This past Wednesday, the WYHS freshmen went on a grade-wide field trip. After lunch, the boys went to Sky Zone Trampoline Park, while the girls went to Off The Wall Trampoline Park. The outing gave the ninth graders the opportunity to meet and spend time with other students--especially those who may not be in their classes--on the bus ride and at the trampoline parks. Both parks featured indoor trampolines divided into sections, offering basketball and dodgeball, trampoline style. The boys enjoyed dunking basketballs into a ten-foot hoop, while everyone had a great time flipping on the trampolines. The trips created an easygoing and playful atmosphere in which students could bond and have fun together. The fun did not end with Sky Zone and Off The Wall, but the experience was made even sweeter with ice cream upon our return to school. The trip was an overwhelming success!

Last Friday, WYHS had the unique opportunity to hear from Mrs. Esther Wachsman, the mother of Nachshon Wachsman, of blessed memory. Twenty years ago, at age 19, Nachshon was kidnapped and killed by Hamas terrorists. The story of the Wachsman family is one of perseverance and faith. Nachshon, who served in the elite commando unit of the Golani Brigade, came home after his year-long service in Lebanon and shortly thereafter was chosen to drive a special vehicle which required training in the north for one day. Nachshon went for the course, but did not come back that night. When it became known that Nachshon had been kidnapped, Mrs. Wachsman called Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin, spoke live on television, and brought together hundreds of thousands of Jews worldwide to unite in prayer; she also inspired women worldwide to light an extra Shabbat candle for her son. Nachshon's story is indeed all too similar to the stories of Gilad, Eyal, and Naftali from this summer. They are all stories of brutality and terror. However, they are also stories of achdut, unification.

Mrs. Wachsman reminded her WYHS audience that there is a certain quality that the Jewish people share when they face a hardship. "I am my brother's keeper" is a value that is held by every sect of Judaism, and seldom do we see it play out the way it did in these four boys' deaths. However, Mrs. Wachsman also presented an extension to this quality. The story did not end for her with the murder of her son--it continues even today as she raises funds for Beit Nachshon Center, part of Shalva (The Association for Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel), who helped care for her own mentally-challenged child as she went through the torment and uncertainty when Nachshon was missing. Mrs. Wachsman chose to live, and she chose to use her experience to make a positive impact on the world.