Friday, Nov. 21, 2014
28th of Cheshvan 5775

  

 Parshat Toldot
Candle Lighting at 5:10 PM
 

The Jewish Response to Tragedy     

In the days following the horrific murders in Har Nof, it just doesn't seem right to to write a light-hearted introduction to this week's Highlites. What should our response be to these barbaric acts? The politicians, the army, and the police each have their own role. What is ours?  

 

In his essay "Kol Dodi Dofek," Rav Soloveitchik describes the Jewish response to tragedy. He explains that we are not to ask why but to ask what; not why do we deserve this, but what can I do now? The residents of Har Nof responded by showing what they could do now in the aftermath: Immediately after the massacre, they cleaned the shul to ensure that minyanim would continue as usual. The next day, they chartered buses and traveled to the Galil to show their respect at the funeral for Zidan Saif, the Druse policeman who sacrificed his life to save others.  

 

At WYHS, our students also responded by doing what they could do: On Tuesday afternoon the entire school davened mincha together and joined together in saying Tehillim. It was the most powerful mincha I have davened in years as we all felt supported by each other's intense feelings of grief, solidarity, and perseverance. On Wednesday, students dressed in blue and white to show their support for our brothers and sisters in Israel, and many of our students and alumni shared their thoughts in beautiful pieces of writing as they processed this awful and criminal tragedy. Please see the powerful piece below written by 11th grader Maya Borzak and published in the Times of Israel.  

 

As angry and sad as I am about the murders in Har Nof, I am excited to be going to Israel on Saturday night to visit our graduates studying there this year. I hope to share my Israel experiences with you in this space when I return.

 

Shabbat Shalom,


Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School 
Good and Welfare

Marriages

Ari Struhl ('09) to Shlomo Daniels

 


Engagements

Yocheved Tirschwell ('08) to Moshe Abrams

 

Zack Goldglantz ('10) to Shira Litchman

 

 

Condolences

Jackie Markovitch on the passing of his mother

 

Jay Bernten on the passing of his father

 

Steve Danis on the passing of his father 

  

Births

Lazer and Yehudis Steinberg (Halbstein '03) 

Coming Attractions

Wed. Nov. 26
Early Dismissal: 3:05

Nov 27- Dec 1
Thanksgiving Break

December 3
College Financial Aid Workshop

December 15
College 101 for Juniors and Parents 

Open House
WYHS Hosts Prospective Students and Parents to Learn about the Weinbaum Experience  

 
Graphic by Shara Saketkhou ('16)

        Click above to watch the Open House video           Click above to watch the Open House presentations
Bowling and Baking
Sophomores and Juniors Spend the Afternoon Giving Back 

Graphic by Ariel Schneider ('17)
Article by Matthew Samilow ('17)

On Wednesday afternoon the entire sophomore class travelled to JARC, an assisted living facility for adults with developmental disabilities. Students enjoyed meeting and conversing with JARC residents
before settling down to help them mix, knead, and braid their own challahs for Shabbat. Students were gratified to see the look of happiness and appreciation on the residents' faces. The sophomore class walked out of JARC with unforgettable memories.

 

Following the JARC visit, students boarded buses and headed down to Monster Mini Golf in Miramar. There, the class divided into groups of five or six and made their way through the glow-in-the-dark miniature golf course. After finishing the monster and trap-laden course, students sat down for a pizza dinner. The sophomores spent the rest of the evening challenging each other to air hockey and a variety of other arcade games before returning home with smiles on their faces.

 

Article by Efraim Shachter ('16)

 

Last Wednesday the junior class went to Strikes bowling alley to go bowling with members of JARC and Yachad. Bowling with our class was significantly enhanced by the smiling faces of the JARC and Yachad members.  After bowling, the juniors went to Sugar Sand Park where we enjoyed pizza, hanging out, and playing sports all together as group. All in all, the junior chesed day and night out was a fun and unifying experience for everyone who participated.

Keeping Students Safe
WYHS Students Hear from Panel of Experts about the Realities of Drugs and Alcohol
Graphic by Alex Factor ('16)
Article by Highlites Staff

 

On Tuesday November 13, WYHS hosted a Drug and Alcohol Awareness panel discussion. Members of the Palm Beach County Sheriff's office graciously agreed to spend the afternoon at WYHS to educate students about the effects and repercussions of drug and alcohol use. Students were enlightened by the expertise of drug enforcement officers, a narcotics agent, a criminal defense attorney, first responders, and a homicide detective.  

Thank you to Mrs. Nancy Frager for sponsoring and attending the program in loving memory of her son Steven, as well as her brother, Ron, for attending. 

Veterans Day
WYHS Students Hear About the Heroism of a Fallen Soldier
Standing Strong with Israel
WYHS Students Attend the AIPAC High School Summit 
Graphic by Aaron Senfeld ('15)
Article by Yael Frank ('16)
 

This week, I was privileged to be able to attend AIPAC's high school summit. Throughout the conference we were educated on the current issues facing Israel and how to take that information to our representatives in Congress and ask them for support on Israel-related legislation. We also learned how to combat false claims about Israel, especially on college campuses. The conference gave me an opportunity to express my love for Israel and take action. We visited Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen and expressed our gratitude for her support for Israel and urged her to continue supporting our homeland. This experience tauught me about the importance of lobbying and how one person can effect real change in the world. 

We Stand with Israel
WYHS Student and Alumna Speak Out in Response to the Tragic Terrorist Attack in Israel
By Kelley Tripp ('13)
I woke up today by the sound of my alarm. Didn't you? Or maybe it was your kids or the honk of the cars outside. But those who live in Har Nof woke up to the sound of gunshots. This past year I took the 74 bus to Har Nof every Tuesday to spend time at Shalva. The community, with yeshiva boys and deeply committed religious Jews, pizza shops, and a home for children with special needs, had a view that was breathtaking. Every time I got off the bus, I was amazed at that particular view of Eretz Yisrael... 
 
Click Here to Continue Reading Kelley Tripp's Article 
By Maya Borzak ('16)
I like my phone. I am a seventeen-year-old girl who grows restless throughout the day, antsy in my seat, perturbed by the monotony in classes and lectures. I reach for my phone occasionally -- scroll through social media, laugh at the latest Buzzfeed articles, text my camp friends. Although I like my phone, I am not attached to it like my peers and fellow teens of this 21st Century society. But today, that changed. Today, I do not like my phone. Today, I Hate my phone...


Click Here to Continue Reading Maya Borzak's Article 
Learning from Female Scholars
Mrs. Yehudit Goldberg Brander of GPATS
Speaks at WYHS
Graphic by Highlites Staff 
Article by Leora Kroll ('17)

 This Tuesday we had the pleasure of having Mrs. Yehudit Goldberg Brander, a member of the
Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Study (GPATS), speak in our Chumash class. She gave a fascinating class on the topic of "bat kol," the heavenly voice that appears several times throughout stories in the Talmud. Mrs. Goldberg Brander left us with the message that nowadays, in the absence of the bat kol, Hashem appears in different ways, including in the form of halacha, so while our relationship may be different, our connection with God is still very much there.

This Week in Pictures

Graphic by Dovi Teitlebaum ('16) and Alex Factor ('16)