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The Weekly Newsletter of
Weinbaum
Yeshiva High School
Parshat Behar
Friday, May 16th, 2008
Shabbat begins in Boca @ 7:43
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From the desk
of
Rabbi Perry
Tirschwell
Hineh ma tov umah nayim, shevet achim gam
yachad. It is beautiful when Jews who
normally worship at different types of synagogues and
attend different types of schools come together in
common cause. The power of unity and the loftiness
of working together is a critical lesson that we want to
impart to our students.
One of the things that I like about working in the
Jewish community in Boca Raton, is that we all get
along. Five times a year, all the day school
principals (Donna Klein Jewish Academy, Hillel Day
School, Solomon Schechter, Torah Academy, and us)
meet to discuss ways we can work together. Last
week's Yom Haatzmaut Day School Parade
was a brainchild of that group.
Our joint program with Donna Klein and the
Jewish
Forums to build bridges between the most
passionate teenagers in each of our communities
and our sister city in Israel is another way we teach
our students to become active participants in the
broader Jewish community. The students meet every
three weeks, and a group of ten travels to Israel
together.
Our Jewish Federation is the venue for and the
convener of these and other programs, such as
the Israel Under the Stars program at Mizner Park on
Yom Haatzmaut. Last week our Executive
Director Shimmie Kaminetsky, our President Dr. Sam
Lasko, and I participated in a meeting with all of the
other federation agencies to explore joint fundraising
opportunities.
This year our level of joint cooperation reached
new heights. May we continue to build on these
successes and sit with our fellow Jews in common
cause.
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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Freshman Shabbaton
Friday - Shabbat, May 16 - 17
Math and Hebrew Placement Exams
for Incoming Freshmen
Sunday, May 18
@ 10:00am
Chai Lifeline Presentation
for
Juniors
Wednesday, May 21
SLAB Awards
Lag B'Omer Friday, May 23
Memorial Day - No Classes
Monday, May 26
Sports Banquet
Wednesday, May 28 @ 6:30pm
Click Here
To RSVP
Student Council Elections
Friday, May 30
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Good & Welfare
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Mazel tov to
Mr. & Mrs. Osher Bryn on the bar
mitzvah of their son
Mr. & Mrs. Michael Schiffman on the bar
mitzvah of their son
Condolences to
Mrs. Kara Wasserman on the loss of her
mother
Refuah Shleima to
Mrs. Leah Pearl
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The
Importance of
Being Aware
AIPAC at WYHS
By Rachel Benaim ('10)
On Monday morning after davening,
Ilana Ben-Erzra ('10), Keren Marks
('10), David Clements('09), and Rachel Benaim ('10)
along with Mrs. Andron, were given the privilege of
meeting with Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman
Schultz. They traveled to Ft. Lauderdale International
airport to meet with the congresswoman before she
departed to Washington DC and spoke to her in
regards
to the current American/Israeli relationship and the
looming threat of Iran.
In addition to speaking with the congresswomen,
the
students were able to present the Stop Nuclear
Iran petition to her. This petition is a product of the
AIPAC committee's diligent work. After attending the
AIPAC leadership conference
in December, Ilana, David, and Rachel began working
diligently, informing the students about current
political issues facing our country today- namely Iran's
nuclear program. This petition was a way to inform the
students about current events and to encourage them
to let their voices be
heard all the way up in Washington DC. David
Clements said that meeting with the congresswoman
was "better than meeting a baseball player."
As an added bonus, while awaiting the
meeting with the congresswoman, the delegates
were able to meet with the Florida and Puerto Rico
Consulate General to Israel Ofir Bavli, who had been
on the news the previous day discussing the current
state of Israel. Mr. Bavli encouraged the students to
continue getting involved with current events and
making their opinions known. Similarly, the
congresswoman said that students should be writing
letters and sending them to governmental
representatives.
This meeting was a big step for
the AIPAC committee and we hope to continue
this important work and make further inroads next
year.
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Basketball,
Learning
and
Some Friendly
Competition
Wednesday Night
Mishmar at
WYHS
By Doron David ('09)
It's Wednesday evening and you're
sitting in the last class of the day. The
only thing you
want is to get home, kick back, and
relax -- but
not this year! For the first time in WYHS
history, the
boys had Mishmar with a twist. Learning,
food, and
tons of basketball gave the guys a nice break
and
inspired them to learn.
This year, mishmar was held every other
week at
a local gym in Boca Raton. The intramural basketball
league allowed for
students from different grades to interact and
become close with one another. The students
played and the Rabbis were the referees.
After the games, we were divided up by
shiur
to learn for an hour about interesting topics that we
could relate to and apply to our daily lives, helping us
grow
spiritually and religiously.
This past
Wednesday night
was the last mishmar of the year, and it was
pay-back
time. Each grade got a chance to play against
the
Rabbis and watch them get beat over and over
again.
The changes that have been made to the
mishmar
program really enhanced our learning and how
effective it was. After a
long day of school, it was nice to get a
chance to enjoy
ourselves before continuing in our religious
studies.
As the year comes to an end, I look forward to
next year
and the great mishmar programs to come.
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Our First
Pathfinder
Alexa Bryn Recognized for
Extraordinary
Contributions
By Mrs. Marcy Roberts, Director of College
Guidance
Each year, the Pathfinder Awards recognize
outstanding seniors from public and private schools
in Palm Beach and Martin counties. These
exceptional students are honored for their
extraordinary contributions to their schools and
communities at an Academy Awards-style ceremony
at the beautiful Kravis Center for the Performing Arts.
Alexa Bryn ('08) was chosen by a faculty
committee to represent WYHS at this prestigious
event. During her four years at WYHS, Alexa has had
a tremendous impact on our school which will last
well beyond her approaching graduation. Most
notably, Alexa is the founding editor of the school's
highbrow student newspaper, Brainstorm. The
Brainstorm has already won awards in local and
national journalism competitions.
With the encouragement of Humanities Department
Chair Mrs. Carla Greer, Alexa taught a one period
a week Honors Creative Writing Workshop for
sophomores encouraging them to discover their own
unique abilities to express themselves and their ideas
through writing. For the second year, the class will
produce a literary journal named Allies's Mitt.
In her junior year, Alexa served as Vice President
for Communications and Head of Public
Relations on WYHS' Student Council. Alexa greatly
increased the coverage of the school's
accomplishments in the local, regional and national
press.
Alexa is a graduate of the prestigious Iowa Young
Writers' Studio and numerous other writing and poetry
workshops. Alexa has won local and national
writing awards such as National Council of
Teachers of English Achievement Award and National
Scholastic Writing Awards. A summer internship at the
Forward, the preeminent Jewish weekly based in New
York City, turned into an ongoing freelance position for
Alexa.
Mr. Adam Dobrick, our previous Director of College
Preparation, says "the ripple effect which Alexa's
leadership has created at WYHS cannot be
underestimated."
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A Job Well Done
Student Council Celebrates an Amazing
Year
By Julie Rosenberg ('08)
On Thursday evening, the members of the Student
Council joined Rabbi Spodek, Rabbi
Tirschwell, and
Claudia Cohen for an end-of-the-year dinner
at The
Best of Israel restaurant in Boynton Beach.
We all
enjoyed reminiscing about the school events
of this
past year, and the ups and downs of Student
Council.
Anosh Zaghi and I briefly thanked all of the
members of the Student Council and in particular,
Rabbi
Spodek, for his tireless efforts throughout
the
year. Rabbi Tirschwell spoke about Moshe
Rabbeinu, the greatest leader of the Jewish
people, and reminded us that when it came time
for him
to step down, Moshe was more concerned with Am
Yisrael's next leader than basking in his own
glory. So
too, we must prepare our replacements in Student
Council for the difficult but rewarding
job ahead of
them.
Rabbi Spodek gave out meaningful books to the
members of the Student Council as a token of his
appreciation for all of our hard work. We enjoyed
the wonderful Israeli food while also filling ourselves
with the
last tastes of Student Council comradery.
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He Said/She
Said
with WYHS'
Environmentalists
By Ilana Ben-Ezra ('10)
For the past few months, Elana Linker ('09) and
Chaim Thoma ('09) have been working diligently to
establish a recycling program within WYHS. They
have been recycling everything from paper to plastic,
from cans to glass; in short, everything but Styrofoam.
They
have spearheaded what will hopefully
develop into a powerful recycling and green action
committee. I had the privilege to talk with them earlier
this week about this new and exciting
committee.
What motivated you to begin the recycling
program at WYHS?
He said: During Mr. Eastman's Environmental
Science class we learned about the severe impact of
our lifestyle on the environment and how we can
improve the earth by recycling.
She said: Seeing bottles in the garbage that
should have been recycled and weren't recycled
disturbed me.
What improvements have you seen around the
school?
He said: Now, people say to themselves "I
can save the world" and make the conscious decision
to recycle as opposed to just throwing out their bottles.
She said: There are recycling bins all over the
school. We recycle hundreds of cans and bottles!
Why is recycling so important?
He said: All the recyclable materials that get
thrown out go into landfills. If we recycle them, they
could be reused and we can save the earth.
She said: To save the earth and educate
people.
What are your plans for recycling in the future?
He said: We would love to encourage more
people to recycle. There are still recyclable
materials being thrown out.
She said: Our goal is to assemble a massive
committee to involve and educate people.
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" I am making Aliyah this summer.
I know
that without the constant message conveyed
by WYHS
about Israel and Zionism,
I wouldn't be on
the path
that I'm on now "
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