Fourth-graders at Shulamith with their new sefarim
At the Shulamith Shabbaton
Shulamith students admiring model synagogues at the YU Museum
Gala Breakfast As Fourth-Graders Learn Yehoshua
On Thursday, November 5, the fourth-grade students of Shulamith School for Girls reached a milestone in their lives as they each received a brand-new SeferYehoshua.
To begin the celebration, Mrs. Joyce Yarmak, principal of the Lower Division, spoke to the girls about their mesorah. She emphasized that as bnotYisrael, they are fortunate to learn about and emulate the beautiful middot and life lessons from their parents and grandparents.
The girls’ knowledge of Jewish history was evident in the song they sang about KlalYisrael finally entering EretzYisrael after a 40-year delay, led by their new leader, Yehoshua, after the death of MosheRabbeinu. The girls sang about the inner strength Yehoshua would need to do what was required of him.
In addition to the singing, the enthusiastic girls played “EretzYisrael Bingo” and enjoyed a delicious array of cereals and cupcakes.
The divreiTorah, singing, and breakfast treats were all wonderful, but the highlight of the event was when Mrs. Yarmak and Morah Mindy Futersak called upon each talmidah to receive her Navi. As the girls begin to delve into the study of Navi, the Shulamith administration is certain that each precious talmidah will continue to give her parents and teachers much nachat. v
Third-Graders Gain New Appreciation Of Tefillah
Last week, the-third grade students of Shulamith School for Girls enjoyed a memorable outing to the YU Museum. The museum houses a variety of exhibits, but this trip’s focus was on tefillah and Jewish history.
Students were astounded by the exhibit called “Modeling the Synagogue.” They “oohed” and “aahed” over each of the ten carefully constructed models. From an ancient shul in Italy, to the Altneuschul in Prague, to Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, each model included intricate architectural details and was carefully constructed to mimic the original buildings, both inside and out. Seeing the shuls and a model of the BeitHaMikdash gave the girls the opportunity to reflect on the kedushah inherent in a shul and on the importance of tefillah. These messages were imparted by third-grade teachers Morah Penina Deutsch, Morah Lindsey Weinreich, and Morah Rivka Holzman.
The trip ended with the girls creating Mizrach signs on copper foil, which they will treasure as a reminder of how our tefillot are directed each day to the makomHaMikdash, where the Shechinah rests.
Thanks to the parent chaperones, Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Flaum, for joining the girls on this special excursion. v
Shulamith Shabbaton:
The Ties That Bind
The Shulamith Middle Division Shabbaton took place this past Shabbat, ParashatChayeiSarah, in Woodmere. The much-anticipated yearly event gives students and faculty members a chance to spend quality time together and to experience the peace, joy, and serenity of Shabbat b’achdut.
On Friday morning, exuberant seventh- and eighth-grade students arrived with luggage in tow. They created challah covers while their principal, Mrs. Rookie Billet, provided a brief orientation and overview of what to expect during the weekend. At 10:30, the Shabbaton heads, Sarah Leah Herman, Adina Lazar, and Kayla Wilamowsky, along with the decorating heads, Meira Max and Shirley Shayesteh, left school to set up the shul. Within a short time, the simcha room in Congregation Aish Kodesh had been completely transformed. The lavender and gray décor, including beautiful centerpieces, was perfect for the occasion.
On this “short Friday,” it was just a few hours later when faculty members and students began arriving at the shul, dressed in their Shabbat finery. Earlier in the week, tefillah leaders Shira Borochov, Rachee Ganchrow, and Yehudis Herschberg had reviewed KabbalatShabbat with their peers, which allowed everyone to appreciate the tefillot as they davened with the kehillah.
After davening, students headed to the simcha hall to enjoy a delicious seudah catered by Traditions. The evening’s activities included divreiTorah, a spirited kumzits, and a choir presentation headed by seventh-graders Ariella Borah and Priva Halpert. They were also privileged to hear spellbinding midrashim and stories about the Jewish city of Hebron and its heroes and heroines from Mrs. Leah Feinberg, parent of Shulamith sixth-grader Elisheva Feinberg and longtime Judaic Studies teacher in the Five Towns. The evening flew by, and before they knew it, it was 9 p.m. and parents were arriving to escort students to their hosts’ homes.
On Shabbat morning, students reconvened in the shul, where they davenedShacharit with the kehillah. After tefillah, they were joined by Rebbetzin Weinberger, who encouraged the girls to follow in the footsteps of our Imahot and shared details from the exalted life of Rebbetzin Henny Machlis, a paragon of chesed, who did just that.
The program continued with another delectable seudah, replete with lively singing and divreiTorah. The final guest speaker was Rabbi Shmuel Klammer, principal of Shulamith School for Girls of Brooklyn. Rabbi Klammer described individuals such as Thomas Edison, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Albert Einstein, who were told as youngsters that they were intellectually impaired, but did not accept those labels and went on to achieve greatness. Rabbi Klammer also told stories of gedolim and of the midrash, to inspire each student to always believe in herself and to strive to do her very best.
In the afternoon, students enjoyed some “downtime,” followed by seudahshlishit hosted by the Gerber, Brunner, and Schreier families. In the Gerber home, the eighth-graders enjoyed a hilarious skit written and produced by Miri Granik and Rachel Sandler.
To cap off their outstanding Shabbaton experience, the seventh- and eighth-graders were joined by the rest of the middle division for a gala melavehmalkah which took place on the Cedarhurst campus. First, students gathered in the spacious gym to watch the eighth-graders perform two dynamic dances, choreographed and led by Batya Altmark, Shoshana Hess, Tzipori Eichler, and Rachelle Gelbtuch. After the dance presentations, everyone headed to the newly repainted auditorium to experience the live game show. The student body was divided into two teams, Chayei and Sara, which competed against each other. Girls were called to the stage to answer questions in categories ranging from challah-baking to KeverRachel to Shulamith school trivia. The game was fast-paced, fun, and, at least some of the time, educational!
When the show was over, it was time to move once again, this time to the Lower Division lunchroom, which had been expertly decorated by melavehmalkah heads Adina Fiber, Perri Hirschel, and Sarah Miller, along with their many helpers. The striking color scheme of gold, black, and red was dramatic and eye-catching. The room was festooned with balloons and streamers, and a gold treasure chest filled with “jewels” graced the center of each table. The girls enjoyed some delicious pizza and jumbo black-and-white cookies, as well as a final d’var Torah about the concept of melavehmalkah. Everyone was grateful to Morah Chana Schwartz and Mrs. Rachel Steiner, student-activities coordinators, for all the hard work, originality, and diverse programming.