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Students arrived at the beautiful Bushkill Inn early Friday afternoon. After lunch, students enjoyed swimming in the indoor pool and playing sports. Before t’filah, students participated in exciting “pre-Shabbos ruach” and welcomed Shabbos with singing and dancing. The energy continued throughout davening and a musical Kabbalas Shabbos.

Bais Yaakov of Queens is still “flying high” with the memories of the recent two-week El Al PRayerlines Tefilah Program. It was an intense two weeks, where the girls were “elevated” to new “heights” in their level of t’filah to Hashem, through song, dance, drama, interactive lessons, food, and visual displays. The school building was transformed into an “airport” with creative and meaningful bulletin boards, signs, door messages, and an entrance lobby displaying airplanes flying overhead straight to the Shaarei Shamayim!

On Monday, February 13, Central seniors in the “From the Ashes” Holocaust education program had the privilege of visiting Washington, DC, for an educational and memorable trip. Participants in the program had been working diligently, meeting once a week with faculty advisor and Holocaust educator Rabbi Dr. Joshua Strulowitz, for both history of the Holocaust sessions and lessons on interview techniques.

Purim spirit was definitely in the air at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls the week of February 21. With a hilarious costume contest on Tuesday and a Dress Up Decades Day on Wednesday, SKA students proved they are extraordinarily creative. Contributing to the lighthearted festive atmosphere, several SKA faculty members dressed as they did in high school while many girls continued wearing Purim garb the rest of the week!

This past Motzaei Shabbos, MTA talmidim and parents converged on Washington Heights to enjoy an evening together with the MTA family. With delicious food provided by the local eateries, the night began with the opportunity to reconnect with friends from across the tri-state area. Then the crowd headed to the gym for dancing to the music of Baruch Levine. Rebbeim, talmidim, and their fathers danced around in exuberance to the songs of Adar and Purim, expressing their love and appreciation for a yeshiva that is and has been home to so many. The families then took seats as divrei Torah were shared by Menahel Rabbi Shimon Schenker and Senior Avi Cohen. After the inspirational words of Torah had been shared, the lights were shut and a heartfelt kumzits ensued. The room was filled with the beautiful sound of sincere song, as talmidim, parents, and rebbeim joined together in harmony. The night concluded with one last round of dancing, as the talmidim and their fathers kept the ruach going after the kumzits had officially come to a close. The Melave Malka was an unforgettable event highlighting the signature ruach for which MTA is known.

The challenge was clear, but the solution was not: Develop a technological answer to an African village’s poverty and lack of clean water.