CONTENTS

1. AFYBA 31st Annual Tribute Event
2. YBA-Naale Elite Academy Webinars
3. YBA Says "Kol Hakavod" to Staff
4. UBA Amana Student Wins National Bible Quiz
5. YBA Holon Student National Mathematics Champion
6. UBA Tzfira Achieves Highest Chemistry Scores
7. UBA Tzfira Students Take "Aliyah B'regel" Literally
8. UBA Mevaseret Baruch Dedicates Library
9. YBA TO"M Wins Beauty Prize

AFYBA 31ST ANNUAL TRIBUTE EVENT

          The American Friends of Yeshivot Bnei Akiva held its 31st Annual Tribute Event honoring Rabbi Zevulun Charlop and Rabbi Jonathan and Miriam Gross on March 17, 2010 at the New York Grand Hyatt Hotel. 250 guests, including many students, congregants and colleagues of the two rabbis, joined AFYBA supporters in expressing gratitude and wishing them a big Yasher Koach for their dedication in spreading the values of Ahavat Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and Torat Yisrael.

          Click here to view AFYBA's photo gallery of the event.

YBA-NAALE ELITE ACADEMY WEBINARS

          The first in a series of online recruitment "virtual open house" for the YBA-Naale Elite Academy program is scheduled for Sunday, April 18 at 2:30 p.m. EDST. Rabbi Yisrael Lifschitz, Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Ohel Shlomo in Beer Sheva, and Hadassah Kafka, head of the program at Ulpanat Segula in Kiryat Motzkin will broadcast live via the Internet from Israel. Prospective students and their parents will be able to question them about their schools and the program. Each school will accept only 25 students entering the 10th grade next year for this tuition-free high school program fully-funded by Israel's Ministry of Education.

            
 
          Click here to learn how you can participate in this and other upcoming YBA-Naale Elite Academy virtual open house events.

          For more information, or to arrange a meeting for perspective students in your community, please contact Rabbi Yoni Mozeson at 201-928-1819, rabbimozeson@afyba.org

YBA SAYS "KOL HAKAVOD" TO STAFF

          As part of marking its 70th anniversary year, Yeshivot Bnei Akiva in Israel held a festive event honoring the employees of all 63 schools in the network. YBA asked each school to nominate two staff members, one from the teaching staff and the other from the support staff, for "Worker of the Year" Awards. Judging from the biographical sketches of the nominees, YBA schools are blessed with an excess of talented and dedicated employees, who invest well beyond the call of duty to their institutions.
            Over 1,000 staff members and their families attended the awards ceremony held at Tel Aviv University, where each of the nominees were honored and nine of their colleagues were cited with Distinguished Service awards. Afterwards, the audience was treated to a performance by veteran Israeli singer and entertainer Yoram Gaon.

UBA AMANA STUDENT WINS NATIONAL BIBLE QUIZ

Or Ashuel with father

            Or Ashuel, an 11th grade student at Ulpanat Bnei Akiva Amana in Kfar Saba, took first place in this year's National Bible Quiz, earning a place in the International Bible Quiz to take place on Yom Ha'atzmaut. "Bible study is deeply rooted in my family, around the Shabbat table, on family outings, any time and any place," explained Or, responding to reporters' queries as to the secret of her success. "I also received a lot of support from the ulpana, especially from my Tanach teacher."
            Demonstrating the old axiom about the apple falling not far from the tree, 27 years ago Or's father, Shimon Ashuel, took second place in the International Bible Quiz. Ashuel senior is a graduate of YBA Or Etzion. Both Or and her father are hoping that she will best her father's achievement come Yom Ha'atzmaut.

YBA HOLON STUDENT NATIONAL MATHEMATICS CHAMPION

           Yanon Horesh, a 9th grade student at Yeshivat Bnei Akiva Holon surpassed 35,000 competing students to win this year's Israel Math Olympics, and took home a prize of 50,000 ILS. The accomplishment is even more impressive considering that all the five finalists with the exception of Yanon were 12th graders.

          In congratulating his star student, Rosh Yeshiva Itiel Bar Levi noted that despite being a relatively young yeshiva in a mostly working class suburb of Tel Aviv, YBA Holon has already developed two tracks for gifted students: the "Yagdil Torah" track in Talmud and Judaic studies, and the "Mofet" track for advanced college placement (AP) in math and sciences. It goes without saying that Yanon excels in both tracks.

UBA TZFIRA ACHIEVES HIGHEST CHEMISTRY SCORES

           According to recently released Ministry of Education statistics, Ulpanat Bnei Akiva Tzfira was Israel's highest ranked high school in Chemistry, with a score of 97.9. Rosh Ulpana Aharon Meirowitz, points to the studious atmosphere and dedicated staff as the source of the school's success. "Our staff's commitment and concern serves as a personal example that inspires and motivates our students to invest their best effort as well."
            "Believing in each student's ability is the key," says Yael Yerucham, the ulpana's Chemistry coordinator. "It starts with a pleasant and calm learning environment and personal attention to each student." She credits first and foremost the girls themselves. "Excelling in Chemistry requires a lot of hard work and concentration, sometimes even at the expense of free periods and vacation time. We are seeing a lot of success, not only in the sciences, but in teaching Jewish values as well."

UBA TZFIRA STUDENTS TAKE ALIYAH B'REGEL LITERALLY

           In the week leading up to the Passover holiday, 80 girls from Ulpanat Bnei Akiva Tzfira, located near Ben-Gurion Airport, trekked 60 kilometers in three days to reenact the pilgrimage to Jerusalem of ancient times on the three "Aliyah B'regel" holidays (shloshet haregalim): Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot.

           "We wanted the girls to feel a connection to both ancient and modern Jewish history," said Rosh Ulpana Rabbi Aharon Meirowitz, explaining the educational value of the field trip, "We stopped along the route to learn about ancient agricultural methods, laws pertaining to the Pesach sacrifice in the Holy Temple and the heavy sacrifice our soldiers paid to break the siege of Jerusalem in the 1948 War of Independence. We were able to teach Jewish values in a special way. The experience brought home to the girls our people's deep and eternal connection to Jerusalem."    

Click here to see an interactive map of YBA schools in Israel.

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Oz Ben-Shmuel
Director of Public Relations
oz@yba.org.il

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