Graphic by Ariella Mayer ('23)

The close of this week of school coincides with an important demarcation line – the end of the second quarter for the 9-11th graders. With the first half of the year in the rearview mirror for everyone, with the calendar now flipped to '22 instead of '21, and with winter break just a few short school days away, students and teachers are eager and excited to arrive at next week's vacation. This week's parsha also demarcates the dividing line between when Bnei Yisrael were an enslaved ragtag motley group and then a song-singing freed people, but still very motley and ragtag. Shirat HaYam follows Korban Pesach as another special communal event that forged identity and developed Bnei Yisrael into a people that could stand together in next week's parsha and receive the community's mission statement, the Torah.  During the past week, we experienced the theme of giving in two particular ways. We donated some tens of pints of blood through the Blood Drive and we thank all those who participated. The seniors also received an energizing charge from Rabbi Avi Weiss about the need to commit to giving back to the Jewish community through tziyonut and through spiritual leadership.  Yud Shevat featured Rabbi Lipskier, the Chabad rabbi from UCF, who delivered divrei chizuk on the occasion of the elevation of the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe to his position. The lunchtime farbrengen attracted a crowd of KYHS students who enjoyed the stories and Torah musings.   On Sunday, approximately 60 students came to KYHS for interviews with the KYHS admissions team. We love showing off the beautiful building, and we really enjoy getting to know the potential members of the incoming freshmen class. So much energy goes towards the students who are already part of the KYHS family, and yet the cycle of graduations and entering ninth grade classes demands attention too. The KYHS student body is poised to grow again in the 2022-23 school year.   We wish everyone an amazing, safe, restful, fun, peaceful, and enjoyable break. Find your way to a minyan/be sure to daven, learn Torah, and hone your middot while you are on your vacations. Plants in the greenhouse do not need all kinds of cultivation techniques each and every day, but there are some elements of upkeep that must be taken care of daily to ensure the best outcomes for the flowers, vegetables, and trees we are trying to grow. Shabbat Shalom, Rabbi Levitt

One Blood, One Heart, One KYHS Students and Teachers Do The Great Chessed of Giving Blood

Graphic by Rivka Reich ('24)  On Monday, January 10th, Katz Yeshiva High School partnered with OneBlood to host a blood drive powered by KYHS students. Students who met the weight and age benchmarks to donate their blood to people in need were enthusiastic to do so.  “I was scared to donate, but I was excited since I knew it was the right thing to do,” said Jake Davis (‘22), when asked about his feelings leading up to donating. “At the time I signed up, I was fairly calm. But as [donation] time approached, my fear heightened. Thankfully, the experience ended up being far better than I expected.” The day of the blood drive, three mobile blood extraction centers called Big Red Buses parked in the school parking lot and began preparing. Next, OneBlood set up a home base in the cafeteria to feed and treat student donors, as well as to attract more. They served bagels, bananas, cookies, donuts, beverages, and other snacks to students before and after they donated to keep their blood sugar stable throughout the day. After eating, donors were escorted by a OneBlood representative to a Big Red Bus, where they received a screening of their temperature, pulse, cholesterol, iron levels, and blood pressure to determine their eligibility to donate. Most donors passed the tests and were able to give blood. After donating blood, students received OneBlood t-shirts and rested in the cafeteria while staying full and hydrated. “I’ve had a lot of bad experiences with needles, but I pushed through my fear to help others. It was well worth it. The whole process was smooth and well-run,” said Judah Cohn (‘22), a senior who donated blood. OneBlood plans to keep KYHS donors invested in the journey of their blood by sending updates on who their blood will be used to save. “It [is] insightful to see how impactful you can be on a small scale,” added Jake ('22). Article by Boaz Edidin ('22)

Be a Giver, Not a Taker Rabbi Avi Weiss Addresses the Seniors About Their Jewish Missions

Graphic by Olivia Kahane ('23) What is the difference between the 613 mitzvot and the Bill of Rights? Rabbi Avi Weiss answered this question for the KYHS seniors in this past week’s JED talk. His speech was extremely thought-provoking and inspiring, leaving students with a powerful message that we will take with us in the future.  The question that Rabbi Weiss posed regarding the Torah versus the Bill of Rights was a wonderful introduction to his speech about being a giving person. He explained that whereas the Bill of Rights is about taking your rights and what other people owe you, the mitzvot are about what we can give. This shows that the concept of giving is at the core of the Jewish people. Rabbi Weiss suggested several practical ways for the seniors to become true givers.  Rabbi Weiss’s first suggestion was to be a person who stands up for Israel. He shared a story where he went to the border of Gaza during one of the conflicts. He had a firsthand encounter with IDF soldiers who were operating a drone meant to assasinate two terrorists in Gaza. He recounted that immediately before they were going to attack, the soldier got the message: “Stop! There are too many civilians.” Rabbi Weiss made it clear that contrary to what many believe, the IDF is the most ethical army in the world. He further emphasized that we must work to do our part to protect our country, whether by joining the Israeli army or by considering doing national service. He urged us to make a change and think about making aliyah! Rabbi Weiss emphasized that we must “be amongst the givers!” The second suggestion was to use our Jewish education in order to become spiritual leaders. He explained that the term “halacha” is not just the word for “laws,” rather it is a form of living, a way to live a meaningful life. Whenever we do things, we should always be asking ourselves, “how does this fit into the larger picture?” We must realize that the halachot are meant to lift us up, not bring us down. Every human being is created b’tzelem elokim, with a piece of God within them. He stressed that we must, “imitate ourselves, not others, to ignite your inner Godliness.” Like we say in Modeh Ani each morning: “shehechezarta bi nishmati b’chemla raba emunatecha.” Every morning that we wake up, it means that God has faith in us. We must take this knowledge while remaining humble, and recognize how much we can accomplish.  Rabbi Weiss left us with the impactful message to go out and impact the world around us. He stressed the importance of being able to accept people who are different from you. Just like a bird needs two wings to fly, Rabbi Weiss explained, we can’t just have one type of person leading the world. We need everyone to be united if we really want to create change!  Article by Rebecca Henner ('22)

Okay Brainy KYHS Mathletes Unite for Mega Math Extravaganza

Graphic by Matthew Eichenholz ('23) Every month, a math contest is held for high school students. The participants must answer six questions ranging from easy to difficult. The questions contain many different concepts within mathematics, and in order to answer them successfully, students must use critical-thinking skills. Mrs. Epstein, who runs these competitions at KYHS says, “the questions encourage students to think outside of the box and creatively.” Because we are sometimes unable to be exposed to these specific types of math problems in class because of each math course’s curriculum, these math competitions are incredible opportunities for students to use their time to learn more about equations and math problems they may encounter in the future. Successfully completing these math problems is difficult, but thrilling as well. “Though it was challenging, I felt ecstatic when I was able to actually answer some of the questions,” remarked Shoshana Stadlan ('22), a Math League Contest participant and leader. KYHS has many incredible math students who have the potential to do well and gain a real feeling of excitement and accomplishment from succeeding in these monthly math competitions. The upcoming Math League contests will be held on February 16th and March 23rd. We are all looking forward to having more of our KYHS students become math experts by participating in these competitions! Article by Amira Kahn ('25)

Farbrengen Fun! Students Gather to Hear from UCF Chabad Rebbe for Some Food, Torah, and Singing

Graphic by Shoshana Weinstock ('24) This past Wednesday was Yud Shevat, the day the sixth Lubavitcher rebbe died and the day the famous Menachem Mendel Schneerson was declared the seventh Lubavitcher rebbe. In order to celebrate this momentous occasion and yahrzeit, Rabbi Chaim Lipskier drove three hours from UCF to join the KYHS students and faculty for a farbrengen during lunch. Rabbi Lipskier told insightful stories about the Rebbe including an especially amazing story about the Jews of Curaçao. In Curaçao, there is a very small Jewish community, and there is only one high school and it is a Catholic one. At this high school, everyone is required to go to Mass, but an exception had been for Jewish students. When the new principal of the school was appointed, however, he made a rule that all students – including Jews – had to go to Mass in the mornings. One Jewish boy refused to go to Mass and was getting in trouble. The boy’s father didn’t know what to do, but he remembered something his grandmother had told him. She had said that if he ever needed something, he should call out to the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The boy’s father did just that, although he didn’t email or write a letter. Instead, he just hoped and prayed for some help from the Rebbe. While this episode in Curaçao was taking place, the Lubavitcher Rebbe told one of his talmidim to book a flight to Curaçao to spread the light of Judaism. Upon arrival, the talmid went to this father’s house and the father explained the situation with Mass.The shaliach said to the father that if he wanted, he could send the boy back with him to be enrolled in a Yeshiva in Manhattan. This story perfectly encapsulates the Rebbe’s quality of understanding that everyone is a polished or unpolished gem who just needs help to reach their full potential. We should learn from this story and from the Rebbe to attempt to reach our full potential, and that asking for help shouldn’t be taboo.   Article by Judah Frohlich ('23)

Ariella Asks Ariella Interviews Emma Seghi (‘25) About Her Thriving Baking Company

Graphic by Aaron Newman ('24) KYHS has many superstars doing incredible things in every grade, but finding a freshman who has already started a program or business is not as common as finding an older student who has done the same. Emma Seghi (‘25), however, is an exception. Before even entering KYHS, Emma began her very own baking business. Emma has always loved baking and sharing her creations with the people around her. When Covid started, she had a lot more free time and started to bake desserts and deliver them before Shabbat to family and friends. After doing this for a while, someone suggested to Emma that she start selling her desserts. Emma set up an instagram account (@sweettreatsbyemmaseghi) and a Whatsapp account to start sending out weekly flyers and order forms. Emma mostly sells cookies for Shabbat, but she also makes special treats for the holidays and takes special orders.  Emma explained the difficulties of trying to run a successful business while managing the stress of school. Her advice is to prioritize your responsibilities and if there is extra time, then use it to do what you want to do. Emma hasn't been able to sell consistently, but she still takes custom orders and tries to sell when she has time, because she prioritizes her school work over her baking. This is hard for Emma because she loves to bake, but she knows that it’s what she needs to do. Running a business at such a young age has taught Emma how to communicate with people, how to organize her time and priorities, and the value of money. Emma suggests that if a person is interested in starting a business or anything similar and they have the time and resources, to definitely go for it! You will never know whether or not you can accomplish something great unless you try it first!  If anyone has accomplished something interesting and would like the chance to be interviewed by Ariella Shira Greenberg ('22) in "Ariella Asks", please email agreenberg22@yeshivahs.org! Article by Ariella Greenberg ('22)

Heard in the Halls by Jamie Berger ('23)  Quote Jamie Berger, She May Quote You Back

Graphic by Chana Schandelson ('22) The other day, I heard Jonathan Davidson (‘23) talking about a fascinating realization he came to which helped him grow and learn more about himself. He explained how he used to get annoyed when “the smart kids” received perfect grades on the same assignments that he was struggling with. As much as he was happy for his classmates, he was envious of how natural academic success seemed to come to them while he worked so hard and did not feel like he was succeeding. I am sure most people have felt similarly at some point in their lives. It is frustrating to feel like your life seems so much harder than the lives of those around you. It is tough to have the motivation to study when you feel like you are working so much harder than other kids in the class and still not achieving the results that you would like to. Jonathan got through this struggle by understanding that, “everyone is lifting different weights in life.” Every person is born with certain strengths and weaknesses, and it is necessary to utilize both in order to achieve their goals. Hashem has created every human being with the necessary skill set to get through their journey in life. It may appear that one kid is more lucky than another when he receives a better grade, but one can never know what is going on in other areas of the kid’s life: at home, with friends, or in other classes. Although it is very difficult, it is important to trust that you were born with the skills you need to succeed. You just have to keep studying and working hard without worrying about what others are doing. Studying extra hard might be one of the weights you have to lift, but in the end it will just make you stronger!  Article by Jamie Berger ('23)

Highlites Staff