Yeshiva Highlites featuring TLN, Chazak, Tennis and Alumni
The Weekly Newsletter of the Weinbaum Yeshiva High School Parshat Terumah Friday, February 23, 2007 Shabbat begins in Boca at 6:00pm
From the desk of Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Hashkafa is a Hebrew word which
means
religious worldview, outlook, or philosophy. What is
the hashkafa of WYHS on the issues which
challenge and often divide the Jewish world?
Am Yisrael- WYHS is a school that is
committed to Jewish law in its practice and its
teaching. WYHS is open to teenagers who are
interested in growing spiritually, no matter their
background. We teach our students that they should
be active members of the broader Jewish community,
not just making “shabbos for themselves”.
Co-education- Is WYHS co-ed or separate?
The answer is both. Our Judaic classes are separate,
our college prep classes are co-ed. Some programs
we run are separate (today's Adarfest),
some are co-ed (last week’s Model UN). We
determine which programs work best in which mode.
Gender Differences- In Jewish law, there are
some
differences in the religious responsibilities of men
and women. The womens seminaries
at which our graduates study have different curricula
than the boys yeshivot, and we prepare our
young men and women accordingly.
Israel- We believe that the establishment
(against all odds) of a Jewish state after 2,000 years
was a miracle. Israel is central in our weekly prayers
for the
Medinat Yisrael, Tzahal and the MIAs, our
studies of Modern Hebrew and Jewish history,
Committee on Israel Action, weekly Israel updates
and the fact that over 90% of our students study there
for a year upon graduation.
Secular Studies- G-d created the laws of
science and math. Therefore, studying them helps us
understand Him better. Literature is an incomparable
vehicle for human expression. We believe that
pursuing higher education in both secular and Judaic
studies
is
a religious imperative.
Tzelem Elokim- All human beings are
created in the image of G-d, and are to be respected
as such. The Jewish people have a moral and
monotheistic mission (l’takein olam b’malchut
shkai).
Western Culture- We help students glean
what's good in western civilization, pop culture, and
technology. Though
there are many programs, sites, songs and movies
that are inappropriate to watch, read, and listen to,
there is much positive that the internet and television
have to offer.
I invite your input and inquiries about the school’s
philosophy on these and all other issues.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Click
on the images below
to
link to these
five websites
Upcoming Events
Junior Class Garage Sale Sunday, Feb. 25 @
11:00am @ BRS Purim Carnival
Ta’anit Esther/Early Dismissal
Thursday, March 1
Weinbaum Yarzheit Commemoration
Tuesday, Feb. 27
2nd Trimester Chesed Hours
Due
Friday, March 2
Annual Purim Chagigah Sat. Night, March 3 @
8:45pm RSVP
at office@wyhs.net
Hollywood Family Shabbat March 16-17
Good and Welfare
Mazel Tov to
Mrs. Heather Andron on the birth of a baby
boy
Yaakov Seligman ('04) and
Shoshana
Turk ('04) on their engagement
Condolences to
Mrs. Peggy Levy on the loss of her father
Mr. Isaac Orzechowitz on the loss of his
mother
Refuah Shleima to
Mr. Joshua Schlinsky
Dr. Zorik Spektor
WYHS Goes
On Tour!
Chazak Spreads Ruach And Music
Throughout South Florida
By Ben Scheiner ('09)
The new WYHS band Chazak is really
starting to take
hold as it helps spread the school’s enthusiasm and
energy to
middle schools throughout South Florida.
Always ready to spread some of the famed
WYHS
ruach, Chazak has played at Hillel Day
School of Boca
Raton on Chanukah and helped the students at
Maimonides of
Hollywood bring in Rosh Chodesh Adar in true WYHS
fashion. The
band members were able to inspire all around them
with their amazing
music and passionate ruach.
Band members David Spektor (’10) Ben Shai (’07)
sophomores
Josh Berdugo, Jesse Bush, BJ Litwin and Ben
Scheiner each
contribute their own talents and passion and are the
perfect “puzzle
pieces” that unite to form the most ‘rocking’ band
WYHS has seen
yet!
After Chazak’s first real “gig” at the school
Chanukah chagigah, the
band received a tremendous amount of positive
feedback and
numerous requests to play at several occasions.
Chazak will only improve its sound, and hopefully
will continue
its “tour,” brining ruach, energy, and most of
all, good
music, to all who listen.
Going Beyond
Learning
WYHS Students Attend
TLN
Shabbaton
By Harry Ganz ('08)
For Presidents Day Weekend, three
WYHS
students braved the frigid northeastern cold to
participate in a
shabbaton provided by the Torah
Leadership Network
(TLN), a subsidiary of Yeshiva University.
These lucky three—Josh Kaminetsky (‘09), Yoni
Levenson (’09),
and Harry Ganz (’08)—traveled to Waterbury,
Connecticut to spend
a weekend learning with students from Jewish
high schools around
the country. There, the students enjoyed not only
intense learning,
but also a challenging and exhilarating game-show
night, and a concert
by Jewish music sensation Eitan Katz.
The experience gave the participants
a
taste of
many different learning styles and philosophies.
Even
better than
learning from illustrious Rabbis and doctors, we
learned from our peers.
All the students shared ideas and offered original
points of
view that we can take home with us to our
schools and apply to
our own lives.
Despite the cold, all of the WYHS
participants had
an
unforgettable experience on the TLN shabbaton
and look forward
to
next year’s TLN shabbaton, no matter how cold
it is.
Serving Up Some
Storm
Tennis Teams Start Off
AmACEing
Season
By Joshua Kaminetsky ('09)
As the new sports season comes around the
boys
and girls tennis
teams are hard at work climbing the ranks in
the competitive
tennis district.
This past Tuesday, the girls team pulled off a
close
victory over
Wellington in the final game of the final match. Filled
with seasoned
veterans and eager newcomers, the girls team aims
to win. With
Rachel Marcus’ (‘09) powerful fore-hand and Martha
Baumgarten’s (‘10)
smashing back-hand, the Storm is keeping
opponents on their
toes.
The boys team is out to prove themselves with
with a majority of new players. With only returning
seeded player
Daniel Shimansky
(‘08), and the Aiken (‘09,’09,’09) trio powerhouse, the
boys team
has high hopes for this season. While
Thursday’s match against
Donna Klein ended in a loss for WYHS, it
demonstrated the team's
effort.
Both teams are improving in leaps and bounds,
and will continue to
progress in the coming weeks. Thanks to Coach
Zoley, the Storm is
looking forward to an amazing season! Come
watch the Storm!
WYHS and Beyond
Alumni Profile
With
Andre
Jacobovitz ('02)
By Alexa Bryn (’08)
What have you been up to since graduation?
I attended Cornell University and Yeshivat Birkat
Moshe in Maaleh Adumim. I majored in
economics and graduated last year. Now I work
for the Wall Street firm Citi Group in New York
City.
How did your WYHS experience influence your life?
WYHS' long hours, busy lifestyle, and pressure to
succeed helped me prepare for
college and yeshiva. Also the knowledge that I got
helped me with
yeshiva as well as an Ivy League university.
Who was your favorite teacher at WYHS?
That’s a tough question—I’d say Mrs. Schultz. I had
the most
classes with her and she was by far the best teacher.
She also
helped set me straight.
What was your favorite WYHS memory?
My first day as a freshman, when the school had just
44 kids—it was
so small. Then, on my last day as a senior, the school
I realized that the school had tripled in size. A great
memory I had after I left
the school was
coming to the high school two years after graduating
and seeing that
they finally built the second floor.
Can you give any advice to current students?
Make sure you really build relationships—I still do to
this day. Not
only are these people instructors, but they’re friends.
You should
build relationships that will last beyond high school.
Do you keep in touch with your classmates and
teachers?
For sure—with my most of my classmates, and with
Rabbi Horowitz
and Rabbi Tirschwell in particular.
What legacy did you leave at WYHS?
I founded the band called Torahck. Now they changed
its name, but I
started it, and to me, it’ll always be Torachk.
Which team will win the "WYHS
Funniest Home Video Contest" at the Purim
Chagigah?
Team 1 – Shai B., Jon S., Oren H.,
Amiel A., Stephanie T.
Team 2 – Yoni H., Kevin S., Chaim
T.,
Naftali S. and Hugo V.
Team 3- Julian G., Michael S., Aryeh
G., Marc F., Hillel L.
Team 4 – Ethan W., Rebecca I., Dina
A., Ali C., Raquel A., and Shira B.
Team 5 – Matt F., Zach F., Eyal E., Or
B. and Jon B.
From the desk of
