Parshat 

Tazria-Metzorah

Candle Lighting:

7:30 PM

Yom Ha'atzmaut Program

4/26

Junior Meeting:

Leadership Opportunities in Senior Year

5/2

College Fair

5/2 6:30 PM

 Freshman Shabbaton

5/4-5/5

Varsity Soccer @ Flatbush

4/26 7:30 PM

Tennis v. HAFTR @ NTC

4/26 6:00 PM

Softball @ SKA

4/27 2:00 PM

Hockey @ SAR

4/29 12:00 PM

Softball @ Westchester

4/30 6:15 PM

Varsity Soccer v. Flatbush @ Home

5/2 8:15 PM

JV Soccer v. Flatbush @ Home

5/2 7:15 PM

Tennis v. Magen David

5/2 7:30 PM

Softball @ Shalhevet

5/3 6:15 PM

Varsity and JV 

Soccer Practice

4/27 12:50-2:30 PM

Tennis Practice 

@ Alley Pond

4/27

Hockey Practice

5/1 5:20-7:20 PM

Play Practice

Magnolias Only

5/3 5:15-7:15 PM

Shifra Miller

4/26

Daniella Bressler

4/27

Daniella Elazar

5/2

Shayna Rabin

5/4

 A Message From the Head of School 

Dear Parents and Students,

The themes of the power of community and the responsibility of memory are always prominent at this time of year. Pesach connects the generations throughout Jewish History, the period of sefirah builds anticipation of our annual acceptance of Torah, Yom Hashoah and Yom Hazikaron bring forth the tears of sacrifice and the deep appreciation of a Jewish legacy, while Yom Ha'atzmaut in YUHSG converts those tears, memories and commitments to joyous celebration. Needless to say, to experience these values together in school exemplifies the value of a YUHSG education. On these days, in these ways, we fully embrace the values of living in a unique and kadosh community.

In the parshiot of Tazria-Metzorah, we find a host of descriptions and instructions relating to the separations required of those experiencing a state of tum'ah -        impurity. Often, many will translate tum'ah as an impurity emerging from disease or associated with lack of cleanliness. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch argues that these notions are not only erroneous, but miss the point entirely. While tzaraat appears like a skin disease and thus can give the impression of being caused by some natural malady, the symptoms and the designation of tzaraat are entirely different and point us to consider the lessons of belonging to a community.
The challenge of living a Torah life is primarily one that centers on how to bring holiness into the daily and mundane activities of our lives. Whether through Torah learning, kashrut, exercising ethical judgments or the general devotion to exploring the majesty of God's world, we aspire to reach new heights of holiness and to elevate ourselves and our world in the process. The descriptions in these parshiot of all these forms of separation should be understood as recognizing critical times when a break from this holiness-driven community is necessary. The sages have identified tzaraat as emerging from some form of slander, gossip or communal break of trust. While this form of broken trust has a direct parallel in the expectation of separation, the case of a new mother's separation inserts a new question. Why require the separation of one who is the active agent of building our community of increasing holiness and strengthening our bonds?

The coherent message in the Torah asserting a state of separation in these cases is that there are cases where a new status requires a person to separate in order to prepare for reintegration with the community - reunifying with the nation. This is true whether one has to separate in order to be ready to accept a diminished status, as is the case after childbirth (since the mother is no  longer in a creator state), or to repair a spiritual breach in their relation to God or the community, as is the case in tzaraat. In both cases, separation is preparation: an imposed temporary condition that mirrors the temporary condition of the individual. Women are not always able to be on that high level of sharing in the creation of man with Hashem and must return to the daily efforts of instilling their lives with holiness. This case is similar to a nazir who also needs to bring a korban chatat in order to go from a state of extreme holiness to a return to the community. On the other hand, someone who is afflicted with tzaraat needs separation in order to repair a spiritual breach that has separated him from the holiness of belonging to this special community.

May the special communal moments highlight our devotion to the sacredness of our communal bonds.

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbat,

Mrs. CB Neugroschl

Head of School

The YUHSG/AECOM Summer Internship Program, coordinated by Mrs. Ruth Fried and Dr. Ruth Freeman, AECOM professor of obstetrics and gynecology (and herself a Central graduate), affords our 10th grade Science Institute students the valuable opportunity to spend 7-8 weeks at Einstein and its affiliate medical labs and facilities. There, they are able to conduct  sophisticated research under the tutelage of experts in their fields. This coming summer, Michal Leibowitz has been assigned to the Montefiore Medical Center's IVF Hartsdale Infertility Unit to work with Dr. Sangita Jindal; Chaya Rosenblum has been placed with Dr. Allan Wolkoff, Chief of the Division of Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases; Rebecca Schiller has been assigned to the lab of Dr. Streamson Chua, whose specialty is diabetes research; Lily Ottensoser and Hilly Bachiry are scheduled to work with Dr. Gil Atzmon on the "Genetics of Longevity." (Dr. Atzmon's work has been described as "providing the foundation for the genetic approaches" of Einstein's Institute of Aging). Evelyn Abramson has been assigned to work with Dr. Freeman herself, who specializes in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Good luck to all our students on their exciting and challenging journeys to the "frontiers of science!"

This is a month filled with observance and commemoration,   celebration and solemnity... and our schedule of events reflects that awareness.  Our observance of Yom HaZikaron featured guest speaker IDF veteran Matthew Schwartz. A native of    Brooklyn and a graduate of YUHSB, Mr. Schwartz spent two years studying at Yeshivat Har Etzion and volunteered for service in the Israel Defense Forces, serving as a commander in the Givati Brigade. He returned to YU as a psychology major and Presidential Fellow.

 

The next day, our festive Yom Ha'atzmaut celebration featured falafel, hummus, and food for thought! The program began with Tefillah and Hallel, followed by a video about modern Israel's history and development. Then it was on to an impressive array of faculty presentations about such topics as "Women and Israel," "The Religious Significance of Medinat Yisrael," "Fourth of July vs. Yom Ha'atzmaut," "Land for Peace," "Where is Home?" "Rav Soloveitchik's View on Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut," "Stories of Sacrifice in the War of Independence," "Israel's Meaning for the American Jew," and more. A special guest speaker was Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, Director of the Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought at Yeshiva University. There was a "celebration of Israel through the arts," with performances by Stomp, our very own Israel "poetry slam," Daglanut, and an Israeli dance tutorial by Mrs. Bashiry and Mrs. Bennun. An Israeli-style lunch and a lively chagigah and sing-along rounded out the festivities. Chag Sameach!

The curriculum for Madame Nussbaum's French classes is known not only for its strong literary and linguistic content, but also for its savoir faire... and its elements of artistry, cultural awareness, and current events. This past week, in the context of Yom HaShoah, the students watched the noted French film Au Revoir Les Enfants, the famed director Louis Malle's Holocaust memoir. The current political situation in France is also on the agenda this week, with an explanation of the country's electoral process.

Yom HaZikaron was the focus this week in Mrs. Bennun's Ulpan class, with a selection of songs, poems, and prayers - ranging from Natan Alterman's "Magash Hekesef," to Sarit Hadad's "beautiful" rendition of the song "Shema Yisrael." The class even took a fresh look at "Kinat David," David's eulogy for Shaul and Yonatan. Video presentations transported the   students back in time to the UN Partition vote of 1947, and David Ben Gurion's declaration of the State of Israel.

The student research teams participating (and competing!) in the Urban Barcode Project ("using DNA barcoding to explore biodiversity in New York City"), met this week with Christine Marizzi, Ph.D., the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory DNA Learning Center West Manager for a workshop on the bioinformatics segment of their projects.