Dear Parents,
This past week at MDYHS has been packed with meaningful and memorable programs and events, and I am honored to share some of them with you.
Our seniors have been continuing in their Internship Program in full force. This week's highlighted senior intern is Shirley Harari. Shirley is working at a local school, helping developmentally disabled students with their occupational therapy, under the direction ofMrs. Mozelle Tobias. Mrs. Tobias shared with us that she has three interns under her supervision: a graduate student fulfilling a requirement for field work, a Macaulay Honors College senior, and Shirley - and that "Shirley has outshone them all is so many areas...her maturity far surpasses her years...in fact, my colleagues want to know where I found her." Shirley reflected on her experiences in one of her daily journal entries: "...now I realize and appreciate my life, my capabilities, my values, my religion, and my family and friends on a whole different level." We are so proud of Shirley's great, compassionate work, and the beautiful sentiment she has expressed about what that work means to her. As I mentioned last week, on Fridays the seniors regroup at MDYHS forAdvisory Seminars. Today's seminar theme was The Value of Networking. Students had the chance to learn specific networking strategies as they advance in their careers - in fulfillment of our own Dr. Abe Tawil's oft-repeated maxim, "It's not whom you know...it's who knows you!"
On Tuesday, our juniors had the opportunity to visit one of four college campuses - to learn about the admissions process, scholarship possibilities, the college experience, and Jewish life on campus. Students, under the supervision of Mrs. Debbie Solomon, Mr. Steve Harris, Mr. Daniel Zide, and Mrs. Natalie Greenberg, visited Hunter College, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, NYU - Poly, and Pace University, where they had special tours of the campuses, saw the libraries and laboratories, got a taste of student clubs, and connected with the Hillel staff. A similar trip has been planned for visits toBaruch College and Brooklyn College. At NYU, students participated in anEngineering Lab project. Our juniors were divided into groups, and each group built a running model car whose sole source of power was a mousetrap. The students commented on how wonderful it was to learn a sophisticated engineering lesson while participating in a valuable team-building exercise. (Please see the attached photo from these college visits). Look out - the world's future power-engineers are coming out of MDYHS!
MDYHS commemorated Israel's Memorial Day on Wednesday with a special program designed and led by Ms. Elyse Nadjar,with great assistance from Dr. Chagit Hadar. The theme of the program was a tribute to the fallen heroes of the IDF (Israel Defense Forces). In their homeroom classes, students read from biographies of soldiers who had died defending Israel, and then we all came together where we heard a presentation by Miki Mehuskin, a soldier who was assigned to an anti-terrorist unit. We were also privileged to hear from Coby Sabbagh, an MDYHS alumnus (2010), currently serving in the IDF. Coby introduced a tribute video depicting the tragic story of Michael Levin, a young American who moved to Israel, joined the army, and was killed in action. The program ended with a moving rendition of Kel Male' Rahamim and a prayer for the IDF, led by Rabbi Nir Shalom. (Please see photos and videos of this soul-stirring event at http://mdysouth.blogspot.com/, a beautiful website designed by our own Mrs. Ariella Falack). While there were few dry eyes in the house during this program, the students left with a wonderful sense of pride in our homeland and in the people that defend her. And - just as in Israel, where the Memorial commemorations lead into the joyous celebration of Yom HaAsma'ut...
...we at MDYHS took the inspiration from Wednesday's program as we sang and danced on Thursday, celebrating Israel's 64th birthday. The entire student body joined together for a festive minyan, followed by an meaningful speech given by our Rosh Yeshivah, Rabbi Harold Sutton. Students then partook of a delicious, special breakfast, followed by theruah of joyous dancing. The pinnacle of the celebration was the "Grade Wars" competition, where each grade was given a different theme: the 9th grade focused on the IDF; the 10th grade focused on Jerusalem; and the 11th grade focused on Aliyah. Teams competed in aScavenger Hunt, Cupcake Wars, Banner Competition, composition of an original song, video production, and the creation of an Israel timeline. Please see the attached photos from yesterday's fantastic program, designed and executed entirely by our own Ms. Audrey Nasar and Ms. Sally Mishanieh. The winning team was the 11th grade - but all the students agreed that the joy of the day made everyone a winner!
As we are well into the springtime, a new round of sports at MDYHS has begun. On Monday, our Boys Varsity Tennis Team, under the talented leadership of coach Eddie Elbaz, were victorious over the team of Rambam Mesivta by a score of 3-2. Star players included Aaron Harari, Eddie Nissim, and Jeffrey Dweck. On Tuesday, our Boys Varsity Softball Team, under the great leadership of coach David Shamah, defeated the Yeshiva of Flatbush team by a score of 10-2. Eddie Nissim was the winning pitcher, andMorris Dweck hit 2 out of 3, with a grand slam home run. And the Girls Volleyball Team, under the wonderful leadership of coach Karen Assis, were presented with a trophy for Second Place in the Yeshiva League fall season. (Please see the attached photo of our glorious girls' team). Go Warriors!
Finally, as we look ahead, it is my pleasure to let you know that our wonderful students will be participating in the annual YACHAD Shabbaton to be held tonight and tomorrow at the MDY elementary school. The warmth and hessed displayed by MDYHS students are legendary, and the YACHAD organization has told us how much they appreciate our students' care and compassion. Our students shine - not only in the classroom and not only in the venues of community service, but also on the stage - and it is in that spirit that I ask you to please reserve the evening of Wednesday, May 30th, when our Drama Societywill present its production of the play Heaven Can Wait. Details to follow...
As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
