|
|
Friday November 18, 2011
21 Cheshvan, 5772
|  |
Parashat Chayei Sara
Candle Lighting at 5:12PM |
|
|
|
|
 
We Don't Wear
Banana Suits
in the REAL World!
"I want to prepare for the REAL world" is mentioned by seniors and parents as a factor in choosing a college. Earlier this month, I spent Shabbat for the ninth time at a secular college campus. One of the things that struck me most on this visit is that the American undergraduate experience bears no resemblance to life, either before or after college. This came home to me in many ways;
1) Banana Suits- I was having lunch with Avi Feldan ('10) at Brandeis and three guys in banana suits sat down at the next table. Avi explained that "that's college"- whenever you see someone doing something outlandish like this, they are pledging for a fraternity.
2) LGBT Signs Everywhere-
In general, we keep our most personal beliefs and lifestyle decisions to ourselves. Though major cities may have a Gay Pride Parade once a year, adults respect each other's religious and sexual orientation without having put up signs proclaiming club meetings in your neighborhood or workplace.
3) Co-ed Bathrooms- I was in the bathroom last Shabbat and realized that a girl just walked behind me in a towel on her way to the shower. Many colleges don't even have single sex floors in the dorm anymore. Other than a master bedroom, men and women don't share bathrooms (at the same time!) in the real world.
4) Salad Vs Cholent- Sociologists now describe the US as more of a salad bowl than a melting pot. In a cholent, the different flavors mix together and lose their identity, as opposed to each ingredient standing alone in a tossed salad. There are still Jewish, Irish, Italian, Black, Asian, etc. neighborhoods, and that's alright. We like living with people who share our cultural norms and values. Liberal Arts colleges have a philosophy of mixing everyone together in very close quarters.
5) It's 3:00am- Maybe I Should Go to Sleep?- College has a late night culture which doesn't exist anywhere else. It's a not only a challenge for shacharit minyan attendance- it doesn't prepare you for the Real World of a job and raising children.
6) College Has An Agenda- Rabbi Joseph Polack, the longtime director of the Hillel at Boston University explains that college is not just about the "free exchange of ideas". Professors (particularly in humanities) want students to question every worldview they have been taught by their parents and communities, and begin to look at the world through their (very liberal) glasses.
Students should choose the college at which they will grow intellectually, religiously and will set them up best for a successful career. However, do not think for a minute that secular undergraduate campuses bear any resemblance to any planet other than their own.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Perry Tirschwell
Head of School
|
|
|
Coming Attractions
| |
Sat. Nov. 19
Boys
Night Seder Shabbaton
Boys Soccer vs DKJA @Boca JCC 8:30pm
Come out and
SUPPORT THE STORM!
Sun. Nov. 20
WYHS Open House for Prospective Students & Families Program Begins @ 9:30am,Ends 12:30pm
No Mishmar
Wed. Nov 23
Senior Girls Night Out
Nov. 24-27
Thanksgiving Break
No Classes
Mon. Nov. 28
Senior Boys Night Out
Sophomore Night Out
|
|
Good and Welfare
|
Mazel TovKayla (Kowal '06) and Gavriel Krauss on the birth of a boy Michelle & Zev Kilstein ('04) on their marriage
Jonathan Struhl ('06) New Generation Awardee at the
National Emunah Dinner
|
|
|
|
 |
|
News Brief
| |
Audio Appreciation
Avi Marcovitz Speaks to Students About His Struggles Being Deaf
Graphic By Amir Tsarfati ('13)
Written By Gabriella Sobol ('13)
On Friday, students were privileged to hear an inspiring speech from Avi Marcovitz who described to the students his struggles during and after contracting bacterial meningitis. The disease came on suddenly, and doctors weren't sure if he was going to survive the episode. He managed to survive despite the incident, but as a result, lost his sense of hearing. Until he was able to use implants, Mr. Marcovitz was deaf for several months.
Although he is able to hear now, he still goes to bed every night and wakes up every morning deaf. He explained how this near death experience with meningitis made him appreciate everything he had so much more.
His message was that you must not only take full advantage of life, but also truly be grateful for all the great things that G-d has blessed you with. Mr. Marcovitz was truly a motivational speaker that left a profound impact on the students of WYHS.
|
|
|
|
|
|
News Brief
|
Bonding Over Breakfast
Sophomore Boys Prepare for the Final "Lap" of the Trimester 
Graphic By Seth Fisher ('13) Written By Jared Samilow ('14) On Tuesday morning, the sophomore boys clamored into room 101 where they were treated to a special breakfast of bagels, donuts and orange juice. The gathering was hosted by Rabbi Avi Hochman in recognition of the first trimester's drawing to a close. Rabbi Hochman spoke about the importance of accomplishing one's goals-as well as the need for one to realize his or her full potential.
He further explained that the breakfast is a token from the school intended to demonstrate to the tenth-graders that WYHS takes great interest in its students and that the school is always delighted to assist anyone and everyone in achieving his or her priorities. The sophomores were encouraged to pursue their passions and to use the span of grades 9 through 12 to discover who they truly are.
Ari Mazor ('14) commented that the breakfast "was an excellent way to celebrate the beginning of our second year in high school." Rabbi Hochman concluded by impressing upon the students the rewards that they will gain by using their high school years productively, such that they can leave the doors of WYHS having been fulfilled by the school's mission "to inspire and challenge." |
|
|
|
|
Feature Story
|
Capitol GainsStudents Attend Annual AIPAC High School Summit  Graphic By Seth Fisher ('13)
Written by Danielle Sobol ('13)
This past week, 5 WIPAC (Weinbaum Israel Political Action Committee) members and faculty advisor Rabbi Avi Hochman attended the annual AIPAC Schusterman Advocacy Institute High School Summit in Washington, D.C. Each year, AIPAC partners with the Schusterman Advocacy Institute to bring over 400 teenagers from all parts of the country to D.C. to learn about AIPAC, issues relating to Israel, and how to become an effective advocate for Israel. After the WIPAC members arrived at the hotel, they received binders that had dozens of pages worth of information relating to the different issues and aspects of advocacy that we were to become educated about. Throughout that day, each student was then able to attend a series of focused lectures with high-ranking politicians and AIPAC personnel to help them gain unique insight into the America-Israel relationship and AIPAC's role in securing it. At meals, the group was also treated to a host of informative speakers who shared their different stories about what Israel and AIPAC meant to them. In addition to the speeches, there were multiple other programs going on throughout the three day summit, including a college fair in which AIPAC liaisons from many big schools shared what Israel advocacy was like on their respective campuses. However, undoubtedly the most meaningful experience was when students went and lobbied at the Capitol. On the third day of the summit, the WYHS delegation was privileged to meet with Congressman Ted Deutch's staffer. With the meeting, the group made their voices heard and was able to express support for the pro-Israel congressman. Though the WIPAC students had to leave later that day, the impact of the three days will last forever.
|
|
|
|
Featurette
|
Storm Surge
Girls and Boys Varsity Basketball Teams Win JDS Tournaments
 Graphic By Josh Firestone ('13)
Written By Sophie Rose ('14) and Elliot Danis ('12)
The WYHS Girls' Varsity Basketball Team began its season impressively as they took home the Girls Jewish Day School Preseason Tournament Championship first-place trophy. The tournament victory established the Storm as the number one Jewish team in South Florida.
In the first game of the tournament, the girls played their hearts out against Hillel of North Miami Beach. They competed with incredible teamwork and unity, and were easily able to take the victory by a remarkable margin of 23 points. With the win, the girls continued to the championship against WYHS's archrival, RASG Hebrew Academy of Greater Miami.
The championship game began with a rough and shaky start as Hebrew Academy took an early lead. Spectators were on the edge of their seats, and by half-time the Lady Storm were losing by four points.
However, after motivating locker room speeches by coaches Jeff Harris and Chelsea Patterson, the girls entered the second half with competitive determination and fire in their eyes. With the help of some unbelievable play by Laura Betesh ('15), the Storm slowly took the lead. They then quickly extended the margin with crucial baskets by Megan Wasserstrom ('13) and Leora Litwin ('12). When the final buzzer sounded, the Storm had defeated Hebrew Academy 40-30.
To cap off the exciting week, the WYHS Boys' Varsity Basketball Team was able to win the Boys JDS Preseason Tournament. They began their campaign with an overwhelming win against Hillel Miami, led by an exceptional 12 point performance from Aaron Rose ('13).
The squad completed their mission by decisively defeating Hebrew Academy by a score of 52-46. It was surely a nail biter as they played a rough first three quarters, but really stepped it up as the game came to an end. With huge contributions from Captains Eram Zaghi ('12) and Elliot Danis ('12) both defensivley and offensively along with the unstoppable foul shots of Zevi Litwin ('13), the storm was able to overcome the rough start and their shorthanded roster.
Both teams secured for themselves the formidable title of being the top Jewish basketball team in South Florida.
|
|
|
|
Classroom In Focus
|
Skype in Session
World Renown Expert Compares Halacha & American Law
 Graphic By Binyamin Feit('12)
Written By Aaron Zimmerman ('13)
This Wednesday, Rabbi Ben Sugerman's and Rabbi Josh Grajower's Gemara shiurim gathered to engage with one of America's brightest Torah scholars, Rabbi Michael Broyde, via Skype. At Emory University Law School, Rabbi Broyde is a Professor and the Academic Director of the Law and Religion Program. He is also a member of the Beth Din of America, the largest Jewish law court in America. He addressed advanced Gemara shiurim regarding the issues of non-binding vs. binding contracts. Many of the students had been learning about this subject extensively in class, and Rabbi Broyde's interactive lecture was quite helpful for understand the topic and its applications in American Law. Specifically, the class discussed the topic of "Kinyanim" - acquisitions. Posing hypothetical cases of acquiring items before they have come into fruition, such as buying a kippah before it is crafted, Rabbi Broyde challenged the students' reasoning skills and gave Talmudic opinions on the various issues presented. Overall, the experience exposed the students to high-level thinking and demonstrated applications to real-life cases of the material learned in the classroom - a component of Gemara that constantly crave. This exciting, out-of-the-box learning session revealed a new approach to the Talmudic text. A thanks is owed to Rabbi Goldberg for introducing Rabbi Broyde to the shiurim.
|
|
|
| Spotted |
Graphic By Jonah Stein ('13)
Written by Michael Krasna ('12) and Leora Litwin ('12)
Last Wednesday, the charismatic Rabbi Ari Fuld inspired WYHS students. An American yeshiva high school graduate who is a reserve soldier in an elite IDF unit and a rebbe at Yeshivat Netiv Aryeh, Rabbi Fuld addressed the WIPAC committee over lunch and educated them about the facts of the Israeli- Palestinian conflict and the Iranian threat, as well as how to properly advocate for Israel.
After mincha, Rabbi Fuld spoke to the entire school to launch a new tzedakah campaign for Standing Together. This worthy organization uses its money to donate essential gear to the brave IDF soldiers who risk their lives to protect our State of Israel.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In a world that is always evolving and changing, it is vital for the students of WYHS to be up-to-date with current events. Accordingly, this Thursday the Juniors and Seniors were privileged to receive a visit from the brilliant Dr. David Luchins. Dr. Luchins is the Chairman of the Political Science Department of Lander College for Women and former Special Assistant to Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan. Through his perceptive observations and wry humor, students were able to gain many insights on a recent occurrence and its global ramifications - the prisoner swap for the release of Gilad Shalit and the fate of Israel in the Middle East.
|
|
|
|
|
News Brief
|
MMY Says HI!
Alumni Skype Girls Night Seder From Israel 
Graphic By Eric Ditchek ('14) Written By Eliana Feldan ('13) As the girls attending weekly night seder entered the room, they were treated to a pleasant surprise- the faces of WYHS alumni and night seder gurus Adina San Solo ('11) and Meira Solomon ('11). The girls skyped in from MMY in Israel and were projected onto the TV. They joined us to take part in our learning and share an inspiring idea about this week's parsha. It was so exciting to see both Adina and Meira, and even more exhilarating to hear words of Torah coming straight from the Holy Land itself. |
|
|
Alumni
|
Graphic By Jordan Stauber ('15) Written By Kelley Tripp ('13)
Gaby Markovitch graduated from WYHS in 2009 and currently attends Stern College for Women (after dedicating a year to study at Midreshet Moriah). Just a few weeks ago, Gaby returned to WYHS to speak to Mrs. Lauren Stein's junior and senior art classes about the unique art program at Stern.
As she recounted her experience in WYHS, Gaby noted that WYHS, and in particular, Mrs. Stein, "gave [her] the tools that are vital for her to continue in [her] artistic success." Gaby was taught all of the foundations and principles that she now uses in her art classes on a daily basis at WYHS. Gaby is currently majoring in Studio Art with the hopes of perusing a career in architecture.
Thank you to Gaby for dedicating the time to inspire students to follow in her footsteps.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ashreinu
| |
Click on the image above to view this week's Ashreinu
.
|
| The Yeshiva Highlites Staff | 
| Sarah Struhl
Editor-in-Chief |  |  |  |  |  |  | Ezra Kurtz
Senior Editor | Aaron Rose
Technical Editor | Shoshana Linzer
Creative Editor | Rashel Maikhor
Creative Editor | Jeffrey Herr
Layout Editor | Darren Jacoby
English Editor |
 |  |  |  |  | Aaron Zimmerman
Chief-of-Writers | Amir Tsarfati
Chief Photographer | Josh Firestone
Video Editor | Binyamin Feit
Asst. Tech. Editor | Jonathan Razon
Asst. Tech. Editor |
|
|
|
|
