Graphic by Ariella Mayer ('23)

In Parashat Lech Lecha, Avram takes a trip of necessity to Mitzrayim. The famine forces his hand, and he leaves the land to which Hashem led him, perhaps confused and uncertain about who he is to become as a result of all the change and all the migrations. But the journey to Mitzrayim is an exploration in self-discovery as Avram learns about Egypt's culture and why he will be different from it, about his relationship with his wife, his relationship with wealth, his relationship with his most-likely successor (Lot), and ultimately his relationship with himself. This journey of self-discovery find parallels in the literature of the Ancient and Classical Near East, with perhaps the most familiar being that of Odysseus in Homer's The Odyssey, a tale in which the protagonist must travel and face difficult situations in order to grow so that he can eventually find his way home to his true self. Sometimes, you have to journey in order to come home.

This week's Highlites touches on one man's journey from school leader and educator to media company entrepreneur. Noam Weissman's captivating JED talk covered his pathway through law school and ultimately to preparing students through informational videos for Jewish life in the wider world, and on college campuses in particular. The content of the Unpacked video collection and the various videos on Zionism and Israel give students a leg up and the background a student would want to have at the ready.

Prospective KYHS students, 8th grade girls from our feeder schools, took a journey this past Motzei Shabbat to KYHS to explore what could become their identity for four years. Our morot, administration, and upperclass ambassadors gave the hopefully future KYHS enrollees a taste of the rich life that we offer outside of the classroom. 

While Avraham will debate with Hashem about the future of Sedom in a future parsha, our debaters went out there this week and wowed the crowd with their Talmudically-informed logic and argumentation, netting a number of victories. We learn of Avraham's chesed in these parshiyot, and our Al Shelosha Devarim initiative continues to inspire students to think about giving back, about Torah learning, and about their davening (and other forms of Avodat Hashem!). See the articles below.

Not every journey of self-discovery requires international travel. Over Shabbat and over the upcoming weeks, we can all find a few minutes to think about who we are and how we are growing. We can identify the challenges we face and how we are confronting them. When the next quarter ends, we will all hopefully be able to point to growth and success, even if the furthest we had to travel was between home and Katz Yeshiva High School of South Florida.

Shabbat Shalom,

Rabbi Levitt

Let's Glow Crazy!

8th Grade Girls Get a Feel for Life at KYHS

Graphic by Orly Dimont ('23)



This past Saturday night, KYHS hosted a glow in the dark chagiga for prospective female students and their current student ambassadors. After enjoying pizza and salad, our beloved female Judaic teachers led learning groups about finding meaning in the month of Cheshvan. At the conclusion of the learning, everyone got ready for the chagigah by donning glow in the dark face paint and glow sticks.

While dancing and singing, students were able to bond on a different level than would have been possible in school and in the classroom. The 8th grade girls had an amazing time while being able to meet, hang out, and get a taste of what it means to be a student at KYHS. They also got a feel of the fun and amazing environment that our school has to offer. 

As quoted by Paige Rackman, an 8th grader that attended the program, “The program was a great opportunity to bond with everyone. It was a really fun night and I enjoyed having the chance to meet the people that will be in my grade next year.” We look forward to more programs for the prospective freshmen so they can see what KYHS is all about!

Article by Emma Seghi ('25)

KYHS Stands on 3 Pillars

Brand New Program Inspires Students Across Unique and Personalized Tracks

Graphic by Rivka Reich ('24)

This year, KYHS is implementing a new program, Al Shlosha Devarim. Each student had the opportunity to select a track for the year: Torah, Chesed, or Avodah. Leaders from each grade were selected to help run the different tracks and come up with ideas in order to make each one as meaningful as possible. Each track recently had their first meeting to kick off the Al Shlosha Devarim program.

The Chesed Track offers opportunities for community service, the Torah Track strives to emphasize incorporating learning Torah into everyday life, and the Avodah track focuses on developing middot and personal growth. All three tracks held their first meeting a few weeks ago.

The Chesed Track learned about the roots of chesed in the Torah and then proceeded to make bags of food and other essential supplies to give out to homeless individuals. The Torah Track kicked off the year with a bucket brigade activity and then heard a shiur about the importance of consistency in Torah learning. The Avodah Track got into the spirit for the rest of the year by making and filling teddy bears, a metaphor for working on oneself and thinking about what makes you who you are on the inside.

Many students feel very spiritually uplifted by their tracks. Senior Elior Basson (‘23) , who selected the Chesed Track, reflected on the first program: “It felt amazing to be able to give back to others and I feel like I am actually making a difference”. Even in just the first meeting, Al Shlosha Devarim has already begun to greatly enrich religious life here at KYHS.

Article by Hannah Shapiro ('23)

It's No Debate: the KYHS Team Rocks!

Student Superstars Challenged the Competition with Powerful Points

Graphic by Aaron Newman ('24)

Last Tuesday night, the KYHS Debate Team participated in a competition where pairs of students debated various topics with pairs of students from other schools. The Debate Team is a group of dedicated students who participate in either Public Forum, Lincoln-Douglas, or Extemporaneous style debates, in which students express their arguments in 2-4 minute speeches, preparing both the affirmative and negative sides of the issue. After lots of hard work, KYHS is proud to announce that two teams made it to the podium in this week’s debate! Congratulations to Yosef Norman (‘25) and Joshua Reich (‘25) for scoring first place in the Public Forum debate, and to Ben Cohen (‘23) and Zachary Gross (‘23) for scoring second in the Extemporaneous debate!

Mr. Messersmith is leading the team this year, organizing bi-weekly meetings and sending out weekly newsletters. Team Captains Ben Cohen (‘23) and Adi Kesler (‘23) have given important feedback as well to help everyone improve their public speaking and debate skills. Yosef Norman (‘25) said, “I was nervous starting off the year but my coach and captains have taught me important skills which have helped me calm down and focus so I can succeed.”

The Extemporaneous debate’s resolution was about banning Kanye West from social media platforms. Each student had to prepare reasons to affirm this resolution and to negate it. Reasons such as the United Nations’ definition of free speech, Taliban messages, and expert studies were used as evidence to prove both sides, and the more effective argument won the debate. There were four separate debates for each team over the span of three hours, and the teams with the best records made the podium. The Public Forum debate was on the topic of the Great Power Conflict, arguing whether the United State’s strategy provides more benefits than drawbacks. Here there were two debates, and the teams that went 2-0 won first place. Overall, every member of the Debate Team worked tremendously hard and will continue to work hard in future debates.

Article by Zachy Gross ('23)

Unpacking the Importance of Jewish Media

Noam Weissman Shares His Story with

KYHS Seniors

Graphic by Ariella Mayer ('23)

Unpacked is an online media organization that educates viewers about the complex Jewish world. The website offers articles, podcasts, and videos to help you unpack the common issues in Israel and conspiracies surrounding it. Unpacked is a part of OpenDoor media, which is “media for the Jewish future”.

Last Friday the senior class had the privilege of having Noam Weissman come speak to us as part of the weekly JED Talk program. Noam Weissman worked as Head of School of Shalhevet in Los Angeles, California for many years before he was hired by OpenDoor media. Noam came to our school excited to educate us on the importance of his organization.

We had the opportunity to watch some of the Unpacked videos. The videos taught us the importance of Israel as a state and how to debunk antisemitism on campus, which has become more common over the last couple of weeks. Noam keenly pointed out that the best way to relate to our generation is by getting involved in all social media aspects. Unpacked is on Instagram, Tiktok, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Getting Unpacked on all of these platforms has allowed them to reach thousands of teenagers and make a difference in this world.

Orly Dimont (‘23) stated, “Seeing that you can create media that spreads amazing Jewish education really inspires me to wear my Jewish hat proudly”.  The video platform proved to be educational and helpful to us. We thank Noam Weissman for taking time out of his busy schedule to come speak to us on this important topic.

Article by Atara Keehn ('23)

Mr. Stern in the Spotlight

A Quick Read All About a New Addition to

the KYHS English Department

Graphic by Highlites Staff

Keren: How are you liking KYHS so far?

Mr. Stern: I like it a lot. I like being in a Jewish environment and I really like all the teachers I work with and the students too.

Keren: What do you enjoy most about the subject you teach?

Mr. Stern: I am a great lover of classical literature — all the stuff the students hate.

Keren: What subject do you teach?

Mr. Stern: I teach English 9-12 and journalism for 12th grade seminar.

Keren: How long have you been teaching?

Mr Stern: I taught for 7 years in the ‘80s in the public school system, worked at the USAID, then taught English to adults in Israel for 3 years. I have been teaching high school since 2020.

Keren: How has the adjustment been to the culture here?

Mr. Stern: Easy and smooth, but still adjusting to the schedule.

Keren: In addition to the classroom, what do you enjoy about the environment here?

Mr. Stern: It's a very respectful environment from the top down.

Keren: Who do you look up to?

Mr. Stern: I look up to Ms. Crowther and Rabbi Lanner.

Interview by Keren Lazar ('25)