Dear Parents,
What an amazing week it has been at MDYHS - with a host of exciting programs and activities! It is an honor to share a glimpse of some of them with you.
Our Heritage Trip delegation of 26 students, led by Ms. Elyse Nadjar and Rabbi David Elnadav, traveled to Poland on Mosaei Shabbat. The group is in the midst of a most poignant and meaningful experience - one that will be memorable for a lifetime - as they see and feel the tragedy of the Holocaust reflected in the small villages and horrific concentration camps of Eastern Europe. The memories that stand out as the students travel, bond together, and feel the unity of K'lal Yisrael: taking a bus ride through the streets of Warsaw, seeing the remnants of the Warsaw Ghetto wall that still stand...seeing the train station from which Jews were taken to Treblinka...visiting the death camp of Majdanek and seeing the crowded bunks where inmates slept...the gas chambers...cages full of the shoes of victims...seeing a lone pile of ashes...visiting Yeshivat Hakhmei Lublin...hearing the life story of a Holocaust survivor from the survivor's own lips...visiting the shul of Zamosc, founded by Sephardic Jews...singing HaTikvah in the middle of a concentration camp...hearing from Paulina - a righteous gentile who risked her life to save Jewish children...seeing the famous Schindler factory from "Schindler's List"...Auschwitz...traveling from the depths and tragedy of Poland to the heights and joy of Israel, where our students will be for Shabbat. Students have written their thoughts during this trip - how they have come to appreciate the many gifts of everyday life, how they see that nothing should ever be taken for granted - and how they feel so tightly connected to the entire Jewish people. Please see the attached photos from this most meaningful trip.
At the same time, our Spain & Portugal delegation of 10 students, led by Ms. Audrey Nasar and Ms. Sally Mishanieh, traveled to Portugal on Sunday. They began their exciting tour of the roots of majestic Sephardic history and culture by a visit to the Shaare Tikvah shul in Lisbon, where they were honored by a visit from the chief rabbi who spoke of the community's vibrancy and history. Our group then walked through Alfama - the old city of Lisbon and into the Jewish Quarter, where they ended their tour by praying minhah in a 15th century synagogue. The next day was spent visiting Belmonte, where a large group of forcibly converted Jews have secretly maintained Jewish customs for over 500 years. From there, it was not far to the medieval Jewish quarter ofCastelo De Vida and a climb to the top of a giant fortress. On Tuesday, the MDYHS young ladies traveled to Madrid and then to Toledo, where they searched for hidden Jewish symbols in the remnants of one synagogue, and then read a perek of Tehillim from the walls of another synagogue. Back in Madrid, the delegation had the honor of meeting with the Chief Rabbi of Spain, who was inspiring with his beautiful d'var Torah and meaningful blessing. And yesterday, the group visited Segovia, where they saw the Roman aqueduct, the Jewish quarter, and the home of Abraham Seneor, a prominent Jew who served in the Spanish government during the Expulsion. Students have written their thoughts during this trip as well - how they feel pride for the greatness of Sephardic heritage and history, and how we cannot face the present or the future without a deep appreciation for our past - its beauty, its struggles, and its heroes. Please see the attached photos from this amazing trip.
Meanwhile...back on the home front, our EdTech program at MDYHS is growing by leaps and bounds. Teachers, under the direction of our EdTech Director Rabbi Michael Bitton, are implementing "flipped classroom" formats, where students independently research various materials online, often crafted in the most creative ways by the MDYHS teacher themselvess, and then discuss and analyze their research online - followed by a stimulating integration of this research and analysis - in the classroom with the teacher. I invite you to visit our own Mrs. Rebecca Cohen's wonderful online biology class forum at <mrscohen3.tumblr.com> to experience the amazing lessons that our students have been learning.
At the same time, I am pleased to let you know that Rabbi Bitton has taken the initiative, along with some other of his colleagues, to organize JEDCAMP - a conference for Jewish educators in the tri-state area to discuss and learn about the latest and best in online education. MDYHS faculty are leading the way into the future!
On Tuesday, we had the privilege of being visited by the Associate Provost of Brooklyn College. Dr. Sharona Levy met with the MDYHS administration to plan the expansion of CUNY credit courses at MDYHS for next year. We are looking forward to offering courses in graphic design, film, business marketing, public speaking, and classics, in addition to the host of CUNY credit courses we offer at present. This will further pave the way for success as our students go out into the world...
And speaking of going out into the world, the MDYHS Model UN delegation, led by our own Rabbi Avner Bitton, represented the country of New Zealand, as they interacted with students from 48 other Yeshivah High Schools from across the country over 3 days in Stamford, CT. Eddy Antar, Maurice Elbaz, and Albert Hamowy served on the committees for Nuclear Disarmament, Environmental Issues, and on the High Commission for Refugees. Our students came prepared, having done thorough research, and they drew high praises from the Model UN organizational faculty. Look out world of politics - MDYHS students are coming to help! (Please see the attached photos from the wonderful event).
This week we heard the great news of additional college admissions for our wonderful seniors. Mabrouk to the following students for their achievements:
Amin Adjmi - Pace University
Jason Balassiano - City Tech College
Leon Betesh - Baruch College
Marlene Braha - NYU; and NYIT, with a merit scholarship of $15,000 per year for four years, for a total of $60,000
Judah Djmal - CSI
Esther Hanon - CSI
Lisa Jrada - CSI
Rachel Naftali - Baruch College
Frieda Sabbagh - FIT
Frieda Shayek - LIM College
Further, an amazing 17 MDYHS students - due to their outstanding record and accomplishments - have been specially solicited by the administration of Baruch College to submit their requests for the Dean's Scholars Program (4 year full tuition scholarship, a MacBook computer, priority housing, priority registration, and a $1,300 grant to study abroad)! These invitations to request the scholarship are selective, and they reflect the high regard that the Baruch Scholars program has for MDYHS students. What a great testament to the accomplishment of our students!
Together with the development of the mind, the nurturing of the heart is so important in forming our next generation of leaders. Yesterday, our students had the fantastic experience of hearing a special concert by Yaakov Shwekey. In conjunction with the Cornman family's inspiration and dedication - in memory of Ezra Cornman, a"h - we heard the soul stirring and powerful songs of Yaakov Shwekey, as we were moved to sing and dance, and absorb the lessons of "Let it Go" and "Cry No More." The feelings of excitement and inspiration to live our lives on a higher plane were palpable throughout the entire concert! (Please see the attached photos from this great program).
Finally, I am so proud of the various teams of MDYHS who continue to bring glory and honor to our school. Our Boys Torah Bowl team, under the direction of Rabbi Jack Savdie, defeated the team of RAMAZ - with high scores by Joseph Kassin, Jack Nasar, and Davide Savdie. Our College Bowl team, under the direction of Mrs. Shuli Sharvit, and accompanied by Rabbi Benzion Scheinfeld, were victorious over the team of MTA by a score of 17-13. And our Girls Basketball Team, under the leadership of coach Barbara Franco, defeated the team of Shulamith High School by a score of 34-14, with Marilyn Tobiasscoring an amazing 27 points. The mighty Warriors are unstoppable! Look for all the news and events at MDYHS in the latest issue of our school newspaper The Flame, which comes out this week.
As always, please accept my warmest wishes for a Shabbat Shalom, a Hodesh Tov, and for a great week ahead!
Sincerely yours,
Rabbi Saul Zucker
