8:44 Dvir Aminolar of Pisgat Zev tragically perished in the Gaza War in 2009. Dvir’s loss was devastating to his family. Yet the tragedy was rendered even more difficult because he was the lone son in a family of daughters — and his father had passed away only two years earlier. Before falling asleep one night, Dvir’s mother, Dalya, asked Hashem to give her a sign—a hug— from Dvir, so that she would know that in some way his death had meaning. A few days later, though depressed and not particularly fond of music, Dalya reluctantly accompanied one of her daughters to a concert where an angelic two-year-old boy approached her and touched her. A preschool teacher by profession, Dalya asked the boy his name. “Eshel,” was the reply. Two rows away, Eshel’s parents motioned for him to return to them, but Dalya motioned back that all was fine. Suddenly, Eshel told Dalya, “I have a brother named Dvir.” Shocked, Dalya walked up the two rows to Eshel’s parents and saw little Dvir in his carriage. “How old is your son? Was he born before the war or after? she breathlessly asked. “He is sixmonths-old and was born after the war,” the mother replied. “Why did you name him Dvir?” Dalya then asked. The baby’s mother responded: “I am an army officer and during the war I was helping wounded soldiers. Toward the end of my pregnancy the doctors feared that my baby was in jeopardy. When I heard that a solider, Dvir Aminolar, had been killed, I prayed to Hashem, ‘Hashem, if You grant me a healthy son I promise to name him Dvir in memory of the soldier who was killed and, thus, his life and legacy will live on.’” Speechless, Dalya composed herself and revealed that she is Dvir’s mother. Intuitively, with an inner understanding that only a mother can feel toward another mother in such pain, baby Dvir’s mother handed him to Dalya and said, “Dvir wants to give you a hug.” Through the great chasm of her loss, and the pain of her gaping wound, Dalya was comforted by the very sign she was searching for. In this week’s parsha we learn of the meraglim, the spies who went to scout out the land of Eretz Yisrael only to return with their negative assessment. Although their mission took place immediately after Miriam’s criticism of Moshe Rabbeinu—for which she was severely punished—the spies failed to learn the lesson of that incident. Soon after the tragic report of the spies, the repercussions of which we still suffer from today, a large assemblage of men, admitting that they had sinned, attempted to conquer the land, but it was too late. Moshe Rabbeinu warned: “Lama zeh atem ovrim es pi Hashem, Why do you transgress the word of G-d? You won’t succeed; Hashem is not in your midst.” The group defiantly ascended to take the land but were struck down by the Amalekites and Canannites, just as Moshe had warned them (14,40-45). They saw the signs from Above and heard the rebuke of Moshe Rabbeinu, and then it was too late. If we look for signs from above, we will find them and when we do, we should act upon them. Life is too short not to notice and not to listen. Have a wonderful Shabbos! JUNE 19 Yavne High School Graduation 8:00 p.m. • • • • • • JUNE 21 8th Grade Boys Graduation 8:00 p.m. • • • • • • JUNE 22 Last Day of School 12:00 Dismissal • • • • • • JULY 3 First Day of Camp STEP בס’’ד פרשת שלח | כ''ז סיון תשפ''ג | 2023, 16 June Only with Plaza! Leasing, Sales and Rentals simplified! All of your vehicle needs in one place! Call 216-707-9000 or email [email protected]
| | Yeshiva Ketana Junior High School The eighth grade Shabbaton, held at the Bertram Inn this past Shabbos, was a Shabbos to remember! The inspirational davening, the ruach-filled singing and dancing, the engaging learning during three sedarim, the delicious meals, the enjoyable camaraderie, the achdus engendered, the bonds established with Rabbeim, a game show, night swimming and a late night melave malka amounted to an all around remarkable experience. Thank You to Rabbi Kahn and all those whose efforts ensured its success. Mazel tov to our third grade talmidim who celebrated the completion of Sefer Bereishis last week. Each boy made a project on a specific shevet which were on display for the parents to view. Thank you to their dedicated Rebbeim: Rabbi Freundlich, Rabbi Matitia and Rabbi Ruck for helping our boys reach this milestone. Parents and grandparents were very impressed and happy to share this simcha with the boys. Mazel tov to all the talmidim in our after-school mishnayos program on completing their respective masechtos: Third grade talmidim completing Maseches Ta’anis with Rabbi Hillel Drazin; Fourth grade talmidim completing Maseches Chagigah with Rabbi Shneur Zalman Goldberg; fifth and sixth grade talmidim completing Maseches Shkalim with Rabbi Drazin. May you always have a strong desire to learn Toras Hashem and grow up to be true talmidei chachamim. Above: Rabbi Drazin and his talmidim celebrating their siyum of Maseches Pesachim at Kinneret Pizza. Mazel tov to Zevi Weiss on the momentous occasion of his siyum on the entire Seder Moed. He celebrated this amazing accomplishment with a seudah in his home with friends and family. May he continue to shteig in his learning and shine with his sterling middos. Mazel tov to Gavriel Klavan who recently made a siyum on Mishnayons Moed Katan in Rabbi A.L. Mann’s fourth grade. We congratulate Gavriel for this great accomplishment and may he continue to make many more siyumim, iyH.
| | Yavne High School Seniors are ending their High School years together with a burst of achdus and inspiration with Senior Trip, Senior Shabbaton and a week packed with Lishma classes featuring many chashuva speakers. They are well rehearsed and excited and anticipating a beautiful graduation ceremony on Monday evening. A special thank you to Mrs. Goldman for hosting our incredible Shabbaton, last week, right after accompanying the girls on their Senior Trip! General Studies June brought many opportunities for our students to display their talents, creativity and academic achievement. Our 9th graders presented their innovations at our annual STEM Showcase. Parents and community members had the opportunity to view the student’s PowerPoints outlining their research, procedures, coding flow chart and results as well as the prototypes they created using TinkerCad and a 3- D printer. Our 11th graders culminated a year long course on the Holocaust by presenting their capstone projects. The course, taught by Mrs. Dena Leah Rappaport, provides hashkafic background as well as historical details. The students presented in school last week and will present to the community on Monday (see attached flyer). The dramatic and moving projects were a creative display of their research project. One student commented how much she gained from researching and teaching her classmates an aspect of the Holocaust. Our recent graduate, Dina Rossman won, the International Synagogue High School Essay Contest. Mazel tov!
| | Girls Elementary One of our third grade highlights is mastering Shemone Esrei. This year, our third grade Moros added something extra special to their curriculum. The girls learn a beauƟful song with the meaning and translaƟon of Shemone Esrei — all throughout the year. On Tuesday, they presented an inspiring and hearƞelt performance on the meaning of this tefilla. The costumes, decor and magnificent slideshow added to this event and all in aƩendance walked away with a deeper appreciaƟon for davening. Thank you to our very dedicated third grade Moros, Miss Levin, Miss Libersohn and Miss Schneider for devoƟng their Ɵme toward this incredible performance. Thank you to Mrs. Sauber all your help. AŌer discussing the void that is created upon a gadol's passing, Miss Katz's class took it upon themselves to fill that hole with extra maasim tovim. The girls created a bein adam l'chaveiro challenge that focuses on a specific thing to work on each day. Upon compleƟng the day's challenge, the girls check off their necklaces and will receive a prize at the end - although the zechusim themselves are the real reward! At our final sixth grade Bas Mitzvah program, the girls were treated to a hands- on baking acƟvity. They all made their very own delicious babka for their families to enjoy l’kavod Shabbos. Thank you to Mrs. Aviva Kutoff for giving the girls this special experience. General Studies The Girls Elementary division enjoyed hosƟng the annual student Showcase Day where each grade level shared themaƟc projects portraying their hard work and learning outcomes. Grade 1 transformed into a Zoo where each student became an expert on a specific animal. Grade 2 morphed into various types of severe weather displays while ensuring their audience could be well prepared if disaster struck. Grade 3, which is known for welcoming new students and families, prepared pamphlets to welcome new families to Cleveland including the history of our school to modern day ameniƟes around Cleveland. Grade 4 Geographers adopted a state and shared interesƟng facts and resources about their state. ConƟnued on page 5
| | HAC Chinese Auction It was an inspiraƟon to see so many parents and supporters parƟcipate in the Virtual Chinese AucƟon in support of the Hebrew Academy. Thank you to all the individual and corporate sponsors who made it all possible, and to everyone who parƟcipated. A special thank you to the following people for their Ɵreless efforts which ensured the success of the Virtual AucƟon: Mrs. Chani Berner, Mrs. Sara Farkas, Mrs. Beth Kaliff, Mrs. Chaya Rochel Korn, Mrs. Tammy Post, Mrs. Debbie Schlesinger and Mrs. Yehudis Weiss. Thank you also to all the volunteers who assisted at our Grove event. Top Prize Winners are: Cantor Aaron Shifman (Dream VacaƟon); Mr. George Murray (Four Wheels); Mrs. Rella Morris (Split the Pot); Mrs. Elizabeth Evans (Jackpot); Mrs. Michele Weiss (Menorah); Mrs. Nechama Jacobovits (Scholarly Pursuit); Zevi Farkas (Silver Becher); Mrs. Gabriel Friedman (Sheitel). The Treat the Teacher prize was won by Rabbi Yitzchok Kahn (purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Josh Bookman in his honor). Girls Elementary (continued) Early Childhood This week, our remaining four- year-old classes celebrated their graduaƟons. Morah Feifer and Morah Giƫ’s kinderlach marched in excited and happy to be wearing their capes, Ɵes and bejeweled hats. Their program began with Morah Giƫ explaining their graduaƟon theme: Each child is a precious jewel to be treasured and cared for. The children sang songs and performed skits about shalom and seiver panim yafos. Morah Bluma, Morah Sarah and Morah Elle’s “bakers” marched onto the stage proudly wearing their chef’s hats and aprons. Their graduaƟon theme was “All the Ingredients for a Sweet Torah Life.” The children sang songs about the” ingredients” that are helping them to grow up to be “good and proud Jewish people!” Our three-year-old classes celebrated their י- Êא leƩer learning with a yummy ice cream party. Grade 5 quickly became entrepreneurs creaƟng their own businesses. Grade 6 shared invenƟons in addiƟon to creaƟng their own island including everything from economics, government, climate, to what life would be like in communiƟes on their island. We appreciated many parents sharing their aŌernoon in school and the teachers’ and students’ hard work to pull this off with limited space and construcƟon constraints!
Mazel tov! · Dr. & Dr. Michael Altose on the marriage of Batsheva to Eliyahu Dowek · Dr. & Mrs. Michael Harris and Mr. & Mrs. Grant Dinner on the marriage of Yakov & Emily · Rabbi & Mrs. Yossi Resnick on the birth of a daughter · Rabbi & Mrs. Akiva Udman on the birth of a son PTA Corner | | Hakaras hatov, graƟtude, is a foundaƟon of yiddishkeit and we were delighted to hold Teacher AppreciaƟon luncheons or dinners in every division this week. We thank the following dedicated individuals for stepping up to the plate to properly honor our heroes and heroines and to ensure the success of all the events: Mrs. Yocheved Neeland, Mrs. Chany Klein, Mrs. Malky Traube, Mrs. RuƟ Wolf, Mrs. Debbie Schlesinger, Mrs. Haddasah Rokowsky, Mrs. Perel Domb, Mrs. Becca Freiman, Mrs. Atara Reiss, Mrs. Chaya Roberts, Mrs. Etah Rais, Mrs. Batya Sussman, Mrs. Shana Goldberg, Mrs. Shirah Stern, Mrs. Elana Tenenbaum and Mrs. Rivki Silver. Thank you to our bakers who prepared gorgeous and delicious desserts! Mrs. Perel Domb, Mrs. Shifra Schnair and Shayna Schnair, Mrs. Rachel Covitch, Dr. Leonie Jacob, Mrs. Becky Goldzweig, Mrs. Tali Gelfand, Mrs. Elisheva Hoffman and Mrs. Shirah Stern. None of the events could take place without the incredible behind the scenes support. A special thank you to Mrs. Ranya Greenberger, Mr. Yisroel Freilich, Mr. Moshe Greenberg, Mr. David Wren, Rabbi Yechiel Friedman and their amazing staff.