October 19, 2018 /16th of Cheshvan 5779 /   Pa rashat V ayera /Candle lighting: 5:41pm
In connection with Parshat Vayera this week, all of JKHA celebrated the mitzvah of hachnassat orchim (welcoming guests) together. The program began with students learning texts about the mitzvah together in small groups.  "Avraham" and "Sarah" then welcomed one Lower School and one Middle School grade
at a time into their tents for a variety of activities. Students went through a round robin representing different aspects of togetherness and community - bringing community together at meaningful times, creating community, and coming
closer to Hashem together. Activities at each station included making
Shabbat Kits for Jewish patients in area hospitals, reviewing important laws
of brachot through a creative bracha bingo, and collaborating together about
what makes Shabbat meaningful. 
Early Childhood and Lower School
It was letter H week for pre-k who took a  H ike to the  H igh school and  H ockey rink to say  H ello to everyone with Associate Principal Mr.  H oward Plotsker!
JKHA Principal Mrs. Finkelstein enjoyed celebrating her birthday with her fellow Pre-K birthday buddies!

Thank you to the Livingston Fire Department who spoke to Early Childhood and first grade about fire safety. The students were attentive as they learned about escape routes, 911, and kitchen safety rules. We appreciate everything that the Livingston Fire Department does to keep our school safe.
Middle School
It's election season at JKHA!  After holding Primaries, the candidates for Middle School Student Council were narrowed down for President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, and Sixth Grade Representative.  The nominees campaigned in the hallways all week, with signs and persuasive arguments. Students gathered today to
hear speeches from all of the candidates and voting will take place on the computer this evening. Good luck to all of the candidates! 
High School
Close to 30 students from the RKYHS Homeless Awareness Chug brought food, clothing and supplies to dozens of homeless on the streets in Newark near Penn Station. Prior to the visit, students in the chug prepared for this event by organizing and sorting the countless bags of clothes by ages and genders. In addition to the material items that were handed out, RKYHS students brought smiles and words of kindness that made a big difference to the people they were helping.
Students from the Blood Drive Committee met with Leslie   Pittman-Smith of the American Red Cross this week. Ms. Pittman-Smith spoke to the group about the importance of blood drives, and detailed important information for them to know when planning their upcoming blood drive in December.
The Freshman class headed out for an evening of food, fun and bonding at the Freshman Feastival. The Feastival was a “progressive dinner,” with each course of the meal taking place in a different home in West Orange. Students rotated among the homes in groups, and participated in engaging activities at each stop with senior peer leaders. The program culminated with dessert at Congregation Ohr Torah in West Orange, complete with inspiring divrei Torah. This interactive program is just one of the many opportunities for the freshman class to bond as a grade outside of the school building.
This week's SEED program featured speakers and representatives from Daytop, a residential facility and high school for adolescents recovering from substance abuse. One of the programs offered at Daytop includes the Positive Impact Program (PIP), a peer to peer program for high school students that strives to educate youth about substance use and inspire those struggling to seek help. Teenage members of the PIP program spoke to the RKYHS students about the importance of making positive choices, the consequences of substance abuse, the importance of reaching out and asking for help, and discussing how to navigate situations involving negative peers.


RKYHS students enjoyed their monthly tisch that included lively singing, divrei Torah and of course - chulent and kugel!
Kushner Torah Videos (KTV)
We are excited to continue the Kushner Torah Video series, featuring school faculty sharing an inspiring moment of Torah based on that week's parsha. Enjoy this video with words on Parshat Vayera from RKYHS Judaic Studies faculty member Ms. Norma Mintz.
Divrei Torah
The Lessons from Vayera
 The theme of "lifting one's eyes and seeing" appears several times in Parshat VaYera. Avraham sitting at the entrance of his tent in the heat of the day chose to lift up his eyes in hope of finding guests. Avraham also traveled with Yitzchak to the  akeida  and once again lifts up his eyes to find Har Hamoriya. Avraham didn't merely "see" his surroundings, he made sure to "lift his eyes" to search for opportunities. At the age of ninety-nine, while recovering from his  brit milah,   Avraham searched for opportunities to perform  chessed  and invite people to his home. He also searched for opportunities to connect to Hashem, "lifting his eyes" and actively seeking out spirituality. Perhaps if he only "saw" his surroundings and not "lift his eyes" above everyone else, then he might not have had the spiritual experiences that he had in developing his relationships with other people and Hashem. 

Shabbat Shalom!
-Ms. Batya Sharbat
KUSHNER
COMMENTS
A Look at Guidance
This week we continue our new Kushner Connections feature that
takes a holistic look at how different subject areas are covered throughout each of our divisions, from our youngest learners to our oldest high school students.  This week we take a look at Guidance...
Events and Programs
Save the Date for the JKHA/RKYHS ATID SOCIETY concert on
Sunday, December 2nd
PTC
Early Childhood and Lower School families had a ton of fun at Genius Gems this past Sunday, exploring the amazing collection of magnetic tiles and other STEM projects. 
Development
We Invite You to Dedicate Our 
Children's Torah Learning 
at JKHA/RKYHS
 
If you are interested in sponsoring a Day of Learning, contact Sarah Levinson: slevinson@jkha.org or (862) 437-8001 
If you are interested in dedicating a mezuzah, please contact Lauren Shapiro, Director of Development at  lshapiro@jkha.org  or 
(862) 437-8192
Alumni
Spotted in Jerusalem! Several members of the RKYHS Class of 2018 studying in Israel for the year recently got together for dinner with JKHA/RKYHS parents Jeremy and Abbi Halpern and Rabbi Sam and Dr. Sarah Klibanoff.