Conference Leaders

The theme of this year's conference was leadership. The many sessions of the conference were geared towards promoting positive leadership traits in the various leadership roles within a school. The WYHS cohort that attended the conference greatly benefited from the insightful sessions and the ability to connect with leaders from other Jewish day schools. We all hope to infuse the valuable lessons we learned at the conference back into the culture of our school.

 

We all thank the WYHS leadership for encouraging our participation in the conference. Additionally, we would like to thank Yeshiva University for partnering in organizing the conference and for helping to bring a portion of our staff to the conference. 

Israel Education Week

The second annual Israel Education Week was a smashing success! WIPAC has been preparing for weeks to create a curriculum that will teach WYHS students how to advocate for Israel when they are confronted with serious challenges on college campuses and beyond.

 

Monday's theme was "Love of Israel." We were privileged to hear Sergeant Benjamin Anthony of Our Soldiers Speak, an organization that visits college campuses around the world and separates truth from fiction regarding the Israel Defense Forces. Everyone left his presentation with renewed vigor to advocate for Israel. At lunch, WIPAC continued the theme by presenting a video interviewing students and faculty about what Israel means to them.

 

Tuesday's theme was "How to advocate for Israel." An intensive curriculum was prepared to teach the Juniors and Seniors about ways to actively defend Israel from anti-Semitism (see infographic below). The Freshmen and Sophomores learned about mainstream media distorting and skewing the truth about Israel and then discussed ways to address this.

 

On Wednesday and Thursday we entered into the world of the IDF by showing a video detailing army life. During a special WIPAC meeting, guest speaker Matt Weisbaum, managing director of JerusalemOnlineU taught students effective ways to refute anti-Israel rhetoric.

 

Finally, on Friday, we showed the "Third Jihad," an eye-opening movie discussing the mindset of jihadists and their horrific vision for the world. This movie rounded out the week by clearly illustrating for everyone present that the existential threats to Israel are not to be taken lightly and, with the words of the famous adage in mind, "If I am not for myself then who will be for me?," Israel Education Week came to a close.

 

Thank you to everyone who participated in making Israel Education Week such a great success. The bulletin boards and hallway decorations were beautiful and truly set the theme for the week. But the biggest thank you goes to Rabbi Hochman and Jacob Ovadia ('13), who put in countless hours preparing for this week and were integral to its success.

Model Students; Model Nations

This past weekend a select 16 delegates ventured north to frigid Stamford, Connecticut to participate in the 23rd Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUNMUN) conference. These students have spent the past several weeks months tirelessly researching their countries -- Guatemala, Czech Republic,  and Israel -- and preparing for their topics and committees.

Upon arrival, the esteemed delegates were able to feast on succulent chicken wings while enjoying the Super Bowl with 500 other Jewish high school students from across the country. Furthermore, all participants thoroughly enjoyed the YU Torah Halftime show, which received an encore during the blackout. 

This year the students were graced with a rare challenge: representing Israel in several controversial committees including the Mideast Summit and Human Rights Council. The students who represented Israel had the opportunity to research Israel's past and present relationship with the United Nations. Moreover, knowing they would hear harsh words from representatives of Algeria, Iran, as well as other nations, delegates knew they needed to prepare counterarguments to defend Israel.  

The delegates were also treated to world renowned speakers. Students heard  from award-winning filmmaker and director of the Children's Rights Institute Brooke Goldstein, who made a passionate plea for the proper education and safety of children worldwide. However, this was just an appetizer for what was soon to come, as the delegates heard from Yeshiva University President Richard Joel. President Joel delivered a speech that many students would agree to be the highlight of their YUNMUN experience. With his original narratives and ever witty responses to questions, President Joel's presence surely commanded the YUNMUN 2013 stage.   

Overall, the delegates had both an educational and enjoyable experience, combating global issues and facing the challenges that Israel deals with on a daily basis within the international community.

We would like to thank our fearless captain Nina Landa and faculty advisor Mrs. Amy An for their hard work and dedication to the team.