Middle School students wrote and sent letters to children in southern Israel and to members of the IDF.  Students are writing in penpal format with positive messages in Hebrew and English. The letters to fellow schoolchildren are being sent as part of World Mizrachi Schools Department and Amit Schools “Letters for Israel” initiative. The letters to the IDF soldiers were sent directly with Joseph Cohen (JKHA '14.RKYHS '18) who is en route back to Israel from NJ to serve with his IDF unit. We will continue to have students compose letters of support and work to warm the hearts of our soldiers defending the country.  

An achdut kumsitz brought Middle School together to ramp up their tefillot as they sang words of tehillim and displayed their unity and support for Israel.

JKHA is proud to organize Yeshiva Day Schools from around the country to unite in tefillah for Israel tomorrow morning over Zoom.  JKHA grades 4-8 will be leading a communal zoom with 27 day schools from around the country participating.

In partnership with UJA Federation NY and local Jewish Day Schools, our students and faculty attended a Community-Wide Rally and Vigil in support of Israel on Tuesday. The energy in the air was palpable as thousands of people gathered in midtown Manhattan with their unwavering commitment to Israel on full display.

Ivrit classes this week spent much time focusing on the war in Israel. They discussed the history, followed current events from Israeli sources, and allowed students the forum to express their feelings and unpack everything that has been taking place. Classes also took time to write letters in Hebrew to IDF soldiers. Students' letters were sincere and heartfelt and we hope they provide chizuk to those serving and defending the country.  

RKYHS students took the initiative to form a rolling tehillim group on WhatsApp. Students from all four grades have joined and sign up throughout the day and night to say a perek or multiple perakim of tehillim for Israel, completing the sefer repeatedly. May the tefillot of our students be answered and bring safety, security and peace to the people in Israel and the brave soldiers in the IDF.

A group of 11th and 12th grade RKYHS students participate in the SOAR (Seminar on Antisemitism and Racism) program with students from St Benedict's Preparatory School in Newark, NJ. Students meet weekly to work together to combat racism and antisemitism and increase cultural and racial understanding and awareness. The entire session this week was spent on Israel. Rabbi Avishur provided history and an overview of the current situation. RKYHS students talked about their personal ties to Israel including family and friends living in Israel and those who have been called up to fight. The St Benedicts Prep students asked insightful questions and the students engaged in respectful and thoughtful conversation. 

Father Ed Leahy, the head of St Benedict’s Prep in Newark, our partner school in the SOAR program, arrived at school on Monday simply to give support to his colleague Rabbi Rubin and our school community. He stayed to meet and talk with some students and hear their feelings and share his own. We appreciate Father Ed's showing of support.

Students in Ms. Kohl's English class learned how to write a proper business letter and worked on enhancing their formal letter writing. To practice what they learned, they wrote letters to President Biden in support of Israel. They thanked the President for his support of Israel, and urged him to continue to do so - both verbally and by sending more military aid. Many students shared their family connections to Israel, and wrote about personal feelings they are dealing with in the wake of the horror of this war.

RKYHS has organized a program tomorrow with over 8,000 students from close to 40 Yeshiva High Schools from all across North America to join together via Zoom to hear Divrei Chizuk (words of encouragement), recite Tehillim, and collectively sing the unifying song Acheinu and Hatikva. Schools will be joining from the West Coast, the South, the Midwest, Canada, and the East Coast. It will be an incredible moment and a great show of solidarity for Israel.