia CohenDirector of Technology
    Jordana Kaminetsky (’07) Senior Editor
    Chava Rubin (’07) Chief of Correspondents
    Benjamin Shai(’07) Photo Editor
    Rabbi Josh SpodekEditor in Chief

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    Weinbaum Yeshiva High School | 7902 Montoya Circle | Boca Raton | FL | 33433