May 17, 2024

4th of Nissan

Volume 22 Issue 24

Parshat Emor

Candle Lighting 7:43

Graphic by Joshua Reich ('25)

Good and Welfare:

Births:

Shira Borzak (‘07) & Alex Eidman on the birth of a baby boy

Kayla (Bensmihen ‘19) and David Haskell on the birth of a baby girl, Rachel Talia

Caitlin (Schechter ‘12) and David Green on the birth of a baby boy, Shlomo Yekutiel/James Rowan

Bailey (Frohlich ‘16) and Joshua Wertenteil on the birth of a baby girl, Francesca Bessie (Frankie B)

Engagements:

Ellie Nagler (‘21) from Hollywood, FL to Yitzi Eisenberger (‘20) from North Miami Beach, FL - KYHS’s 24th Couple!

Ashira Meyerowitz (‘21) to Eli Lome (‘20) both from Boca Raton, FL - KYHS’s 25th couple!

Efraim Shachter (‘16) to Rivky Elberger from Elizabeth, NJ

Tamar Ciment (‘16) to Ayal Yakobe from Teaneck, NJ

Ty Kay’s (‘18) to Rivka BenNun from Cederhurst, NJ

Marriages:

Ari Clements (‘14) to Maayan Schmidt

Faculty Mazel Tovs:

Mazel Tov to Mrs. Kay on her son Ty Kay’s (‘18) recent engagement to Rivka BenNun from Cederhurst, NJ

Condolences:

Ruth Light Posner on the passing of her beloved father, Seymour Brief

Eli Amsalem & Eti Bazini on the passing of their beloved sister, Masudee bat Miriam 

Melissa Burger on the passing of her beloved father, Shmuel Siegel 

Steve Newman and Denise Snow on the passing of their beloved father, Sidney Newman 

Dror Ben-Aharon and Anat Goldstein on the passing of their beloved mother, Yehudit Ben-Aharon

Upcoming events:

May 24: Last Day of Classes

I recently heard someone compare the counting of days of Sefirat Ha’Omer to the counting of days since the war began on October 7. The similarities between the two counts had not occurred to me but the truth is I think there are lessons to be learned from the comparison. 

A countdown is very different from a “count up” in a few different ways: for starters, with a countdown there is an explicit end time, whereas with a standard count the end time is not obvious nor necessarily known. Additionally, with a countdown, we know how many days are left until the end but with a regular count, only the days that have elapsed are what is known. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, with a countdown, the end point will come with or without your count, but with a standard count, your counting is what brings about the awaited end. 

All three of these concepts are true both for Sefirat Ha’Omer as well as for the war in Israel. We have no idea when this war will end and our hostages will be returned (though we hope it will be immediately), but not a day (or even a moment) goes by that we do not think about it. So too with Sefirat Ha’Omer, we are counting towards Matan Torah but even the pesukim do not make it clear whether it is a 49 (שבע שבתות תמימות) or a 50 day count (תספרו חמישים יום). In line with this is the fact that we do not enumerate how much longer we have remaining, rather we count how many days have elapsed since we began counting. We know that it is the 24th day of the Omer and the 224th day of the war (Friday, May 17). We have counted each and every day and hopefully have grown incrementally each day that has passed…which brings us to the final idea of being a part of the count. Time moves forward whether we want it or not; it is up to us to take part in experiencing the passage of time by growing each day. None of us is the same person we were before Simchat Torah, each of us has committed ourselves to becoming better and doing more in the zchut of the safety of Klal Yisrael and the return of our hostages. Hopefully as we gear up toward Matan Torah we are also actively thinking about how to better ourselves before that auspicious day. 

This week was one of dichotomy. We began with Yom HaZikaron, remembering the (too) many people who died al kiddush Hashem for Israel. We heard from Arky Staiman, who taught us the many practical lessons that he learned thus far since counting up from October 7th. He had us in tears tempered with some laughter, encouraging personal growth throughout. The following day, we had a full day of celebrations and Israeli-themed activities to celebrate Israel’s 76th birthday, beginning with a heartfelt speech from alum Maccabee Benjamin (‘23), a lone soldier currently serving in the IDF. It is important for us to recognize that our joy and celebration for having the land of Israel is predicated on those who were מוסר נפש for it. We as humans have the capacity to feel two opposing emotions at the same time, which is exactly what we have during Sefirat Ha’Omer as well. Sefirah is naturally a happy period full of excitement and anticipation. It is described as our engagement period with Hashem looking forward to our wedding ceremony, so to speak, at Har Sinai. Historically however, this time period was struck with terrible tragedy when Rabbi Akiva’s 24,000 students died for not showing respect to one another. This mourning period was superimposed onto what should be celebratory days. We have to harness the sadness into action and let it propel us to work on ourselves, which will in turn prepare us for Matan Torah. 

May our counting of the war in Israel end immediately so that we will be able to celebrate Shavuot completely without dichotomy. 

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Zisquit



Arky's Missions For You:

Inspiration From Actual Missions in Gaza

Graphic by Highlites Staff

This past week, KYHS students commemorated the significant day of Yom HaZikaron with an assembly to honor the fallen soldiers who dedicated their lives to the State of Israel. Yom HaZikaron is a day of deep reflection and collective mourning, highlighting the price of Israel's independence and the ongoing struggle for peace and security. KYHS students and staff had the privilege to hear from Arky Staiman, a current IDF soldier who shared his experience serving in the IDF before and after October 7th. Arky's role in the army is to retrieve fallen soldiers and return them home to their families for a proper Jewish burial. Despite his difficult experiences, Arky was strikingly positive and inspired the students of KYHS to apply his positive outlook to their lives. 

Arky shared his Yom HaZikaron experience in the army. He told the audience that on Yom HaZikaron in Israel, each soldier stands by a fallen soldier's grave in Har Hertzel and salutes them to show their respect. He shared a personal story of standing at the grave of a soldier who had fallen in the Yom Kippur War. The older woman beside him rested her head on his shoulder as she cried. She was the fallen soldier's mother, and she thanked Arky for paying his respect. As Arky reflected on his Yom HaZikaron experience in the war, KYHS students had the privilege of seeing a closer glimpse of what it means to serve in the IDF. As KYHS students mourned the loss of life and the sacrifices that were made, they were reminded to honor those who once fought for the State of Israel.

Arky Staiman Instagram

Stand With Us Instagram

Article by Lauren Tabbouche ('25)

 Yom HaAtzma’ut

Israel celebrated its 76th birthday

Graphic by Ezra Dimont ('25)

This past Tuesday, we celebrated Yom HaAtzma’ut, marking Israel’s 76th birthday. Yom HaAtzma’ut is a day on which we as Jews celebrate the establishment of our State of Israel. After the Holocaust, Jews needed a safe place to go where they could start their lives fresh and rebuild their families. Of course, our hearts were already in our homeland of Israel. Once officially recognized as a real state by the rest of the world, we were able to live freely in our homeland. The land of Israel connects us to our history, and we are fortunate to have the ability to visit holy sites and walk on the same ground as our ancestors did 3000 years ago. The independence of Israel allows us to feel physically and spiritually connected to our heritage. On this day, we are celebrating our gift of the land that God gave to Avraham Avinu and to the Jewish nation. 

Our school day began with festivity in the air, as students entered the school in blue and white outfits and draped in Israeli flags to show their pride. After a beautiful davening, Maccabi Benjamin (‘23), a KYHS alumnus, shared with us his experiences so far in the Israeli army, fighting for our people. Then, everyone joined together for the chagigah, singing and dancing in unison.

Throughout the day, shiurim were given by our teachers and rabbis, sharing insightful knowledge about Yom HaAtzma’ut and its effect on us this year. A chidon took place, giving each student the chance to learn about Israeli culture. We had amazing instructors teach us krav maga, the girls participated in jewelry decorating, and everyone played sports in the gym and on the field. To end our day, we had the final raffle of the year.

Yom HaAtzma’ut at KYHS is a tremendous celebration and we are so lucky to be together to commemorate the important holiday that is still significant to us today. 

Article by Rachel Rosenhouse ('27)

Yom HaShoah

A Day of Holocaust Remembrance

Graphic by Joshua Reich ('25)

Last Monday was Holocaust remembrance day, also known as Yom HaShoah. On this day, the student body gathered in the Beit Midrash and took part in a program to remember the horrific atrocities that took place during the Holocaust. The program concluded with a song named Shema Yisroel, which comforted all of KYHS by reminding us that “When you feel pain, when you rejoice, know how [Hashem] longs to hear your voice.” This is the type of advice that everyone needs and an idea which students and faculty took to their hearts since it explains that Hashem is always by someone's side even in the darkest of times. It is so amazing that through all the hardship and adversity that we, the Jewish people, have faced over thousands of years, we have overcome and are now stronger than ever because of that. 

This program was not simply just to remember the Holocaust, but to show that we are proud of who we are and that we should retell the story so history never repeats itself. This idea is more important now than ever because of the war in Israel, where it seems that history is repeating itself. This is something no one ever imagined would happen again, but it is, and it is beyond scary. Therefore, we must continue to remember the atrocities that took place during the Holocaust in order to prevent history from repeating itself. This means we should remain as one unified Jewish nation to stop the war going on in Israel since October 7th and use our past to make us stronger, allowing us to overcome adversity when faced with it.



Article by Avi Harris ('26)

Antisemitism on College Campuses

Anita Zucker hosted a Webinar for Jewish Students on College Campuses on how to combat Antisemitism

Graphic by Esti Distenfeld ('26)

As antisemitic protests escalate on college campuses, graduating seniors from Katz Yeshiva High School have to consider and comprehend all their options when applying for college or university. This past week, Anita Zucker hosted a webinar to discuss how to combat these protests and what to look for in a secular environment for college. Mrs. Zucker is the chair of the Inter-technology group in Charleston North Carolina, an University of Florida alumni, and now serves on their distinguished board of trustees. Mrs. Zucker graciously answered questions about combating antisemitism from a leaders perspective and how students and parents could get involved. 

The first question of the webinar asked to Mrs. Zucker was: Why do you do what you do? What is your inspiration? 

Mrs. Zucker was quick to answer so passionately and said that her inspiration stemmed from her parents who were holocaust survivors. She advocates to never forget the astrocytes by going to different schools and teaching about it in classrooms. 

“I am talking to people about my parents' story because I think it is important for young people to understand the scope of what happened so many years ago.” 

Being educated is like a toolbox to know who they are and where they come from. 

Second question asked to Mrs. Zucker: What are the topics that trustees grapple with when discussing these things? How do you make these decisions? 

She responded at first saying that UF is lucky to not have to make these decisions but we have brought in the chief of police to meetings. Although Florida has seen some protests, and still can give an uneasy feeling the police chief is terrific. The police have been given very clear orders on how to handle this situation. There have been nine people already arrested on UF from their forms of protesting. The situation is under control because the president is tough. 

“I think it is all about how the police have been instructed. How the president has instructed their faculties. If they don’t use their strength then they lose control.” 

Our president has been trying to show support as much as possible. We had nine camps however they were shut down immediately. We deserve to know what’s going on in the school as trustees. The presidents from other universities haven’t been tough. 

Is there any insight on how to get parents involved or a message to them? 

There is a document called the Anti- Defamation League, which is essentially a questionnaire with answers for Jewish students to ask when considering a university. It is a list of eleven questions about counteracting antisemitism and how they define it. Mrs. Zucker continued to proudly state UF’s fifty year old Jewish college major and in Charleston’s, where she is originally from, forty year old Jewish college major. The ADL also sends out weekly campus reports about the protests and other important happenings. 

What's the most productive way to respond to the demands of the protesters? 

UF has not been asked to divest but asked about others like fossil fuels. If the colleges don’t understand what they’re invested in it's not so easy to divest for their endowment pay. But as for the others they’re not really invested in much monetary in Israel and if the boards don’t take action and give in they’re going to stomp all over the place! 

Question from current college student: Why do you think some presidents have been unwilling to take a stand and enforce their policies? 

Ben Sasse is a former senator and it's all about education and that has given us a leg up. These other presidents let it go right away and that was a mistake. I don’t know why they are weak. These people don’t have a strong conviction of antisemitism and Jewish students. My board chair is Persian Egyptian but he is Ok, he looked at me and said did you know? There are 10,000 Jewish students on campus? He’s good and educated. 

“I feel lucky that I am a part of a campus like that.”

Article by Gabriella Asher ('25)