Info on The Israeli Day Parade

This year’s parade theme is portraits and Magen David Yeshivah High School is depicting a portrait of Menachem Begin. The parade will take place on Sunday, June 2^nd.

Menachem Begin was a true leader of the modern state of Israel from before its creation, as the leader of the Irgun (an underground military organization committed to defense of Jews in Palestine) to becoming Prime Minister in 1977 and signing the Camp David Accords with Anwar Sadat of Egypt. Begin was the Prime Minister of the country when the decision was made to bomb the nuclear reactors of Iraq. He was the Prime Minister who advocated that El Al planes not fly on Shabbat as El Al represents the Jewish state. He is the Prime Minister who began to bridge the gap between Sepharadim and Ashkenazim. He was the person who through his entire leadership in politics and in the resistance movement insisted on the unity and sanctity of the Jewish people, consistently choosing the wellbeing of the people over what was politically smart. Begin held Torah classes in his home every Friday evening and used what became known as the Shabbat phone on Shabbat when he had to deal with national emergencies (the phone did not violate any of the laws of Shabbat). He was a true hero of Israel.

MDYHS will be depicting several areas of his life:

His support of El Al not flying on Shabbat

The peace treaty with Egypt

Holding Tanakh classes in his home and praying at the Kotel

His אהבת ישראל – עם אחד בלב אחד

In order to create this portrait we need to create a t-shirt and several banners.

Therefore we will be holding a competition for the designs of the banner and t-shirt. If you are interested, please submit a design for one or both to Ms. Nasar by Friday, May 3, 2013.

Please remember that the Salute to Israel Parade is a mandatory school day for grades 9-11.

All those taking the SATs that day must submit proof of registration to Ms. Nasar or Ms. Tokayer by May 15^th.

NOTICE OF INTENT TO RUN FOR SCHOOL OFFICE

MAGEN DAVID YESHIVAH HIGH SCHOOL

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS MEMO 2013

The following are the procedures and calendar for elections for Student Government and Senior Representative.

9^th, 10^th and 11^th grade students may run for office in Student Government.  Only 10^th and 11^th grade students are eligible for the office of President of Student Government.  Only 11^th graders may run for Senior Representative and Yearbook.

Criteria for candidates:

Students interested in running must have:

·         No academic deficiencies

·         An excellent discipline record

·         Excellent attendance

·         A record of service to the school

·         The ability to communicate effectively and respectfully to the faculty and administration of the school

·         4 recommendations of faculty members (the administration will ask the faculty – don not approach the faculty)

·         A platform of ideas for the school for the upcoming year

·         A calendar of events for the upcoming year

o   One event per month

                4 afterschool events (school spirit/morale event)

                4 fundraiser events

o   2 grade specific event

o   Consistent weekly event

Process:

·         Students should submit the accompanying form (please print and fill out) to Ms. Tokayer by Tuesday, April 30^th by the end of the lunch periods (1:23).

·         Candidates will be informed of their eligibility by Thursday, May 2^nd  

·         Platform and calendar of events due electronically to etokayer@mdyhs.net by Monday, May 6^th, 8PM

·         Campaigning will take place Wednesday, May 8^th  through Friday, May 10^th

o   A budget and any campaign material must be submitted for approval to Mrs. Tokayer’s office by Tuesday Morning, May 7^th. Nothing may be submitted for approval after Tuesday, May 7^th

o   Material will only be allowed to be hung up on Tuesday, May 7^th after 5:30

o   Candidates must provide their own method of hanging up the campaign material.

o   Xerox copies of one poster are limited to the number 10.

o   Candidates may not spend more than $100 on their campaign.

o   Platforms and Calendars will be posted on the MDYHS South blog

·         Speeches and Elections will take place Monday, May 13^th during the lunch periods at voting booths in the atrium.

·         Winners will be announced by the end of the day, Monday, May 13^th

·         Winners will sign a contract regarding their obligations to the school as officers of the government and must continually meet the criteria established above to remain in office

·         Winners must be committed to attend meetings twice a month with Faculty Advisor and uphold their title as officer through the course of the year.

·         Candidates may not run as a party on one ticket.  In other words, one candidate may NOT include another on their campaign material.

·         All campaign material must be in the spirit of good sportsmanship.   There may be no derogatory statements about other candidates.  All material must also be in the spirit of a ben/bat Torah.

·         Any violation of the above rules would warrant being taken off the ballot.

 

MAGEN DAVID YESHIVAH HIGH SCHOOL

NOTICE OF INTENT TO RUN FOR SCHOOL OFFICE

DUE BY TUESDAY, APRIL 30^TH TO MS. TOKAYER’S OFFICE

 Print and Submit

Name:  _______________________________                                              Grade:  _____

I am applying to run for the following office. 

Student Government:                                   Yearbook:

___      President                                             ___      Editor-In-Chief

___      Vice President                                    

___      Secretary                                            

___      Treasurer

___      Senior Representative                                                           

I believe the following teachers would recommend me for the above offices:

_____________________________              ______________________________

_____________________________              ______________________________

Teachers will receive a form, do not approach them yourself.

I have served the school in the following capacities:

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

_____________________________

Please remember to submit your platform and calendar of events by Monday, May 6th to Ms. Tokayer atetokayer@mdyhs.net 

Warriors' Week in Review

Dear Parents,

What a fantastic week it has been at MDYHS!  It is a privilege to share a glimpse of some of the events and programs of the past few days with you.

Our Senior Internship Program, under the creative direction of Mrs. Sabrina Maleh, wraps up its third week today.  Yesterday, two members of the Internship Team, Mr. Daniel Zide and Mr. Daniel Kamelhar together with school interns Jeffrey Dweck, Elliot Elo,and Sarah Zafrani, conducted site visits to many of our young career professionals.  They came back to school glowing, with a "snapshot" of the outstanding experiences and successes of our students: Joe Abitbol coming up with a unique marketing idea that his employer is now going to implement in his business...Marie Betesh sitting in on actual court cases while working for NY Supreme Court Justice Arthur M. Schack...Michael Cabasso making his first major sale in tee shirt design...Alicen Franco working on the Spring 2014 line - layouts, patterns, and designs...Joanie Kraiem writing articles that are to be published in Image magazine...Ally Menascheobserving pet surgery in a veterinary clinic...and Albert Zalta observing eye surgery in an actual operating room...  The students are enjoying an outstanding opportunity, getting experience and exposure as they begin their career pathways.  One employer was so impressed with our students' work that she reached out to us saying, "MDYHS should keep doing whatever you are doing because these students are so well prepared for the real world - they are serious professionals!"  (Please see the attached photos from yesterday's wonderful site visits).

Our students' career pathways actually begin well before the Senior Internship Program.  On Tuesday, MDYHS hosted our Sixth Annual Entrepreneurship Contest, under the direction of Mr. Joe Naftaly and Mr. Daniel Kamelhar.  Seven different teams, led by Estie Ammach, Sharon Anobian, Osher Battat, Jack Beyda, Judy Chalouh, Celia Cohen, Ricky Cohen, Lorraine Franco, Laurie Louzeh, Shoshana Louzia, Sara Mamrout, Stella Sadaka, Harry Shomer, Ralph Shweky, Jamie Yatcha, and Victoria Zalta, presented their formal business plans along with a sample prototype of their product or design.  The creativity, business sense, and ingenuity of our students were breathtaking.  The presentations were judged by our own Dr. Abe Tawil, Dr. Edward Rogoff, Professor of Management and Academic Director of the Lawrence N. Field Center for Entrepreneurship and Small Business at Baruch College, and Mr. Irwin Dayan, Executive Director of the Sephardic Angel Fund.  The top three teams will be announced, b'ezrat HaShem, at the MDYHS Annual Entrepreneurship Dinner in May.  I have no doubt that in the not-too-distant future we will be buying products designed and produced by our talented MDYHS captains of industry!  (Please see the attached photos from this inspiring competition).

MDYHS creative genius is not limited to the world of industry and finance alone.  On Wednesday, students in Mrs. Rachel Harari's Freshman English class completed their final project for Romeo and Juliet.  The students were assigned different scenes from the play that they were asked to memorize and then present in a dramatic performance in front of their peers - in full costume and props, and in Shakespeare's original language.  I sat mesmerized as I watched our students act out their roles with passion and depth.  Sir Laurence Olivier had nothing on our young actors and actresses!  (Please see the attached photos from this moving performance).

And while our dramatis personae were acting, other MDYHS artists were getting a rare experience of their own.  The Art Appreciation Club, under the direction of Mrs. Natalie Greenberg, visited Sotheby's Auction House on Wednesday, where they viewed theSteinhardt Judaica Collection that is to be auctioned off next week.  Our delegation viewed Jewish artifacts and objects from antiquity through the 20th century.  The highlight of the collection is a rare, illustrated Mishneh Torah of Rambam, from 15th century Italy, whose auction estimate is $4.5 to 6 million dollars.  (Please see the attached photos from this great viewing).

Less expensive, modern books also have a place at MDYHS.  On Tuesday our Book Club, led by Hannah Cohen and Zach Mosseri, and under the guidance of Mrs. Bruchie Weinstein, discussed Ayn Rand's Anthem.  The group explored the author's views on communism, fascism, altruism, and egoism.  Albert Hamowy contributed particularly insightful and articulate comments.  After the lively and deep discussion, our students chose the book 1984 by George Orwell for their next read.  Ask any Book Club member - the enjoyment of a good read is incomparable!

Not all learning takes place in the classroom.  Yesterday, a group of 35 MDYHS math whizzes, led by Mr. Alan Rader and Mr. Bruce Bromfeld, traveled to Citi Field to enjoy the Mets-Dodgers game.  The trip was in recognition of the students' outstanding math performance over the course of the year - and this particular date was chosen because it was College Day at Citi Field, whererepresentatives from more than 30 colleges met with our students.  While the Mets did not win - our students most certainly did!

And speaking of college, I am pleased to extend warm wishes of Mabrouk to Sarah Kabariti who was notified this week that she has been selected for the Sage Honors Scholars Program at Hunter College ($4,000 for four years, for a total of $16,000).  In fact, I was informed this week by one of the CUNY Directors of Admissions that MDYHS is among the top 10 high schools - and the only yeshivah - having the most students admitted into the Macaulay, Presidential, and Dean's Scholars programs.  Magen David students are truly extraordinary!

These amazing results are achieved by careful preparation and planning, along with diligent, serious work.  Toward that end, Ms. Katie Chabbott, of our very own Writing Center, has been working with our juniors on their college essays, and is on pace to ensure that every single eleventh grader will have completed a final draft of his or her college essay by this June.  Ms. Chabbott's goal in mentoring the students in their writing is "to have the student's words reach out from the page and touch the reader."  Many of our students have told me how much they appreciate the caring guidance of this Writing Center program.  And while on the subject of guidance, please note that the MDYHS SAT Workshop, free to all students and under the leadership of Mrs. Sara Haleva, concludes this Tuesday evening with a session on Math: Direct and Inverse Variation, Simultaneous Equations, Quadratics and Inequalities, as well as a session on Critical Reading.  Take advantage of this comprehensive, invaluable preparation!

As MDYHS continues to grow, we have finalized plans for our accreditation renewal scheduled for the coming academic year.  Every ten years, the school undergoes an extensive self-study, which is designed to lead to a comprehensive education plan - and culminates in a week-long inspection visit by a team of professionals from the Middle States Association of Schools & Colleges - the same organization that accredits Princeton University.  MDYHS is the only yeshivah day school in the borough that enjoys this special, privileged status, and we are proud to have committees consisting of a cross section of educators, lay leaders, parents, students, and alumni to join in crafting our self-study as we continue to chart a course of excellence into the future.  I welcome all of your comments and insights as we prepare for the next phase of our glorious future.

Finally, in the realm of sports, I am pleased to announce that our Junior Varsity Boys Softball Team, under the leadership of coachNathan Zalta, defeated the team of MTA by a score of 5-4.  Eddie Levy was the winning pitcher, and Ralph Shamah had the game-tying hit and the game-winning run.  And congratulations to the Boys Varsity Tennis Team, under the leadership of coach Eddie Elbaz, on their win against the team of HANC by a score of 6-0.  Go Warriors!  For all the news at MDYHS, pick up the latest issue ofThe Flame, our fantastic student newspaper, which was distributed this week.

As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Saul Zucker

Yachad Program!!!

There will be a school wide Yachad program on Wednesday, May 1st (5:30 - 7:30 PM) in the high school cafeteria...Cost: $10

Pizza and Refreshments will be served.

Volunteers needed to assist with sign-up and set-up the day of the event.

Sephardic Heritage Set Up

Dear Students, 

The Sephardic Heritage Expo is around the corner (Tuesday, April 30th)! 

All of your exhibits must be complete and set-up by Monday. You will be graded by the end of the day on Monday and you will be presenting your projects to the school on Tuesday. To help you prepare, each group will receive two periods of preparation time between now and monday. Please see the the schedule below (I also attached it) for you group's meeting time. 

Thank you!

Period	Wednesday 4/24	Room
F (11:23-12:02)	Rita Dabbah, Frieda Gindi, Rochelle Shriqui, Frieda Maleh	Art Room
L (3:15-3:59)	Jack Nasar, Jamie Yatcha, Harry Shomer, Osher Battat, Ralph Shalom	507
M (4:02-4:46)	Jack Avidan, Isaac Malakh, Elliot Shrem, David Zafarani, Raymond Horn	507
	Thursday 4/25
A (7:55-8:32)	Lorry Louzeh, Sarah Mamrout, Aliza Elias	507
B (8:35-9:12)	Liran Cohen, Jack Sardar, Abe Chabbott, Dennis Dayan, Ralph D Betesh	507
D (9:55-10:33)	Isaac Malakh, Elliot Shrem, David Zafarani, Jack Avidan, Raymond Horn	507
E  (10:36-11:20)	Yvette Torkieh, Sarine Dabbah, Adele Zaga, Aimee Barnathan	507
F (11:23-12:02)	Eli Mosseri, Ralph S. Betesh, Michael Massry, Ricky Cohen, Molly Azjenman, Devin Azjenman, Judy Chalou	507
G (12:05-12:42)	Sarah Louzia, Mary Chalou, Raquel Nahum, Eddie Mamiye, Ronnie Harari, Jack Chehebar, Joseph Grazi	507
I (1:26-2:04)	Esty Ammach, Shirley Srouko, Sharon Anobian, Florence Hassoun	507
K (2:28-3:12)	Jack Beyda, Charles Dana, Irving Kassin, Felix Zafarani, Victoria Zalta, Lorraine Franco, Victoria Shrem, Raquel Edery	507
M (4:02-4:46)	Esther Haser, Jennifer Tricot, Celia Cohen, Sylvia Schimel, Gitta Cohen	507
	Friday 4/26
A (7:45-8:20)	Jaclyn Douek, Debbie Chera, Sophia Cheika, Ashley Sklarz	507
B (8:20-9:08)	Ralph S. Shweky, Joseph Sasson, Joseph Beyda, Isaac Zaccai	507
D (9:49-10:24)	Leo Esses, Andrew Cohen, Joey Levy, Ralph D. Shamah, Cynthia Romano, Arielle Srour, Renee Katach, Jaclyn Alwaya	507
E  (10:27-11:02)	Daniel Sitt, Eddie Levy, Isaac Dayan, Eddie Rawas, Jack Sutton, Alice Khaski, Suzy Roubin, Berta Nuseiri	507
F (11:05-11:40)	Elliot Kassab, David Peretz, Joey Zaccai, Ralph D. Shweky	507
G (11:43-12:18)	Stella Sadaka, Shoshana Louzia, Claudette Yedid, Sarina Mamiye, Renee Shomer	507
Period	Monday, April 29th	Room
D (9:55-10:33)	Liran Cohen, Jack Sardar, Abe Chabbott, Dennis Dayan, Ralph D Betesh	507
	Elliot Kassab, David Peretz, Joey Zaccai, Ralph D. Shweky	504
	Victoria Zalta, Lorraine Franco, Victoria Shrem, Raquel Edery	503
	Cynthia Romano, Arielle Srour, Renee Katach, Jaclyn Alwaya	501
E  (10:36-11:20)	Jack Avidan, Isaac Malakh, Elliot Shrem, David Zafarani, Raymond Horn	507
	Stella Sadaka, Shoshana Louzia, Claudette Yedid, Sarina Mamiye, Renee Shomer	504
	Eddie Mamiye, Ronnie Harari, Jack Chehebar, Joseph Grazi	503
	Esther Haser, Jennifer Tricot, Celia Cohen, Sylvia Schimel, Gitta Cohen	501
F (11:23-12:02)	Yvette Torkieh, Sarine Dabbah, Adele Zaga, Aimee Barnathan	507
	Alice Khaski, Suzy Roubin, Berta Nuseiri	504
	Sarah Louzia, Mary Chalou, Raquel Nahum	503
	Jaclyn Douek, Debbie Chera, Sophia Cheika, Ashley Sklarz	501
G (12:05-12:42)	Rita Dabbah, Frieda Gindi, Rochelle Shriqui, Frieda Maleh	507
	Eli Mosseri, Ralph S. Betesh, Michael Massry, Ricky Cohen	504
	Molly Azjenman, Devin Azjenman, Judy Chalou	503
	Esty Ammach, Shirley Srouko, Sharon Anobian, Florence Hassoun	501
I (1:26-2:04)	Lorry Louzeh, Sarah Mamrout, Aliza Elias	507
		504
	Jack Beyda, Charles Dana, Irving Kassin, Felix Zafarani,	503
	Jack Nasar, Jamie Yatcha, Harry Shomer, Osher Battat, Ralph Shalom	501
L (3:15-3:59)		507
	Daniel Sitt, Eddie Levy, Isaac Dayan, Eddie Rawas, Jack Sutton,	504
	Leo Esses, Andrew Cohen, Joey Levy, Ralph D. Shamah	503
	Ralph S. Shweky, Joseph Sasson, Joseph Beyda, Isaac Zaccai	501

The Flame: Issue 10

Issue 10 -3

Scholarship Opportunity

Scholarship 47th District 2

Free SAT Access

Dear Parents of the Class of 2014 :

To help prepare our students for the SAT, we are working with the College Board — the maker of the test — to provide your child with free access to The Official SAT Online Course™. This one-year subscription gives your child unlimited access to one of the most effective SAT practice tools, featuring:

• 18 lessons with interactive activities

• 10 practice tests and over 600 practice questions — just like the ones they’ll see on test day

• Personalized score reports and detailed answer explanations — helping students understand where to focus additional study

• Sample essays written by students along with annotations

The Official SAT Online Course is available anytime, anywhere from any computer with Internet access, so your child can practice at a time that works best with his or her schedule.

We are pleased to give you this powerful resource, a $69.95 value, at no cost and hope that your child will take advantage of this important opportunity to get ready for the SAT.

A companion guide to the online course, The Official SAT Study Guide, can be purchased separately.

Sincerely,

Department of College Guidance
Magen David Yeshivah Celia Esses High School

Warriors' Week in Review

Dear Parents,

What a great week it has been at MDYHS!  It is a pleasure for me to share a glimpse of some of the wonderful programs and activities of the past few days with you.

On Monday, as a prelude to our celebration of Yom Ha'Asma'ut, we commemorated Israel's Memorial Day - a solemn recognition of those who have paid the ultimate price so that we could have our cherished State of Israel.  When Gilad Shalit's army unit visited us in October, they gave us a treasured gift - a song written in memory of their fallen friend, Hanan Barak, a hayal in the unit.  Two of our juniors, Avi Akibeh and Hannah Cohen helped to produce a video centered around this beautiful song.  All of the students had the privilege of seeing and hearing this heartrending tribute, followed by a riveting speech by Sergeant Benjamin Anthony, a machine-gunner in the IDF, and founder of Our Soldiers Speak.  Sergeant Anthony spoke of his experiences in battle, his abiding faith in HaShem, and his confidence in the perpetuity of 'Am Yisrael.  He charged our students to chase their dreams, to use their strengths and talents to change the world, and to protect our beloved homeland always - in whatever venue we find ourselves.  These powerful words touched the students so deeply that a parent wrote to me saying, "I heard about the amazing speaker today...my son cannot stop retelling me the stories he heard, and all the students had the same reaction...they were moved and inspired..."  Please see the attached photo from this poignant commemoration, all of which was supervised by our own Ms. Elyse Nadjar.

Following on the heels of Monday's moving tribute, our students celebrated Yom Ha'Asma'ut joyously on Tuesday.  We began with a festive all-school tefillah, followed by an inspirational speech by our esteemed Rosh Yeshivah,Rabbi Harold Sutton, on the power of unity and hope for the future as reflected in the State of Israel.  A delicious breakfast with spirited singing and dancing set the tone for the day.  During the morning, each class was assigned an important figure related to Israel's history - David Ben Gurion, Menachem Begin, Golda Meir, and a host of others - and the students were given an hour to use provided resource materials - to study the personality that was assigned to them, and then to present interactive exhibits to other students in the school.  All of the exhibits were judged by faculty members, and the winners were one of our 9th grade girls' classes - for their puppet show highlighting the life of Eliezer Ben Yehudah, and one of our 10th grade girls' classes - for their stirring exhibit on Ilan Ramon.  Please see the attached photos from this exciting day, all of whose activities were supervised by our own Ms. Audrey Nasar.

Yesterday, our entire 11th grade, under the leadership of Mrs. Debbie Solomon and Mr. Steve Harris, visited thecampuses of Baruch College and Brooklyn College, where the students were given special tours and learned about the admissions process, scholarship opportunities, the college experience as a whole, and Jewish life on campus.  The MDYHS delegation also toured the college libraries, saw student clubs in action, and had a chance to connect with the Hillel staff on campus.  What a wonderful way to experience a taste of the future in higher education!  (Please see the attached photo from this informative visit).

And while on the subject of a future in higher education, it is a joy for me to extend warm wishes of Mabrouk to the following students on their college admissions and prestigious award recognitions:

Jeff Grazi - New York City College of Technology
Benny Mann - New York State Comptroller's Student Achievement Award
Rosie Mosseri - New York State Comptroller's Student Achievement Award
Noy Yatcha - Brooklyn College

Great success in the area of college admissions does not happen by chance - it takes careful preparation and diligent work.  Toward that end, we have partnered with the College Board, producers of the SAT test, to provide free, unlimited access for all of our 11th grade students to the Official SAT Online Course - a one year program featuring interactive exercises, over 1,000 practice questions (exactly like the ones on the actual exam), personalized score reports, detailed answer explanations, and sample essays with annotation.  This is an invaluable resource to help students excel on this critical exam!  In addition, this coming Sunday we will be hosting approximately 30 of our juniors for the Princeton Review ACT Exam Diagnostic at the MDY elementary school.  This service, provided free to our students as a result of our partnership with Princeton Review, will inform each student whether he or she should expect to perform better on the SAT or the ACT, so that the student can strategize as to which exam to take for college admissions.  Also, please note that this coming Tuesday, we continue with the MDYHS SAT Workshop, under the direction of expert SAT coach Mrs. Sara Haleva, where students will focus on Critical Reading andWriting Skills.  Our students are working hard, taking advantage of these great opportunities, and I am confident that the results will be outstanding!

In yet another way that we assist our students to pursue and attain their dreams of excellence in college and beyond, I had the wonderful privilege, along with Dr. Abe Tawil, to visit with faculty and department directors at Columbia University this past week.  Two exciting developments emerged from our meetings: we discussed an arrangement whereby next year, b'ezrat HaShem, we hope to host 2 Columbia University Masters students one day a week for the fall term - they will be working on an educational project of our choosing in fulfillment of their own Masters program; and we will be sending a couple of our faculty next summer to Columbia's intensive two-week Summer Institute for professional development.  This partnership with Columbia is extraordinary, and of course, our students will be the proud beneficiaries of this arrangement.

As I mentioned in last week's letter, I plan to share some of the wonderful Senior Internship highlights with you each week.  This week, I would like to focus on Yoni Chaya, Helen Esses, and Sophia Dweck - all of whom are interning for Nina Ferrer.  Nina is a famous design architect, who was on the cast of HGTV's Design Star season five.  Our budding designers and artists, along with Nina Ferrer herself, met up with our own Jeffrey Dweck, when he conducted a site visit as part of his own internship.  Yoni is working on a major project; Helen is painting; and Sophia is working on interior designs - all the students love what they are doing, and Nina could not stop raving about our talented interns!  (Please see the attached photo from this great site visit).  While this was happening, across midtown Albert Manopla was building his future empire in the world of real estate.  Working for a realty company, Albert - all by himself - showed a potential client a commercial space, and found out hours later that the client put in an offer for the property!  Within a day, Albert worked his way into a meeting with the Operations President of Modell's Sporting Goods.  Albert and the president had a chance to talk and to get to know each other.  What great beginnings toward successful career pathways!

Our teachers continue to shine as leaders in the educational world at large.  Rabbi Michael Bitton, along with a few colleagues from other yeshivot, has organized JedCamp NY-NJ, which is scheduled to take place this coming Sunday.  This program will gather more than 100 educators from schools across the greater metropolitan area to discuss various pedagogical and EdTech issues.  At the same time, I was so happy and proud to see that our ownMs. Audrey Nasar was cited in the acknowledgements section of A History of the Jews of New York, published by NYU Press, for her valuable assistance in the author's work.  (Please see the attached photo of this citation).  And this coming Sunday, our own Rabbi Avner Bitton is to be feted as one of the honorees at the annual dinner of Yeshivat Torah Vodaath.  MDYHS faculty are awesome!

As we turn the corner of the spring semester, our Spanish Language & Literature students, under the leadership ofMrs. Leah Cymet, have produced their annual Spanish journal, Ideas - a beautiful bound volume of 64 pages that focuses on twentieth century Spanish and Mexican painters, and features articles, artwork, and original puzzles.  Our creative trilingual students have produced a masterpiece!  (Please see the attached photo of this exquisite work).

Finally, kudos to our powerhouse Junior Varsity College Bowl Team, under the direction of Mrs. Shuli Sharvit, for their victory over the team of Yeshiva of Flatbush in a close and exciting match.  Nissim Hazkour led the team to this glorious final competition for the season.  Go Warriors!

Sephadic Heritage Expo Update

Now that we are back into full swing, I want to remind you that the deadline for your Sephardic Heritage project is quickly approaching. You will be setting up your booths on April 29th- and so every aspect must be done by then. That includes:

• Photocopied hand-outs (like brochure, etc.)
• Interview (we will provide computers or ipads, if you don't have)
• Interactive presentation (you will have plenty of space- so think big!)

The project will be graded. The following elements will be calculated in your final grade:

• Outline
• Paper you submitted to your English teacher
• Group creative writing piece that was submitted to Ms. Nasar (all who submitted have received feedback and corrections)
• Interview
• Creative presentation at the booth

If you need an appointment with Ms. Nasar, you must respond to this email by Wednesday. If Ms. Nasar is arranging your interview, or your meetings with an art teacher, please respond to this email so we can set up times, etc. If I do not hear from a group, I will assume that you have every thing under control and will be completely ready by April 29th. 

Looking forward to the expo!

Save the Dates!

I hope all is well as the year continues.  One of the most critical focuses of high school education is the preparation for college and beyond.  Parents play a key role in helping to ensure success in this area.  Toward that end, we are most fortunate to have partnered with Dr. Susan Greenbaum, former Associate Dean at NYU's Stern School of Business, who will be leading 2 workshops specifically designed for parents, in May, on the College Admissions Process - what we can all do to make the process successful.  It is never too early or too late to get involved in this most valuable issue.  In that regard, I am writing to ask you to please save the date - May 6th for parents of entering 9th and 10th graders, and May 20th for parents of 11th and 12th graders.  Please see the attached flyer for details on the program.

Please note that due to the extreme importance of this issue, this program is mandatory for all parents of students who are enrolled for MDYHS is September.  We will be sending a reminder email as the dates approach.  Please feel free to be in touch with any questions or comments in the meantime.

Warriors' Week in Review

Dear Parents,

What an exciting week it has been at MDYHS!  It is a pleasure for me to share a glimpse of some of the wonderful programs and events of the past few days with you.

On Monday, our students, under the direction of Mrs. Esther Tokayer - ably assisted by Ms. Audrey Nasar and Ms. Sally Mishanieh - commemorated Yom HaShoah in a most meaningful and moving way.  The 9th and 10th graders visited three "stations" throughout the school.  In the first station, students received "pages of testimony" which described the experiences of various individuals during the Holocaust.  The students used this information to fill out "labor cards" and then attended an interactive lesson about the selection process used at the concentration camps.  After the lesson, students made oral presentations to their peers about the life of their assigned Holocaust victim, using the "labor card" as a guide.  At the second station, students saw a brief film about a Jewish man's narrow escape during the Shoah - this served as a trigger to discuss the kindness of Jews and non-Jews during this tragic period.  And in the third station, students saw a short film about Ilan Ramon, the Israeli astronaut who perished in the space shuttle Challenger - Ilan was a child of Holocaust survivors, who often spoke of the impact that the Shoah had on him in forming his life's dreams.  Each student had a chance to experience all three "stations."  The program was concluded with a presentation by Mrs. Dori Katz who told the riveted audience of students about her harrowing story - one which will be recounted in her forthcoming book Looking for Strangers: The True Story of my Hidden Wartime Childhood, to be published this fall by the University of Chicago Press.  Mrs. Katz then participated with MDYHS faculty in a candle lighting ceremony in memory of the Six Million, followed by a haunting prayer sung so beautifully by our own Rabbi Nir Shalom.  (Please see the attached photos from this powerful program).

While the 9th and 10 graders were here at school, the 11th graders, under the supervision of Mrs. Shara Netkin, visited the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.  The MDYHS delegation went in small groups - each with its own guide - to see the exhibits, and to hear from actual survivors who shared their experiences with our rapt students.  When these special tours were concluded many students commented about how they felt the deep responsibility to perpetuate the heroic and tragic stories that they heard so that we - and the world - will never forget.  The students also commented about how quite a few of the survivors carried with them a feeling of hope and optimism - and that those feelings were so inspirational to hear.  What a valuable lesson to draw from this moving trip!

This week saw the beginning of our wonderful Senior Internship Program, under the caring and creative direction ofMrs. Sabrina Maleh and the entire Internship Team.  Each week I hope to share one or two stories from the seniors' invaluable experiences as they go out to conquer the world.  This week's story focuses on two students - Michael Mamiye and Gloria Safdieh.  Michael is working for an equities company, and on the very first day, he was asked to accompany his supervisor on a trip to Maryland to view several properties.  All along the way, Michale absorbed the lessons of the financial world... so much so that upon his return to NY, Michael was asked to work on a property project which involves researching locations in a 6 block radius in Manhattan, taking pictures, noting details, inputting the data into a spreadsheet, and then reporting on his findings.  In his daily internship journal Michael related that within his first week at work he has learned that in order to really succeed, one needs to put in every ounce of effort and to persevere toward success.  Well said Michael!

While Michael was researching properties, Gloria was being trained at a New York publishing house on how to discern between quality manuscript submissions versus submissions that are below par.  She made such an impression on her supervisors, that within days they asked Gloria to read manuscripts and to be the first line at the company as to whether to accept the submissions that were sent in or not!  The next novel you read may well be a "Gloria Safdieh-approved" submission!  These, and other similar stories, prompted one parent to write to Mrs. Maleh about what the internship program has done for her daughter in just one day - "she has become independent...careful and responsible...she gives 110% to her job, and has gained tons of confidence...she is conscientious, and received a glowing report...I LOVE the internship program..."  What a great testimonial!

As our seniors begin to make an impact in their various career pathways, they continue to hear about college admissions and merit-based scholarship awards.  It is a joy to extend warm wishes of Mabrouk to the following students for their great new this week:

Joseph Abitbol - Baruch College, Brooklyn College, Hunter College
Linda Dayan - NY State Education Department Scholarship for Academic Excellence ($500)
Alicen Franco - LIM College
Esther Hanon - NY State Education Department Scholarship for Academic Excellence ($500)
Jen Jemal - Hunter College, Brooklyn College, Marymount College
Lisa Jrada - NY State Education Department Scholarship for Academic Excellence ($500)
Joseph Kassin - NY State Education Department Scholarship for Academic Excellence ($500)
David Sabbagh - Baruch College
Gloria Safdieh - NY State Education Department Scholarship for Academic Excellence ($1,500)

Achieving success and excellence finds meaning only when combined with beautiful middot - including a deep sense of appreciation for what one has been privileged to receive, and giving back to the community.  Toward that end, on Wednesday our students, under the guidance of Rabbi Joey Haber walked a couple of blocks from school to see a blossoming fruit tree, where they recited the special Birkat Ha-Ilanot - a blessing that expresses our appreciation toHaShem for the beauty and bounty found in nature.  (Please see the attached photos from this wonderful "excursion").  And on Wednesday as well, our students, under the direction of Ms. Elyse Nadjar, hosted a group of developmentally disabled youth from YACHAD for a Lunch & Learn program.  The group composed skits about Israel, using Hebrew idioms.  It was such a joy to see the shining smiles of all the students - the MDYHS students and the YACHAD students.  (Please see the attached photo from this special presentation).

Last week I wrote about Rabbi Michael Bitton's Young Pioneer Award given by the greater NY Jewish Education Project.  I invite you to see their announcement about the award (click here), which contains a wonderful paragraph about our illustrious Director of Educational Technology.  And in a related note, I am pleased to announce that our own librarian, Mrs. Bruchie Weinstein, ran a workshop yesterday entitled What Do Real Librarians Do in a Virtual World? for the Association of Jewish Libraries, held at the Ramaz School.  Once again, MDYHS faculty members are beacons for the larger educational world!

As we look to the week ahead, please note that this coming Tuesday's MDYHS SAT Workshop, under the direction of expert SAT coach Mrs. Sara Haleva will focus on Writing: Correlative Conjunctions, Parallel Structure, Illogical Comparisons, Noun Agreement, Modifying Phrases, and Diction, as well as on Math: Graphs, Charts, and Number Lines.  In addition, I was so happy to hear that our own Rabbi Elinatan Bitton conducts a weekly Torah class on Thursdays at 7:30 pm, at the MDY elementary school, where current MDYHS girls along with young women alumni learn and are inspired.  Women of all ages are invited to attend!

Finally, in the area of league competitions, I am happy to report that our Chess Team, under the leadership of Mr. Daniel Kamelhar, was victorious at their meet on Tuesday at North Shore Hebrew Academy.  Leo Esses, Yoni Hadar, and Ralph Shamah played exceptionally strong games.  Way to go MDYHS grandmasters!  (Please see the attached photo from this exciting tournament).  And congratulations to our Boys Varsity Soccer Team, under the supervision of coach Eddie Elbaz, on their recent overtime 2-1 win against the team of Ezra Academy.  Teddy Kassab and Liron Cohen led the Warriors to victory.

As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Saul Zucker

March/April

Dear Seniors....

Dear Seniors,

 

We need your cooperation with photos for the yearbook.

 

#1 - Need you to send in photos. As  you were notified, many of the photos you sent were TOO SMALL! Please send your photos ASAP to mdyphotos13@gmail.com

 

#2 - We need to take more group photos. I would like to schedule photos for on of the Fridays after your internship meetings. I have listed below the group photos that we have. If there are more clubs/teams that need to be included, please send me the name of the team and a list of the students so that we can schedule the photos within a week or so.

 

Thanks for your cooperation!

 

We have photos of the following:

 

Math Team

Book Club

College Bowl

Seniut Club

Shac

 

Seniors 2013

All boys

All girls

 

Bridge Girls

College Prep Boys

Girls Honors

Academy

College Prep Girls

Bridge boys

Honors Boy

 

 

Volleyball

JV Hockey

Varsity hockey

JV basketball

Varsity basketball

Varsity basketball

Girls basketball

 

Hazzanut

Boys Choir

Girls choir

 

Intel

Warriors' Week in Review

Dear Parents,

It is a pleasure to greet everyone as we emerge from Pesah - I hope that the holiday was a fulfilling and joyous one for you, with the opportunity to spend time with family and friends.  Although this school week was an extremely short one due to the holiday, there have been quite a few exciting developments at MDYHS, and it is an privilege to share some of them with you.

In an earlier letter I had written that our 11th grader Yoni Hadar was invited to participate in the annual New York City Science & Engineering Fair, held at the Museum of Natural History.  Just as Pesah was to begin, Yoni was informed that his presentation (a highly creative invention, designed to preserve the New York City subways and tunnels from flooding disasters in case of tragedies such as Hurricane Sandy) was awarded Second Place in the entire competition's Engineering Category, in addition to winning the Frank W. and Jane J. Stahl Memorial Award for Technical Excellence as well as the National Society of Professional Engineers' Innovative Engineering Award!!  One award would have been amazing - three awards are absolutely incredible!  We are so proud of Yoni's outstanding accomplishments!  (Please see the attached photos from this special event).  And in a related note, 10th grader Elliot Shrem was named a Semi-Finalist (1 of only 17) in the 2013 American Museum of Natural History's Young Naturalist Awards, for his project Evidence for Ice Age Rebound at Gerritsen Beach.  Both Yoni and Elliot, along with many of our students, have worked countless hours with Mr. Steven Kaye, Director of the Intel Science Talent Search at MDYHS, and their achievements reflect their own talent and devotion along with Mr. Kaye's dedication and careful nurturing.  Our young scientists and future engineers are flourishing at MDYHS!

Our students are not the only award winners at MDYHS - we were also thrilled to learn just before Pesah that Rabbi Michael Bitton, Director of Educational Technology at MDYHS, was named the winner of The Jewish Education Project (formerly the BJE of Greater NY) Young Pioneer Award for 2013 in the category of Day School Education.  This prestigious award seeks innovative educators from the entire greater NY area who have displayed a professional commitment to innovation, a proven use of educational technology, a history of motivating others to embrace new ideas, and a track record in designing educational initiatives.  There are five categories for this award - Early Childhood, Teen Education, Congregational Schools, Informal Education, and Day Schools - with one winner for each category.  This means that Rabbi Bitton has been uniquely recognized from among all of the yeshivah day school teachers in the entire NY area - for his outstanding work at MDYHS.  In addition to a grant as part of the award, Rabbi Bitton will be highlighted at a special reception on June 4th at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.  Of course, the ultimate beneficiaries of Rabbi Bitton's unparalleled talent and dedication are our own students and staff.

And while still on the topic of awards, recognition for outstanding work at MDYHS is not limited only to particular students and particular teachers - the school as a whole has been awarded the Legacy Heritage Foundation Challenge Grant.  In the notification we received over Pesah, we were told that "The Foundation was very impressed with the MDYHS application and we look forward to working with you..."  Part of the application for this grant included a video that 3 of our students, Leon Betesh, Jennifer Jemal, and Marc Sayegh, designed, produced, and starred in - about EdTech at MDYHS.  I am so proud of their wonderful achievement!

And speaking of pride in students' achievements, it continues to be an honor and a joy to extend warm wishes ofMabrouk to our students for their college admissions and merit-based scholarship awards.  We are so proud of you!

Nancy Anteby - Pratt Institute, with a Merit Scholarship of $11,000 per year for four years, for a total of $44,000
Eli Azrak - Yeshiva University
Marlene Braha - Pratt Institute, with a Merit Scholarship of $17,000 per year for four years for a total of $68,000, New York Institute of Technology, with a Merit Scholarship of $15,000 per year for four years, for a total of $60,000
Yvette Chaya - FIT, Brooklyn College, Hunter College
Esther Cohen - Brooklyn College
Rachel Cohen - Brooklyn College, Hunter College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
Alicen Franco - FIT, Brooklyn College, Hunter College
Gary Guindi - Brooklyn College, College of Staten Island
Lisa Jrada - NYU, with a Steinhardt Scholarship of $26,780 per year for four years, for a total of $107,120
David Maleh - Brooklyn College, Hunter College, City College, College of Staten Island
Carole Mizrahi - Baruch College, Brooklyn College, Hunter College
Laurie Mosseri - FIT, New York City College of Technology
Marc Saadia - Boston University School of Management, Northeastern University, SUNY Binghamton
David Sabbagh - Brooklyn College, Hunter College
Frieda Sabbagh - FIT, with a Presidential Scholarship of $500 per year for four years, for a total of $2,000, Baruch College, Brooklyn College, Queens College, Hunter College
Mosie Schrem - Cooper Union School of Civil Engineering
Sally Shrem - New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn College, City College
Linda Shamula - Brooklyn College
Sarah Srour - Brooklyn College
Abraham Tobias - Sophie Davis School of Biomedical Education
David Zami - New York City College of Technology, Brooklyn College, City College

And all of the results are not yet in - students are still receiving notifications, and I look forward to letting you know about the continued success of our young scholars over the next few weeks as well.

The continued success of our students extends beyond college admissions and merit-based awards - it goes to the heart of career pathways as well.  Today, a delegation of our juniors joined a group of Dr. Abe Tawil's Baruch College undergraduate class to visit AOL Headquarters in New York City.  Our students, along with Entrepreneurship teacher Mr. Joe Naftaly, were given a special tour of the executive offices, discussed the overall AOL business model with the company's leadership, and explored internship opportunities with AOL directors.  (Please see the attached photos from this exciting trip).

And on the theme of career pathways, our seniors are beginning their Internship Program, a crown jewel in the MDYHS program under the supervision of Mrs. Sabrina Maleh.  Yesterday and today, the formal orientation for our 12th graders began - in preparation for Monday, when 113 seniors in 45 different areas of interest begin their actual internship jobs, under the direction of 80 different employers.  The Orientation Sessions included presentations by Mrs. Maleh, Dr. Abe Tawil, Mr. Daniel Zide, and Mrs. Laurie Michaels on practical topics such asdeveloping a personal goal statement, writing an "Elevator Speech," what to expect on the first day, updating the resume, employer evaluations, and securing letters of recommendation.  Mr. David Loranger, the Director of Bergdorf Goodman's Menswear Division, spoke to the students about Dressing for Success at the Job, a seminar presentation that he delivers across the country at various college campuses.  Our young professionals, entrepreneurs, artists, and communal leaders are eager and prepared to tackle the world!  I look forward to sharing some of their wonderful experiences and triumphs with you over the next few weeks.

As we face the week ahead, please note that the MDYHS SAT Workshop - under the supervision of expert SAT coach Mrs. Sara Haleva - free to MDYHS students - continues its sessions this Tuesday evening, starting at 5:45 pm at the MDY elementary school with Math: Functions, Patterns & Combinations, and Critical Reading: Reading Comprehension Long Passages.  Take advantage of these fantastic coaching sessions for higher scores on the SAT!

Finally, I would like to share a brief story with you.  As I began writing this letter, one of the faculty members stopped by to ask what could I possibly be writing about - there were only one and a half days of school this week!?  When I responded by saying, "Well... there's Yoni Hadar's triple NYC science award, Rabbi Bitton's metro-NY-area educators' award, the Legacy Heritage Award to the school, the continuing outstanding college admissions and merit-based scholarships of our seniors, our students' trip to AOL headquarters, the Senior Internship Program...and more...," the faculty member paused for a second and then said, "Wow...MDYHS is such an awesome place!"  And she is so right - MDYHS is indeed so awesome!

As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!

Sincerely yours,

Rabbi Saul Zucker