Dvar Torah

HAFTR Happenings
Issue 17 Volume 4
Upcoming
HAFTR Early
Childhood and
Lower School
Tour Dates:
Tuesday 2/19.
If you have any
friends who would
like to learn more
about HAFTR and
may be interested
in joining us for a
tour or parlor
meeting, please
share these dates
with them.
For more
information please
contact Leslie Gang
at [email protected]
Mazal Tov
Mazal Tov Alana and
Isaac Schulman on
the birth of a baby girl
and Mazal Tov to big
sister Ruthie and big
brother Oliver.
Terumah
Candle Lighting 5:11 PM
Dvar Torah
Parshat Terumah:
Upping The Downs
By Rochelle Brand
Middle School Principal
In this week's parsha a great deal of detail is gone into in the
instructions for building the Mishkan. For its construction, Bnei
Yisrael were asked to voluntarily supply offerings of precious
metals, fabrics, skins, oils, wool, oil, spices, incense, and
precious stones. The Sanctuary consisted of the Outer Court
containing the Mizbeach (alter) for burnt offerings Kohanim
and the Tabernacle which was divided by a curtain into two
chambers. The outer chamber was called the Kodesh, into
which only the Kohanim could enter and perform sacred
duties. The inner chamber was called Kodesh Hakedoshim Holy of Holies - which only the Kohain Gadol entered and only
on Yom Kippur. The Holy of Holies contained the Aron. The
Aron (Ark) contained the two tablets inscribed with the Aseret
Hadibrot. It was from the Aron that Hashem, through Moshe,
revealed His commandments to Bnei Yisrael.
The following is based on the writings of Rabbi Mordechai Katz
, in his sefer, ‫ללמוד וללמד‬, to Learn and To Teach,
The central feature of the Mishkan was the Aron. Hashem
commanded that there be three such arks, one larger than the
other, with two made of gold and one made of wood. When
they were assembled, the wooden one was placed between the
gold ones, thereby being surrounded both inside and outside
by gold.
This arrangement provides an important lesson for us. Just as
the Ark was golden both inside and out, so too, every person
should be righteous both inwardly and outwardly. The Hebrew
pitgam exemplifying this is "‫"תוכו כברו‬. Instead of behaving
one way in public and another way in private, one should be
consistently virtuous at all times. There is an expression that
Upcoming
Events
this week:
PURIM
Sponsorship still
available!
Contact
Candice Feiler for
more information
[email protected].
is often heard "Practice what you Preach". If a person
wholeheartedly believes and acts in the way he/she would like
others to act he/she will be taken more seriously. This is a
serious injunction to parents and teachers alike. If we want
our children to be honest, kind, and charitable then we too
must act towards others in the same manner. After all, are we
not our children's role models for everything!?
It was said that when Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher,
was caught in a disreputable, inappropriate act, he said "Now I
am not Socrates the philosopher, I am Socrates the man".
This implies that he had a double standard for himself. How
different this is with the attitude of our Chachamim who
believed that although man is fallible one should always strive
to be just and righteous at all times.
I would like to put this in a different light as well...often we are
very good on the inside but our outsides do not always reflect
that. While amongst our own we are kind, charitable, good
natured, we must be doubly careful when we are on the
"outside" to behave in the same way. I try to teach the
children that if they are identifiably Jewish, be it a Kipa or a
HAFTR uniform, the way they behave to the shopkeepers, the
neighbors, at Bar and Bat Mitzvahs, should be reflection of
what truly good young men and women they are. Their
outside should reflect their inside- golden through and
through.
This then is the lesson of the triple layered Aron. We must
believe in what we do and we must do what we really believe.
In Masechet Yoma it is written "A Scholar who is not what he
appears to be is no scholar". At HAFTR , all of us , teachers,
parents and students have the potential to be Great Scholars.
Let our insides reflect our outsides and our outsides reflect
our insides.
Shabbat Shalom,
Rochelle Brand
Principal,
HAFTR MS
Sponsorships Available!
UPCOMING SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES:
Early Childhood:
Birthday Gift $25
Book-of-the-Month - $18
Shabbat Onegs $18
Lower School:
Mezuzot - $50 each
Author Visits - $100
Chesed Events - Grade 5 - $180
Hebrew Book of the Month - $18
Book of the Month - $15
$360 for the Lower School
Middle School:
Mishmar Sponsorship: please contact Rabbi Klapper at
[email protected]
Va"ani Tefilliti- Siddur Sponsorship ranging from $250 and up.
Please contact Rabbi Kupchik at [email protected]
Tree Leaf for Etz Hachayim. Please contact Dr. Brand
at [email protected]
SUNDAY MORNING MINYAN- $180-$250
High School:
The high school is trying to start a ping pong club, if anyone
would like to donate a new or used ping pong table please
contant [email protected].
If you are interested in sponsoring the above activities or
learning about additional opportunities, please e-mail
[email protected]
Early Childhood Highlights
This week started off with the celebration of Rosh Chodesh Adar. Our
four year olds joined their big sibs in the Lower School gym for a
performance of Schlock Rock. It was a toe-tapping/hand clapping
rollicking good time. In addition, they all got into the spirit of topsy-turvy
day with some very creative attire! The months are soaring by much too
quickly but you know what they say: Time flies when you have fun!!!
(Many thanks also to the PTA for the yummy Rosh Chodesh treats.)
In this week's parsha, Terumah, the children learned that even though B'nai Yisrael were
traveling in the desert, they needed a special place to symbolize Hashem's presence. They
learned how B'nai Yisrael worked together to create the Mishkan. It was a great lesson in
the importance of teamwork. Next week's parsha, Tetzaveh, teaches us about a Ner
Tamid. In the Midrash, we learn that the Ner Tamid was a symbol of Israel as a "light unto
the nations" - a nation with something important to teach the world. Our Morot agree that
teaching the parsha every week to such an enthralled audience reminds us that each of our
children is a light unto the world.
Our four year old children have been very busy with their unit on letters. This week, they
deliberated on the letter D while they devoured and dunked donuts
Health Month activities continued this week when all of the children were treated to a visit
by Stephen Wallach and the Hatzalah ambulance. We learned that sometimes there are
emergencies and we can always count on our friends at Hatzalah who will take very good
care of us. They loved looking inside the ambulance and seeing all the equipment. Thank
you to Mr. Wallach (and to Ruthie for lending us her Abba). Next week, our friend Otto the
Auto will join us and explain to all of the yeladim how to be safe inside a car and how to be
safe when crossing the street or playing in the park.
Now what would life be like in the Early Childhood if we didn't
bake? The children have made such healthy treats. The
children squeezed oranges to make delicious juice while
discussing how something can change from a solid to a liquid.
They also made pizza. When the children were asked if
anyone knew where cheese came from, one expert proudly
said, "the refrigerator"! Other classes made fruit kabobs, fruit
salads, apple muffins, and oatmeal crisps. Sorry to all the
bakeries on Central Avenue...we really gave you a run for
your money this week.
Last, but never least, our toddlers had a great time
experimenting with snow. When the children came to school
on Monday, snow filled our playground. We simply had no
choice but to bring the outdoors inside and the children had a
blizzard's worth of fun. All in a day's work...
Shabbat Shalom
Cyndy Goldberg
Early Childhood Director
Lower School Highlights
Rosh Chodesh Adar was ushered in along with School Spirit Day, A fabulous Shlock Rock
concert "rocked the house". Students sang and danced and really enjoyed themselves. At
davening, special tefillot were said and the PTA sponsored Rosh Chodesh treats. The day
continued with two student/faculty basketball games organized by spearheaded by our
Student Council. The girls' game took place in the new gym while the boys' game took
place in the old one. Classroom and specialty teachers from all grades played on the staff
teams. Students were rotated in as well, to enable everyone who wanted to participate, an
opportunity to play. All Lower School students cheered from the stands. The scores were
close and a fabulous time was had by all. The Student Council distributed water bottles
with the school logo as a keepsake. It certainly looks like we are off to a Chodesh Tov!
Health Week brought some important health practices and
issues to the attention of our students. The topic this year was,
Nutrition - ‫הזנה‬, and the parts of the Digestive System, ‫מערכת‬
‫העכול‬. Students learned about making healthy choices,
conducted scientific experiments to see which foods contained
the least amount of fat, and learned ‫אשר יצר‬. The hallways were
decorated with a nutrition game and the digestive system in
both Hebrew and English. Healthy snacks were provided by the
PTA. Parents who are health professionals visited classes to
talk about health related topics. Among our visitors were Dr.
Nathan, Dr. Kammerman, Mrs. Becker, and Hatzalah member,
Mr. Wallach. Warren Levi Karate shared their anti-bullying
message with students by using both mind and body
techniques to relax and defend oneself. The Student Council
sold fruit kabobs after lunch which seemed to be a refreshing
and tasty dessert. Thank you to Mrs. Debbie Baruch and her committee for cutting the
fruit and assisting the Student Council. Some additional Health Week activities will
continue next week. We hope that the lessons learned will continue to keep us healthy
throughout the year, ‫! לבריאות‬
Thank you to all the parents who attended this week's Parent Workshop with Ms. Hammer.
This month's topic was The Common Core State Standards. We look forward to seeing
parents at future workshops and at Parent/Teacher Conferences next month.
To make the Parshat Hashavua more comprehensible, Mrs. Lefkowitz's talmidot designed
the utensils of the mishkan using clay. First they studied the pesukim in Chumash and
then they looked at a virtual, interactive computer program about the mishkan. The girls
divided into groups and then created miniature replicas of the keilim.
The second semester of M.I. Time began for students in grades 3 through 5. Students
appreciate the many choices they had to choose from and are pleased to be with friends
from different classes. Fifth grade students are using their M.I. Time sessions to prepare
for Yom HaAtzmaut. Although Yom HaAtzmaut is not for another two months, the Bnot
Sherut expressed, "everything will turn out perfect," considering that "we already started
preparing."
The fifth grade students are planning a super exciting Purim Carnival scheduled on ‫שושן‬
‫פורים‬, Monday, February 25th. All students should come dressed in a Purim costume.
Costumes must include: Boys: tzitzit and kippot, Girls: skirts (skirts can be worn over
pants). No toy weapons permitted.
After-Purim Mishloach Manot Drive: Please send packaged, store-bought food, with a
reliable hechsher and place it in our bins located in front of our Education Office. The
treats will benefit the children of Ohel, JEP and Chai Lifeline.
There are two weeks left to the community-wide "Brachot Out Loud Contest." HAFTR
students are still participating and we are proud of those who say brachot out loud in
school and at home. Keep it up!
We are off to another great semester at HAFTR Hours. With activities such as jump rope,
drama and chess, enrollment is high and all the students are enjoying their classes. Thank
you Hindy Mizrahi for organizing HAFTR Hours.
Upcoming...
Tues., 2/19 K3, K4 Trip to the Panorama of New York at the Queens Museum
Tie Tuesday-Students can come dressed with a tie as an accessory to
their uniforms.
Wed., 2/20 K1, K2 Trip to the Panorama of New York at the Queens Museum
Glasses Day- Students can come dressed with fun glasses as an accessory
to their uniforms.
Thurs., 2/21 Taanit Esther-Friday Dismissal, Regular Lunch Program
Fri., 2/22
Hat Day- Students can come dressed with a fun hat as an accessory to
their uniforms.
Shabbat Shalom,
Joy Hammer
Lower School Principal
If you are interested in sponsoring the 4th Grade Evening celebration of the Arts and Yom
HaAtzmaut in April please contact Candice Feiler at the business office 516-569-3370 or
[email protected]
Middle School Highlights
On Wednesday, February 6th all sixth grade science classes participated in the "Little
Doctor's" program, sponsored by Long Island Blood Services. The program was presented
in conjunction with the PTA Sponsored Middle School Blood Drive, and included
discussions about circulation, the heart and blood components. Students enjoyed the fun,
interactive presentations coordinated by Claudia Hansen RN BSN and Mrs. Kevin. The sixth
graders were given an "Ask Ten People" take-home assignment to spread the word about
the critical need for blood donors at this time. The boys and girls were also encouraged to
volunteer on Wednesday, Feb. 13th at the 11th annual HAFTR Middle School Blood Drive.
Students assisted with donor registration and provide baby-sitting services to parents who
needed to bring young children when they donated. Did you know that 60% of New
Yorkers are eligible to donate blood but only 2% actually donate! We collected 41 pints of
blood. Each pint can be used for three infusions! Thank you to all who participated.
Our second annual Names Not Numbers Project is well underway. Twenty One HAFTR 8th
graders and Three Lawrence Middle School students were divided into groups of three and
four to interview and film the oral history of seven survivors. The students met in
advance with Mrs. Rinat Berko, our faculty advisor for the project, to prepare biographies
and background information so that they would be well informed when meeting the
survivors. Students will be editing their hour long videos and weaving the clips into a
cohesive documentary to be shown on May 7 th in the High School auditorium.
We are so proud of Allison (Ally) Polansky who was singled out by the Prudential Spirit of
Community Award program as being amongst the top 10% of all applicants from New York
State. Additionally , based on the number of volunteer hours completed by Allison, she
qualified for the President's Volunteer Service Award. This award recognizes Americans of
all ages who have volunteered significant amounts of time to serve their communities and
country. Way to go Ally!!!
Rabbi Dovid Kupchik, our Menahel, has been guiding our eighth grade students daily in
preparing their mitzvah fair projects. They are researching various mitzvoth, exploring
the texts and the current practices. A new component to the project is that all students
must incorporate an aspect of technology for their displays. Mark your calendars for
February 27thfor the Mitzvah Fair.
The 8th grade girls Chumash class has embarked on a new type of Chumash project. Mrs.
Sori Teitelbaum introduced them to a new technological idea for a "Chumash Test". She
showed them how to create digital posters and gave them their requirement for the "test"
and the girls jumped at the opportunity. They were assigned groups and created the most
creative, informative and enjoyable digital posters ever!
The girls enjoyed making the posters so much that when their social studies teacher
assigned a homework project, ON THEIR OWN they decided to use the tools they learned
from the Chumash project and created digital posters for this assignment as well.
We are so very proud of all these accomplishments
And talking about Pride in Accomplishments ... the following students received certificates
for achieving Honor Roll status by earning a 93 GPA
for the Fall 2012 semester.
Congratulations to:
6thGraders
Abigail Appel,Brandon Arfa, Sarah Austin, Margot Bokor, Olivia Gluck, Natan Goldschlag,
Ron Laniado, Jonah Levy, Jillian Mestel, Justin Moskowitz, Annabelle Muller, Noah
Nierenberg, Elliot Ottensoser, Ella Schwartz, Amanda Vaysman, Daniel Watman, Noah
Watman, and Benjamin Waxman.
7th Graders:
Grace Chabbott, Nicole Cohen,Celia Cohen, Adam Frenkel,Daniel Friedman,Carlie
Frucher,Regina
Generowicz,Leora
Gershkovich,Jake
Greenberg,Sarita
Heller,Erica
Hilsenrath,Miriam Kopyto, Drew Korn, Amanda Schorr, Kyle Seidel,Tamar Vandervelde
andShoshana Wallach.
8th Graders:
Aliza Butler,
Jordan Cohen, Ariel Fox,Natalie Freilich,Maxwell Greenstein,Arielle
Herman,Shelley Horowitz,Alison Kanefsky,Emily Kornblum, Israel Lallouz,Samantha
Lieberman,Hannah Mari,Lauren Melma,Jennifer Moskowitz,Deena Motechin,Menashe
Oved,Raquel
Wietschner,Arielle
Rothman,Perrin
Rudensky,Rachel
Sacks,Maia
Schlussel,Jeremy Schneider,Zachary Schwartz,Gabrielle Schwarz,Josef Silverstein,Justin
Zion and Sophie Zwiebel.
‫ משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה‬- This past Monday, Rosh Chodesh Adar, we began our Purim
festivities with a rousing shlock rock concert! Lenny Solomon, Mr. Shlock himself,
explained to the students how he got into the business and how his music is a part of his
avodat kodesh to bring young children closer to their heritage. The boys and girls were up
on their feet and singing alobg. It was a great way to begin celebrating.
This Thursday and Friday, our eighth graders participated in our first Shavuaton
coordinated by Rabbi Yitzie Klapper. Due to Hurricane Sandy we could not have our
traditional eighth grade shabbaton so instead we took the best aspects of the eighth grade
retreat, both educational and fun, and created a two day eighth grade experience.
Mazal Tov to Margot Bokor on Her Bat Mitzvah celebration.
Mazal Tov to Alexandra Zarka on her Bat Mitzvah celebration.
Shabbat Shalom
Rochelle Brand
Principal, MS
High School Highlights
Mock Trial Team Wins in First Round
The HAFTR High School Mock Trial team
won the first round of trials in the Nassau
County Supreme Court last Wednesday. It
was a job well done, thanks to our talented
student lawyers and witnesses. Our lawyers
were led by the team's captain, Michael
Sosnick, along with Co-captains Matthew
Goldstein and Samantha Lish, whose
arguments were clear, persuasive, and
strong. Our case could not have been won
without our feisty witnesses, Elliot Fuchs,
Sarah Fuchs, and Tara Seidel. As usual,
their tenacity and clever responses made
the judgment for this case simple: one in
favor of the plaintiff. The success of the
team could not have come without the guidance of our volunteer attorneys, Mr. Timothy
Kligannon and Mr. Michael Weinstock, along with the support of Ms. Lillien, the team's
faculty advisor. As we walked out of our second trial, we quickly regrouped and have
begun reviewing materials for our upcoming case this week. Best of luck to the entire
team, and congratulations on the successes to date.
HAFTR High School Takes Model UN
by Dena Gershkovich
On Super Bowl Sunday, ten HAFTR High School students
boarded the busses to Stamford, Connecticut,
representing the countries of Mongolia and Belgium. The
students joined representatives from other yeshiva high
schools at the Stamford Plaza Hotel and Conference
Center to partake in the 23rd annual YUNMUN (Yeshiva
University National Model United Nations) event. This
three-day program is a great opportunity for students to
learn about international diplomacy and foreign affairs.
After settling into the hotel, every student was given a
placard with the name of the country they represented.
Students then listened to informational speakers and, of
course, watched the Super Bowl. HAFTR students enjoyed
socializing with other students during this time, despite the competition going on. "I met a
really sweet girl, and I know we'll be friends forever," said Harlee Miller, a sophomore, of
her new friend from SAR.
Following the Super Bowl was the first committee session. Students were a little anxious
going into the session, but once it began the students were confident. "I was nervous to
speak in front of all these people," said sophomore Jessica Weinberg. "Once the program
began, I realized there was nothing to be afraid of."
On Monday, there were six committee sessions. Representing the views of Mongolia and
Belgium, HAFTR students were ready to debate and discuss various controversial issues,
including honor killing, child marriage, and counterfeit medicine. A few weeks prior to the
event, every student was assigned two topics to research and write about, so students
were well prepared in their arguments.
By the time day three arrived, students could not believe that it was already time for the
awards ceremony. YUNMUNhad been such a great experience! Aside from debating
important topics concerning foreign nations, and learning about the interdependency of
their countries, students made lasting friendships. "I had such a great time this year," said
Harlee Miller, "and I look forward to participating again next year!"
Ninth Grade Students and Parents Attend College Workshop
T he College Guidance Department, consisting of
Mrs. Joan Parmet (Director), Mrs. Karen Wolf
(Associate Director), Mrs. Susan Szaluta (College
Guidance Counselor), and Mrs. Arlette Miller (College
Guidance Assistant), gave an overview of the college
admissions process to ninth grade students and their
parents on Tuesday evening. The goal of the
workshop was to make students aware of what they
should be doing as freshmen to prepare academically
for college, as well as to ensure students are engaged in worthwhile extracurricular
activities in their areas of interest. Ms. Naomi Lippman, General Studies Principal,
welcomed the group to their first official college program. Rabbi Lewis Wienerkur,
Director of Boys' Israel Guidance, also gave the audience insight into the Israel
yeshiva/seminary admissions process. An interactive "GPA Game" was used as a way to
introduce families to the variety of factors used in college admissions. In addition to this
formal program, Mrs. Szaluta is working with small groups of freshmen to explain the
offerings of the college guidance office; these meetings will continue through the month of
February. We look forward to working with the ninth graders throughout their high school
career.
MSG Varsity "Challenge" TV Taping
Please watch the exciting episode of MSG Varsity's
television show "The Challenge," which the HAFTR
High School College Bowl team taped on February
11. The episode will air on Sunday, March 17, at
6:30 pm on Optimum Channel 14 or On Demand
Channel 614. Representing the team were Ben
Dubow, Chaviva Freedman, Austin Feit, Avery Feit,
Matthew Goldstein, and Jake Kaufman. Also,
please read Chaviva Freedman's articles in the
Nassau Herald about her experiences as a
contestant on "The Challenge." Molly Tomsky, a
reporter for the student newspaper The Tattler, will
also have an interesting article about our experiences in next week's "HAFTR
Happenings." Stay tuned for more information about the team's performance. Thank you
to our loyal fans, staff members, and family members who accompanied us on the trip.
This Week's College Acceptances
Congratulations to the following students on their college acceptances:
Alexandra Gluck on her acceptance to Albany University
Ashley Gluck on her acceptance to Bar Ilan University
In addition, City University of New York (CUNY) college acceptances are being released on
a rolling basis. When we have a final list of CUNY acceptances in the spring, we will
announce the decisions.
_______________________________________________________________________
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Visit the HAFTR Tattler Online at http://www.haftrtattler.com/
We are pleased to announce that our 35th Annual Dinner honoring Laura
& Yaron Kornblum,
Janine & Cal Nathan,
Gruss Life Monument Funds and
Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education
will be held on Sunday evening, March 10, 2013 at CitiField. We are
hoping that this year's campaign will be our most successful.
If you would like to help us make this a special night,
please contact [email protected].
We look forward to seeing you at what promises to be a fantastic
evening honoring these deserving awardees.
FTR Kippah's are here!
See Sharon Fried in the business office to purchase one today.
Click here to like Hillel on Facebook:
Lower School Sponsorship Opportunities:
Middle School Sponsorship Opportunities:
This newsletter is sponsored by:
Baystate Solar Energy
www.baystatesolarenergy.com
Vacation Apartments for Rent:
Two and Three Bedroom apartments available at the
Alexander in Miami Beach
and in
Rechavia, Jerusalem
for Yeshiva Break & Passover.
For more information:
visit www.horarentals.com or
e-mail: [email protected]
or call Mark Honigsfeld at
516-850-7006
If you are interested in sponsoring a newsletter to promote your business, honor a loved
one or a special occasion, please e-mail [email protected]
In response the Hurricane Sandy and the tragic effects in Bayswater, a free
children's clothing gemach has been opened.
They are in great need of new and/or gently used children's clothing from
size newborn through 12.
Email: [email protected]
Telephone: (603) 540-6826
If you are interested in sponsoring a newsletter to promote your business, honor a loved
one or a special occasion, please e-mail [email protected]
We are looking to keep our grandparents apprised of HAFTR Happenings please share this newsletter and email addresses with us.
Reuben Maron, Executive Director, [email protected]
Phone: 516-569-3370 · Fax: 516-569-5689
Email: [email protected] · Website: www.haftr.org
Early Childhood
Lower School
Middle School
High School
389 Central Ave
33 Washington Ave
44 Frost Lane
635 Central Ave
Lawrence, NY 11559
Lawrence, NY 11559
Lawrence, NY 11559
Cedarhurst, NY 11516
516-569-3659
516-569-3043
516-569-6352
516-569-3807