November 11, 2016
10 Cheshvan 5777  


  

 
     Parshat Lech Lecha
Candle Lighting at 5:14 PM
 
Lech Lecha and Self Discovery
 
The first words of this week's parsha are puzzling. When God instructs Avram to go to Israel, He commands, "lech lecha." The second word seems extraneous. In modern Hebrew we would simply say "lech" -- "go."
What does the phrase "lech lecha" mean?

Ramban explains that this is just part of normal Biblical Hebrew and there is no significance to the double wording. The Malbim, however, interprets our pasuk differently: "lech lecha" means literally "go to yourself." In other words, "Leave your surroundings and go to a new place so that you will discover who you really are, what your essence is." Life in high school is essentially about the process of self discovery. Who am I and who do I want to be? How am I similar to my parents and how will I be different? High school is an opportunity to be like the Malbim's Avram - to "go and become yourself."

Implicit in this interpretation is the expectation that we should each respect the other's individuality. As acrimonious as the presidential campaign was, I am proud of the civility with which our students argued and debated the merits of the candidates and their positions. Respecting others' dignity while vigorously defending their own positions, our students fulfilled the expectation of the Malbim -- becoming themselves and recognizing the validity of others becoming their own selves as well.

Shabbat Shalom!

Sincerely,
Rabbi Jonathan Kroll
Head of School
Upcoming Events
Sun. Nov. 13
Open House
  
Wed. Nov. 16
Parent Teacher Conferences, Early Dismissal

Thurs. Nov. 17
Late Start (8:30AM) 
Writing Lab Opportunities
Need some community service hours? Looking to improve your writing? Want something awesome for your college resume? Look no more!
The KYHS Online Writing Lab is looking for peer editors to join the Writing Lab team! Think you have what it takes? Send us an email to writinglab@yeshivahs.org with the subject, "Peer Editor Application" and a short message about why you want to join the team (aside from the cookies we give out). Hope to hear from you soon!
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Decision 2016 
Students Respond to the Presidential Election Which Surprised the World
Graphic by Alec Gelman ('17)
Article by Max Wiederhorn ('18)

        November 9, 2016 will forever be remembered as an important day in our country's history. Early morning November 10 at approximately 2:30am Donald J. Trump shocked the world, and was elected the next president of the United States. Many were surprised by the results of the election, as Trump is the first U.S president to be elected without ever holding public office, or serving in our country's military; in addition, most polls had him trailing Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, in the days leading up to the election.

The students of Katz Yeshiva High School of South Florida had mixed reactions. According to the school's mock election results, Trump was favored among the students by a wide margin. Around 65% of the high school wanted Trump to win the election, compared to 23% who favored Clinton. Surprisingly, 12% of KYHS students favored third party candidates such as Gary Johnson and Jill Stein.

On Wednesday morning, many Trump supporters flooded the hall, and expressed their feelings about his victory. Avid Trump supporter Ethan Lam ('18) stated, "The results of the presidential election really pleased me and I am glad that Mr. Trump will be our 45th president. I believe if Secretary Clinton was elected president she would have raised taxes greatly and her support for Israel would have been strong, but not as strong as Trump. Trump bring back jobs, deal with the illegal immigration problem and keep our country safe from terrorist threats like ISIS." Others such as Zach Ben-Ezra ('18) were crestfallen by the election's results. In an email correspondence responding to my request for comment, he wrote, "It saddens me to think that the American people have elected someone to the highest position of leadership in this country, who viewed by many as a divisive figure. It is my hope that President-elect Trump can bring the country together as he spoke of doing in his victory speech."

The reaction of KYHS students mirrored the reaction of the American people as a whole. While some were happy and others were disappointed it is imperative for us to work together in order to unify our country, and support our president no matter our feelings towards him.
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Old Money   
Students Turn Back the Clock in Appreciation of
         The Great Gatsby           
Graphic by Ariel Schneider ('17)
Article by Sara Deichman ('19) 
 
"Can't repeat the past?..Why of course you can!"- The Great Gatsby

Last Friday in Mrs. Hochner's sophomore and junior English classes, we repeated the past and traveled back in time to the Jazz Age. After reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, we took part in Mrs. Hochner's annual Gatsby Day. We recreated the time of Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, and Daisy Buchanan. The students (and teacher) showed up in 1920's themed costumes, featuring a flapper dress and a tuxedo! It wouldn't have been complete without some Gatsby themed foods that we ate while watching the highly acclaimed movie. Our little trip back to the Roaring Twenties was time well spent as we showed our appreciation for The Great Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Two 
Coast to Coast 
Boys Go to Graceland and the Girls to 
Hollywood (California) for Basketball Competitions  
Graphic by Justin Isaacs ('19)  and Akiva Groman ('19) 
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Yad Vashem Comes to South Palm Beach County  
Seniors Participate in Program Marking the Anniversary            of Kristallnacht           
Graphic by Aaron Senfeld  ('17)
Article by Highlites Staff  
 
On Tuesday morning, KYHS seniors went to Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County to participate in a program commemorating the 78th anniversary of Kristallnacht. Students viewed an exhibit on loan from Yad Vashem, which depicted the chronology of the Holocaust. Dr. Leon Weissberg facilitated a group discussion focusing on our responsibility to keep the memory of the Holocaust alive, given the shrinking size of the survivor community and the increase in Holocaust deniers; it is incumbent upon us to be educated so we will able to refute the claims of deniers in the absence of survivors.
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This Week in Pictures 
 
 

The Yeshiva Highlites Staff