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November 9, 2023/ 25th of Cheshvan 5784/ Parsha Chayei Sara
Candle Lighting: 4:25 PM
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The JKHA/RKYHS community was invited this week to attend a crash course on Israeli history, led by Ms Hennie Bochner, RKYHS Director of Educational Advancement. The informative class had a specific focus on advocacy and claims being made on social media, helping community members be engaged and informed. If you missed the class, you can view it here, or click on the image above. | |
This week, we marked one month since the horrific attacks on our brothers and sisters in Israel. This past month, our school has become a center of tefillah, of achdut (unity), of chesed (kindness) and of meaning. To mark the shloshim, one month from Simchat Torah, all students and faculty in JKHA/RKYHS received a blue and white bracelet. The goal of the bracelets is to offer a visual reminder to our community to persevere with our passion and to remain connected to the State of Israel and those protecting the Jewish people. We continue to pray for the safety and security of the soldiers in the IDF, the Jewish people and our home. | |
All JKHA/RKYHS faculty and administration spent the day on Tuesday as students, immersed in learning as they attended the Quest for Teaching Excellence conference. Organized by the Greater MetroWest Day School Initiative, our faculty joined together in the building with fellow JKHA/RKYHS colleagues and colleagues from the other three Day Schools around Greater MetroWest. With a theme for the day of "Cultivating Joy, Skills and Wellness in Our Schools," faculty attended sessions throughout the day on a wide range of topics. All attendees obtained practical and helpful information that they will be able to bring back to our classrooms. We were thrilled to honor Middle School faculty member Linda Litland as she received the Jerry Gottesman z"l Award for the Pursuit of Teaching Excellence. JKHA/RKYHS is grateful to the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest and the Greater MetroWest Day School Initiative for organizing a meaningful day of professional development, and for their ongoing efforts towards learning and growth for our faculty. | |
Early Childhood/Lower School | | |
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Kindergarten students enjoyed hearing the same book read simultaneously in the Hebrew and English versions. Students enjoyed seeing the similarities, but also how each book was read from a different side. The activity was great for all the students, especially those who’ve recently arrived to the class from Israel who loved hearing a story in Hebrew! | |
Third grade had a visit from a very special guest—Rashi! In honor of their beginning to learn Rashi’s commentary on the Torah, Rabbi Srolovitz interviewed “Rashi” (who bore a striking resemblance to Rabbi Rubin...) The students learned first-hand about Rashi’s life, his family, and his works on both the written and oral Torah. Rashi explained why his commentary is written in a different script and how he got the answers to his questions. Rashi left the students with the advice to never give up in their Torah learning and that they all have the potential to become Torah scholars. | |
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After learning about Election Day, second graders were so excited to finally be voting! Each child filled out a voter registration card with their information and brought it to the voter registration table, then the polling table where their registration card was checked. In the private voting “booth” they filled out the ballot, voting on which "Miss Nelson" book they enjoyed reading the most. Once all the votes were cast, they read each vote and tallied them on a tally graph and then made a bar graph. The students then “became” their vote as they placed themselves onto a human graph. | |
Mechanechet groups are an exciting new Middle School initiative, in which 7th and 8th graders meet monthly on Rosh Chodesh and again later in the month in informal, small groups to have meaningful conversations, dig deeper into middot, and check in. With their Mechanechet, Mrs Zeif, and using this week's Parsha, Chayei Sarah as a springboard, the 8th grade girls had fun making "jewelry" out of cereal and Twizzlers to connect to Eliezer's gifts of jewelry to Rivka in recognition of her kindness and chessed. This led them to a lively conversation about the meaningful gifts, both tangible and intangible, that each of them have each received in their lives, and reflecting on why middot are so meaningful. | |
Students in Morah Shamsian's Ivrit class had the opportunity today to Zoom with students from the Yitzchak Navon school in Beersheva. The conversation was focused on getting to know one another as fellow students and young teens as students discussed interests, hobbies, day to day life. Their contemporaries practiced their English to ask and answer questions while the JKHA students practiced their Hebrew. Their new Israeli friends were thrilled to hear and feel the support from our students across the miles. | |
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Eighth graders were fortunate to participate in the crash course in Israeli history today, led by Ms Hennie Bochner, RKYHS Director of Educational Advancement. Ms Bochner and other RKYHS history faculty gave this talk to RKYHS students last week, and Ms Bochner led it for the community Monday night, and this class was taught today on the level for the 8th graders. The class is helping students better understand Israel's history and the current conflict, and receive a foundational level of knowledge, so that they can respond with substance to anti-Israel attacks, bolstering their already steadfast commitment to Israel. | |
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Morah Nechama's 7th grade chumash classes celebrated finishing Parshat Korach, Perek Tet Zayin. As part of their siyum, they literally got to swallow korach, Datan & Aviram with a chocolate bundt cake simulating the earth opening, and cookie people in the middle!
They also created a project of their family's tents falling into the ground. They emphasized the negative relationships of their families because they both camped in the south, and learned from it to surround ourselves with good people.
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RKYHS welcomed a full house at its Open House. Taking place on Motzei Shabbat, you could feel the energy throughout the building as prospective students and their parents participated in an enlightening night of programming that highlighted our school's commitment to its Torah values and dedication to offering a first-rate educational program, in a warm environment where every student matters. Guests learned about the vast array of extra curricular options, and our school's focus on opportunities, leadership and the individual success of each child. In addition to the t current eighth grade, there were a large number of students from other schools and other areas including Bergen, Essex, Middlesex, Passaic and Union counties and Staten Island. Click here to watch the Open House video that embodies the way that RKYHS engages, inspires, and empowers our students. | |
A group of students from the RKYHS AIPAC Club traveled to Washington, DC this week for the AIPAC Political Student Leadership Summit. Student activists from campuses all over the country came together for three days of intense political and foreign policy programming and training, more important now than ever before. They had the opportunity to see the intersection of policy and politics firsthand and interact with leading Washington politicos, Middle East experts, Members of Congress, and AIPAC professionals. Our students appreciated the opportunity to network with other Student Leadership Summit participants, getting a deeper understanding of how political engagement makes an impact on U.S. foreign policy. | |
The Miryam Institute, a forum for leading Israeli experts of diverse and varied perspectives, held an event on Tuesday night at Hudson Yards in New York City to mark one month since the October 7th massacre. A group of RKYHS students had the privilege to attend the event that welcomed a number of survivors of October 7 from Nachal Oz as well as family members of those that were killed and those being held hostage by Hamas. New York Times opinion columnist Bret Stephens was featured as well at this moving program. | |
Twelfth graders had the special opportunity to hear from Dr. Ronen Shoval today. The husband of RKYHS faculty member Rabbanit Chamutal Shoval and parent to JKHA and RKYHS students, Dr Shoval returned to Israel almost immediately after October 7 to serve in the IDF. While back in NJ now for the moment, having just returned from Israel, Dr Shoval addressed our seniors about the current situation in Israel. Students listened intently as he described his experience this past month. His dedication to his country was inspirational as he passionately shared with students the obligation to protect the State of Israel. Dr Shoval answered the students many questions and inquiries with honesty and sincerity. | |
 | RKYHS had the distinct honor of welcoming Rabbanit Chana Henkin to our school on Monday during her brief visit to the US. Rabbanit Henkin addressed juniors and seniors on the current events and shared messages of strength and unity. Rabbanit Chana Henkin is the founder and Dean of Nishmat, and an acclaimed Jewish educator and leader in Torah scholarship for women. Together with her husband, noted halachic authority Rav Yehuda Henkin z”l, Rabbanit Henkin created the unique role of Yoatzot Halacha, experts in women’s health and Jewish law, to address women’s questions in taharat hamishpacha and women’s health. In her talk, students were able to feel her strength and her love for am yisrael as she discussed how to keep emunah in the face of the current heartache we are all feeling, also drawing on her experience when her son and daughter in law, Eitan and Naama Henkin הי"ד were murdered by terrorists eight years ago. She described the responsibility and the privilege we have to protect the State of Israel, and the unity that is being felt all over the country, and what we can do living here to help. We appreciate the chizuk she provided and were emboldened by her message "the heart is hurt, but the spirit is not broken." | |
RKYHS students have been making multiple trips to the AFYA Foundation warehouse, and returned again for a visit this week, to sort and pack personal hygiene and medical supplies that will be distributed to Israelis displaced from southern Israel. | |
The RKYHS Sociology class visited Riker's Island prison as part of the course curriculum which has a focus on deviance and crime in society. Students got a first hand look at how agencies deal with the incarcerated population and the resources that are given to inmates from medical, education and religious needs. The group was hosted by the Jewish chaplain on staff who gave a brief tour and overview of the facility. The students then attended and volunteered at a chapel service for the Jewish inmates that involved prayers and the parsha that the RKYHS students participated in. Their visit concluded with a circle discussion with the RKYHS students and the inmates who shared their experiences in the jail. Students were able to ask them questions as well. | |
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The RKYHS Varsity Hockey team has recently added two wins to their season. The Kushner Cobras faced off against Ohr Yisrael finishing with a 6-2 win. Earlier in the week the Kushner varsity hockey team took on Hillel and came home with a 8-1 win.
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RKYHS Students and Faculty and JKHA 8th Graders, please see below to sign up | |
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Mazel Tov to Rachaili Hubsher (JKHA '10/RKYHS '14) on her engagement to Avi Hacker!
Mazel Tov to Shira and Rabbi Ike Sultan (JKHA '05) on the birth of a baby girl!
Mazel Tov to Zev Kaplowitz (JKHA ‘07) on his engagement to Shira Rosenblum!
Mazel Tov to Matthew Ross (JKHA '09/RKYHS '13) on his engagement to Brooke Adler!
Mazel Tov to Rachel and Jon Liebman (JKHA 2007, RKYHS 2011) on the birth of a baby boy in Israel!
Mazel Tov to Kurt Moskovitz (JKHA '10/RKYHS '14) on his upcoming marriage to Rebecca Feder!
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Friday, November 10—26 Cheshvan
Today's Day of Learning is dedicated by
Sandy and Avi Steiner
in loving memory of
Joshua Steiner z"l
יהושע בן זאב
father of Avi
and grandfather of Lilly (JKHA '17/RKYHS '21), Sam (12th grade) and
Sophia (10th grade) Steiner
in commemoration of his second yahrtzeit
In his merit as a soldier in the IDF during the Six-Day War we pray for the safety of our soldiers in צה״ל and for the welfare of the State of Israel and all of Am Yisrael
November 9 – 25 Cheshvan
Today's Parnas Hayom is dedicated by
Debbie and Mikey Burack
in loving memory of
Dovid ben Yitzchak z"l
father of Debbie Burack and
grandfather of Dovid Aryeh (RKYHS '19), Racheli (JKHA '17/RKYHS '21) and Noah (10th grade) Burack
in commemoration of his 25th yahrtzeit
May today’s learning serve as an Aliya for his neshama
November 7 – 23 Cheshvan
Today's Day of Learning
is dedicated by
Elizabeth and Michael Muschel
in memory of
Sara bas Yechiel Mechel
a Holocaust Survivor
beloved great grandmother of Samuel (Gan) Muschel
in commemoration of her yahrtzeit.
Please keep this dedication in mind in your davening and learning today.
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We Invite You to Dedicate Our Children's Torah Learning at JKHA/RKYHS
If you are interested in sponsoring a Day of Learning, contact Aly Greenstein: agreenstein@jkha.org or (862) 437-8001
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