A former Levine Academy student, Ben transferred to Yavneh, after starting his high school career at Plano's Shepton High School, longing for the Jewish environment he had become accustomed to.  "I've known a lot of my friends at Yavneh since I was two-years-old and I've enjoyed growing with them," said Ben.  "I feel extremely connected with my friends and I'm sure I'm going to keep in touch."   

 

"Beyond my friends and the connection to
my heritage, I also feel that at Yavneh I've been able to connect with all of my teachers and the administrators because of the student-to-faculty ratio," said Ben.  "Yavneh is extremely efficient with its teachings, taking advantage of every minute available.
A Yavneh student learns just as much secular studies as a public school child, if not more."

 

"Ben , Ben, Ben  - he was awesome in my Physics class," said Lourdes Linzey, who says she is now happy and honored to be his AP Chemistry teacher.  "He is amazing and loved by his peers because of his pleasant personality.  During demonstrations on projectile motion, the class enjoyed watching as you grab the banana from a hunter (me)!

 

"Ben is a great leader and a positive thinker," added Mrs. Linzey.   

 

Accepted to the University of Kansas and also applying to the universities of Michigan and Texas, as well as Tulane University, and Washington University in St. Louis, finding a university with a strong Jewish community is important.  With hopes of becoming an entrepreneur, we can look forward to his business acumen coming to the forefront.

 

"Ben is probably the softest spoken student ever elected to preside over the Student Council," said Rabbi Yaakov Tannenbaum, a member of our Judaic Studies faculty.  "He makes his points and carries the day with wit and wisdom instead of bombast and noise.  Ben is effective in debate and reliable in leadership positions because he is focused on the goals and dedicated to well-defined meaningful objectives."

 

"Ben has a keen intellectual acumen and he is a student that brings a smile to my face whenever I think of our classroom experiences. His infectious positive attitude touches and inspires others," said Rabbi Tannenbaum. "Together, we studied complex topics in Jewish Jurisprudence, we analyzed very subtle legal principles, and tried to make sense of them. It is Ben's unique ability to take the most abstract of concepts and make of them pragmatic and applicable rules. He has the analytical skills to deal with complex concepts and the common sense to extract from them the useful and the practical principles."

 

A Dallas native, Ben is the son of Diane and Louis and the brother of Nina, who joined Yavneh's Class of '08 on the March of the Living Tour.  A member of Congregation Ohev Shalom and Chabad of Dallas, Ben is also involved with Bnai Brith Youth Organization's Morton Lewis chapter #135.  He has worked at summer camps of Chabad JCC, Levine Academy, and Southern Methodist University, having learned that he enjoys teaching and playing with the youngest in our community.

 

An amateur magician, from the time he was six until his early teens, performing for events for friends and family as well as his synagogue - Ben still always seems to have "something up his sleeve!"

 

 

It's no magic that Ben, who has played on the Bulldog Boys Soccer team is currently a co-President of Yavneh's Student Council and a member of our school's Students4Students.  Banding organizations and academic priorities together is one of the tricks he hopes to master through Student Council this year.

 

"We have a really great community here at Yavneh and the Council wants to enhance that even moreso," said Ben.  "We want students to be even more open with each other, to have a voice with our faculty, to have dress-up days and pizza nights, and to communicate with our teachers so that schedules don't conflict too intensely.  I think it's important that the students be heard and I'm glad that I have the chance to represent."

 

Representing his in-Yavneh community now, with a future that is certain to represent far and wide in the future, Ben is sure to go far.

photo by Shanee Abouzaglo '14

Yavneh's Shabbatons create some of the most poignant and pleasant Yavneh memories with good food, ruach, learning, and bonding happens in a way that cannot be found only in a classroom. 

Last weekend's Shabbaton focused on the theme of chesed and how even small acts of kindness to the people around you can set into motion acts that can change the world.
"The Shabbaton was incredible this year with lots of singing sessions, a meaningful Havdalah, and getting to know each other," said Dalya Romaner, '14, recalling the girls stayed up Friday night talking and laughing into the morning hours. "I've never been able to bond with the rest of the girls in that way and it was really special. Even though this was my last Campus Shabbaton, I'm happy we were able to hang out and bond the way we did."

 Click here to enjoy this week's Dvar Torah
from Rabbi Meir Tannenbaum, Associate Principal/Judaic Curriculum

28  Gary Livingston    29   Jacob Herstein

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