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Fall Retreat Special
Erev Thanksgiving 2005
From the desk of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Program Director Rabbi Josh Spodek and the Student
Council outdid themselves with last week's fantastic
Fall
Retreat. In two weeks, they moved it from the
weekend to weekdays, identified a new hotel,
changed the program completely and arranged for a
nationally renown speaker. All of this was done to
reduce the cost in light of everyone's recent
unexpected and significant
hurricane expenses.
Please tell you friends and neighbors about next
Sunday's Open House for Prospective students for
the 2006-2007 school year. The program begins at
9:30am and ends at 12:30pm on December 4.
Mazel tov to
Dr. Brian and Mrs. Carla Greer on the birth of a
daughter Adina Shira and to older sisters Devora
(’06) and
Daniella (’09).
Dr. David and Monica Genet on the bar mitzvah of
their son and to older brothers Moshe (’06) and
Aryeh (’08).
Mazel tov to Rica Dray and Ari Lieberman on their
upcoming marriage and to their children Sarah (’06),
Tamar
(’06) and Joey (’09)
last but not least, this past week was
a milestone for WYHS- we
had our first grandchild! Mazel tov to two
members
of our first class (’01)- Aliza (Atkin) and Noam
Salamon on the birth of a daughter, Batya Leora,
and to their parents, Benjy and Debbie Atkin and Dr.
Bennett and Chani Salamon, and to proud aunts
Shulamit (’04) and Mimi (’08) and uncle
David (’07).
Happy Thanksgiving and Shabbat
Shalom,
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
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"And the Academy Award Goes To..."
WYHS Retreat a Smashing Success
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Click here for
an
Amazing Retreat Slide Show
(after the slides
start, they change every 4 seconds
right click on
any picture to download it to your computer)
This
year’s retreat was a
tremendous success—everyone had an amazing time
and thoroughly enjoyed the experience!
The evening started with a cocktail hour, where the
students arrived in their finest attire, many even in
ball gowns and tuxedoes. The lights of the
photographers were flashing as everyone walked
down the red carpet and socialized with peers and
faculty, while members of student council served
champagne glasses (filled with Ginger Ale) and hors
d'oeuvres. As the night continued, the
celebration
moved from under the stars to the elegantly
decorated ballroom, where students were seated and
served a delicious dinner. To top off this
exciting
evening, WYHS held its own Academy Awards
ceremony, complete with envelopes, trophies and a
red carpet. Students nominated their peers best
suited for the awards throughout the week prior to
the retreat. The extensive list of categories
included “Craziest Hair Award,” “Cutest Siblings,”
and “Best Dressed.” Days of anticipation and
deliberation came to an end when MC Rabbi
Grossman presented the winners with their oscar
statuettes, accompanied by a fantastic slideshow.
This scintillating and elegant evening was a
lot of fun
and truly unforgettable!
The theme of the retreat was "You Gotta Have
Faith,” in yourself, your beliefs, your rabbis and
teachers, and most importantly, God. This message
was conveyed clearly when the school brought in
guest speaker Rabbi Tovia Singer, the Director of
Outreach Judaism and host of the Tovia Singer Show
on Israel National Radio. Rabbi Singer initially
posed
as “Mitch Greenberg, director of Jews for Jesus,” an
avid Messianic Jew. For the next half hour, in hopes
of “converting” the students, “Mitch” told the
audience his story of how he came to be a Messianic
Jew. He took questions from our students and
justified his answers with commonly used missionary
tactics, such as quoting pesukim that don’t really
exist, or mistranslating words from Tanach. A heated
debate ensued between “Mitch” and our students,
led by captivating questions posed by students,
including Holly Hampton (’09), Yoni Brander (‘07) and
Mordechai Siev (‘06). Half way through the
presentation, Rabbi Singer, who was extremely
impressed with the student’s participation and Torah
knowledge, revealed his true identity as a
deprogramming rabbi. Rabbi Singer educated
students and teachers on the methods used by Jews
for Jesus who prey on uneducated young adults and
emphasized the importance of education and self-
awareness of Torah and Judaic knowledge.
This lesson was driven home during the annual
faculty skit. The skit portrayed a man who lacked
belief in G-d because he did not have answers to all
of his questions. The underlying message is clear,
that “if you are sincerely looking for the truth then
you will no doubt find it. The truth is undeniable. Just
don’t get held back by the questions. Or you may
never find the answers”.
The night ended with music and dancing provided by
our school band, Under Construction. The dancing
was infused with passionate ruach, but later slowed
down into kumzits for both the boys and the girls.
The school choir, led by Kayla Kowal (’06), performed
for the girls, and entranced students and staff alike
with its amazing melodies. No one failed to be moved
by the sound of hundreds of voices singing together
with all their hearts.
Thursday morning students and teachers boarded the
buses and headed to Bush Gardens. Everyone had a
fantastic time riding the roller coasters and spending
time with friends and faculty.
The retreat was a huge success, with everyone
returning home Thursday night tired but happy, and
ready to start classes again on Friday with a
rejuvenated school spirit.
Our superb “paparazzis” helped document the entire
retreat and added a touch of sophistication to the
evening. Thank you to: Ben Shai (’07), Hillel
Lefkowitz (’07), Sarah
Cohen (‘07), Harry Ganz (’08) and of course, our
Technology Coordinator and expert photographer
Claudia Cohen.
None of this could have happened without
the tireless efforts and long hours put in by program
director Rabbi Josh Spodek, Executive Director
Shimmie Kaminetsky, and the entire Student Council,
who created an amazing retreat that no one will ever
forget!
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Weinbaum Yeshiva High School
voice:
561-417-7422
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