Schools

There are many ways to celebrate a bas mitzvah. Some students in HALB’s sixth grade class have developed a new and unique program to make the bas mitzvah experience more meaningful for themselves and their parents. In order to refocus attention on core Jewish values, the girls came up with a number of ideas that developed into the Giveaway Pledge. First, the girls decided that to maximize impact, they would give up something in exchange for something that they felt was more meaningful. The participating girls have chosen not to give away party favors at their bas mitzvah party and, instead, the girls decided to give to others who are less fortunate. As a result, the girls are participating in numerous chesed projects throughout the year. Last, the girls would like to learn more about how to broadly change their communities. To this end, the girls are learning about philanthropy and will even create a formal board that will allocate charitable funds donated by an anonymous donor at the end of the school year.

It was another incredible Mishmar Madness at MTA on Thursday, December 19, with more than 200 talmidim participating! The evening began after regular Thursday night Mishmar, with chaburos led by YU talmidim and Seniors in MTA’s Julius Wrubel Beis Midrash Katan program, and an interactive and engaging shiur with Religious Guidance Coordinator and YU Rebbe Rabbi Aharon Ciment.

Yeshiva Tiferet Tzion (YTT) had its annual Open House Night on Tuesday, December 3.

At Bais Yaakov of Queens, the fifth graders are bringing Life Science to life! In an in-depth study of the body systems, they began with the respiratory and circulatory systems. Making the lessons relevant to themselves, the girls learned how to take their own heart rates. After engaging in intense physical exercise, such as playing tag and doing jumping jacks, they measured their heart rates again. Wow! Their heart rates were so much higher and their breathing rates increased! The girls were so excited! Shouts of “I feel it!” rang through the air.

On Wednesday, December 18, MTA’s Senior Yeshiva Fellowship Cohort and their Mashgiach, Rabbi Mendelson, visited the Beth Din of America, where they heard from active member Rabbi Shlomo Weissman. Rabbi Weissman explained everything the Beth Din of America does, including the three types of cases they hear: matrimonial, monetary, and proof of ancestry.

On Wednesday morning, December 4, Shevach High School’s debate team headed down to Bala Cynwyd, Philadelphia, for Kosloff Torah Academy’s second annual debate invitational. Before the debate meet, the Shevach team took a well-guided tour of Eastern State Penitentiary to learn about social and prison reform issues, past and present. The debate meet was scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and, by the end of the evening, the Shevach team had won three of the top awards.