From:
Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn - Yeshivat Yavneh
Rabbi Ari Segal - Shalhevet High School
Rabbi Mordechai Shifman - Emek Hebrew Academy
Rabbi Joshua Spodek - YULA Girls High School
Rabbi Avrohom Stulberger - Valley Torah High School
Rabbi Arye Sufrin - YULA Boys High School
Rabbi Boruch Sufrin - Harkham Hillel Hebrew Academy
Rabbi Aharon Wilk - Gindi Maimonides Academy
Dear Yeshiva Day School Families,
We hope that this email finds you and your families well at this time.
The events of the last month have certainly brought a lot of angst and concern to each of our homes. More than ever, we are aware of
Hashem’
s complete control over us and the world at large. In essence, Hashem has peeled back the veneer of everyday life and forced us to acknowledge the eternal truth - that we are, as always, very much in
Hashem’
s hands. In this way, we will try to use the upcoming months as a time to strengthen our
Emunah
and
Bitachon
and be
Mechazek
each other - as we lean on each other with care and compassion.
We are in touch with local Rabbanim and community organizations.
Am Yisrael
is a nation of compassion. As a
Kehilah
, we are all responsible for one another.
We ask that anyone who is struggling or has the means to help struggling families in our community during this time to
please be in touch with me
.
These are very challenging times but they are also times for great opportunity - most notably, acts of
Chessed
for families who are under great distress at this time. Please reach out if you need help, or if you can help in a significant way. We will endeavor to maintain confidentiality, but will try to help people get the resources they need.
One of the ways that, unfortunately, we cannot assist with, is to grant mid-year discounts at this time. We are writing to you this note today to give you an understanding of our own tremendous challenge that we are facing.
In no way, do we want to seem cavalier about any individual family's struggle. On the contrary, our greatest pride is the ability to raise monies each year - to offer scholarships to families in need.
Our challenges are exacerbated as we are continuing to employ and pay our teachers and staff, while our expenses are not expected to diminish in any material way.
Regrettably, a number of our community schools will be unable to run necessary fundraising functions that will undoubtedly hurt our revenue as well. Day Schools and
Yeshivot
always operate under financial pressure and the events of the past month have made our struggle that much more dire. We will, once again, be reliant on tremendous
Siyata Dishmaya
to navigate the current challenge we are facing - and we are hopeful that the generous support of our donors will be able to mitigate some of the difficulties that we are experiencing as well.
The events of the last month - and most notably the massive changes we have endured these past few weeks - are still new to us. We will continue to speak to professionals and research any new possibilities for relief that we can then pass on to families in need. If any of these conversations bear fruit then we will notify you right away.
Baruch Hashem
, our schools have experienced unprecedented
Achdut
over the past few weeks. We feel that this has been one of the shining lights amidst this crisis. With incredible speed, we began to operate our schools using various online platforms and creativity. We have appreciated the amazing support and feedback that we have received from you - our parents. We pray that this
Tzara
will be over soon and that Hashem showers us with tremendous Shefa of health and
Parnasa Tova
over the months ahead.
We want to take this opportunity to thank our amazing teachers - who have in a very short time, risen to the challenge. They have learned new skills, broadened their creativity and, once again, have shown why their collective hearts are the inspired pulse of this city. They are leading us by example.
Our sages teach us “
Yeshuat Hashem K’heraf Ayin - Hakadosh Baruch Hu’s
salvation comes in the blink of an eye.” We are davening for the quickest possible end to this pandemic and all the suffering it has caused.
Sincerely,
