Yeshiva Highlites

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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

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!

Tanach Touring
Judaic Faculty in Service with the Incomparable Rabbi Leibtag

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.