Dear Parents,
I hope that your Sukkot holiday was a pleasant one, and that you had the opportunity to enjoy time with family and friends. Once again, the school week was shortened due to the holidays - and yet there are so many exciting events and programs that took place over these 3 days - it is an honor to share a glimpse of some of them with you.
On Wednesday morning, our entire school had the rare privilege of welcoming Gilad Shalit and his entire army unit to MDYHS, which will be their home base over the next 10 days. At an indescribably moving assembly we had the chance to tell the IDF heroes how much they mean to us, and to present each of them with a gift from the school. We heard their heartfelt account of what they had endured - with a passionate message of hope for the future. Over the next week and a half, the soldiers will be spending much time at MDYHS, as well as visiting cultural places and participating in special events in the greater metropolitan area - all with MDYHS students as their guides, and they will be speaking at some other venues as well, courtesy of MDYHS. The entire trip was initiated, organized, and actualized by our very own Dr. Chagit Hadar, Hebrew Department Chairperson, and Ms. Elyse Nadjar, our Director of Hessed Activities. This is a truly awesome opportunity for our students to have contact with real heroes, and to appreciate what it means to have a strong commitment to the Jewish people and to Israel. Likewise, our students have already made an impression on the soldiers - more than a few of the soldiers told me how impressed they were with our students' compassion and middot. What a great life lesson for our student body!Just a couple of hours ago, as part of this amazing program, MDYHS hosted a panel discussion featuring Gilad's army unit, with select groups of students from 13 different guest schools in addition to our own elementary school (Bruriah High School, HAFTR High School, Hillel School, North Shore Hebrew Academy, Rambam Mesivta, SAR High School, SKA High School, Shulamith High School, Yeshiva of Flatbush, Barkai Yeshivah, Baruch College, Brooklyn College, and Columbia University). Students heard various accounts and perspectives from Gilad Shalit himself as well as the IDF team - the presentation was so moving, going from somber to poignant to amusing to celebratory. The entire audience were then divided into Breakout Session groups to work on a "case study" designed by our talented Jewish History Department Chairperson, Ms. Audrey Nasar. The dialogue between our own students and those of other high schools and colleges was lively, informed, and very sophisticated. (Please see the attached photos from Wednesday's and today's programs).
This afternoon, our winning Warriors Boys Varsity Basketball Team, under the great leadership of coach Ikey Dweck, will be going up against the IDF team at the MDY Elementary School at 1:55 pm. I asked our boys to please go easy on the soldiers' team - after all, they are our guests! Whatever the outcome, I am sure everyone will have a great time! I hope to share some more exciting elements of this entire program with you next week.
Amidst these wonderful events, I also had the opportunity to visit our own Dr. Abe Tawil's MDYHS college-credit Small Business Management course today. The students heard a wonderful seminar presentation by Mr. Inon Tagner, a senior member of Debate Company Ltd. Mr. Tagner delineated his unique methodology and approach to consulting with senior executives and front line business people. Students learned strategies for business communication, and from the way Mr. Tagner spoke about the students after the seminar, I believe he may have found some new proteges and future partners!
This week we finalized plans for the Annual Magen David Pre-Season Basketball Tournament, to begin this Monday, October 15th. Once again, we will be welcoming guest schools (DRS High School, Frisch, HAFTR High School, Hillel, MTA, North Shore Hebrew Academy, Ramaz, Rambam Mesivta, Ohr HaTorah, SAR High School, Torah Academy of Bergen County, YDE, and Yeshiva of Flatbush) in an event planned and coordinated by MDYHS. The entire tournament is under the direction of our wonderful Athletic Director, Mr. Jeff Bieder. And speaking of Jeff...
...I am pleased to announce that our very own Jeff Bieder has been selected by the Basketball Coaches Association of NY to be inducted in March 2013 into the NY State Basketball Hall of Fame! Jeff's outstanding talent over the years, along with his being a role model for sportsmanship and spirit, have earned him this prestigious recognition. Of course, the Coaches Association is just recognizing what we have known all along!
The idea that MDYHS faculty serve as meaningful role models to our students is one of the hallmarks of our beloved school. During Hol HaMo'ed, I was so proud to receive an email from Mr. Alan Cohen, father of our 2012 alumnus Max Cohen - who wrote, "I just wanted to share something with you which really gave me an amazing feeling last night, as well as solidified why I am thrilled my wife and I have had our children at MDYHS...Last night in my Sukkah, Rabbi Jacobsohn took time away from his schedule to come give a class to Max and his friends. It was an amazing class, and the warmth I felt from the Rabbi toward his former students and the same way they felt for him was something beautiful...The Rabbis from MDYHS are here for life...Our children will always have the connections with their Rabbis..." Max and his friends are so lucky to have Rabbi Jacobsohn, and he is so lucky to have them!
Finally, as I have written so often in the past, I believe that the greatest level of partnership between school and home is realized when we can all learn together. In that spirit, I invite you to come join me in a weekly class for parents at MDYHS - "Gaining a Better Understanding of Ourselves through a Better Understanding of Tefillah." Our discussion and analysis will take place, b'ezrat HaShem, on Thursday mornings from 11:30 - 12:20. I look forward to greeting you personally at this class, where we will explore the depth of meaning and vital relevance of our daily tefillot.
As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom and for a great week ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
