Hadar Bet Yaakov Purim to Pesach

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Hadar Bet Yaakov marked Purim to Pesach with an array of programming highlights spanning classroom academics to whole school gatherings.  Chodesh Adar was filled with simcha from our dress-up themed week, to our celebratory Purim chagiga and a “WOW” visit from Rav Gav -where the entire student group and staff were blown away when the famous Rabbi Gavriel Friedman empowered us with his understanding of life as a series of choices that gives everyone the opportunity to uncover their own personal meaning and simcha.

We did follow-up Chodesh Adar activities that emphasized simcha and connectedness in our gala HBY Mother-Daughter Melave Malka where we bonded with our mothers creating beautiful artistic beaded salad spoons as well as going cheek to cheek with smiles for the camera with props and backgrounds in photo-booth pictures.  Girls also enjoyed Mishmeres’ thought-provoking activity where student groups played a question-answer game with a new twist of “webbing” all participants who offered “answers” and comments to questions posed.  It was an insightful look into the “webs” and bonds we create when we listen to each other’s responses and genuinely care about the words we say to each other.

HBY girls also proudly stepped up to chesed by assembling Chai-Lifeline shalach manos bags as well as joining a new tefilla group, Simchas Sara, where schools all over America are saying Tehillim for each other’s “names” of older single girls to become kallahs.   In blending community service with political awareness, our girls also enjoyed a visit from Assemblywoman Nily Rozic who shared her personal journey to a life of community service and leadership and led our own mini-town-hall meeting with HBY students who asked her questions and raised their own community concerns.  We also concluded our own HBY community Parenting Evenings with therapist Mrs. Chanie Delman who ran parent workshop and discussion groups throughout the year.

We segued to Chodesh Nissan with an explorative Yom Iyun hosted by Mrs. Simes and Mrs. Rambod who transformed us all into ship captains examining what it means to be “in charge of” and take ownership for our lives and life-choices.  Our girls then internalized that same message with Kodesh principal Mrs. Rambod’s inauguration of Chabura Lunches where girls flocked en-masse to lunch, read and discuss GPS Navigation for Your Soul, an English sefer devoted to personal growth.

Some academic highlights include the breakout event of our HBY Book Club led by students Odelya Yakubov, Sarah Davydov and Abigail Ustayeva who arranged an exciting “book-talk” lunch with pizza and a trivia game and Mrs. Kondov’s 11th grade “Anti-Semitism Projects” where students presented their own research on current bouts of anti-Jewish activities around the world in her Holocaust class.  Mrs. Friedman’s 9th graders concluded their read of John Steinbeck’s The Pearl with a debate where each side utilized the text to argue the characters’ responsibility for plot outcomes, Mrs. Grossman’s 11th grade picked parts in their reenactment of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and Mrs. Yakubov began her famous “culinary arts” class where girls began by learning how to pipe frosting into flowers and leaf-borders to decorate cakes.

As Pesach approached, Mrs. Rachel Adoniyahu came to speak to us about cultivating our own personal gifts to create a relationship with ourselves, each other and Hashem.  Our Honors Chumash class enjoyed a pre-Pesach chametz Chumash party, and Rabbi Bensoussan, HBY Halacha Teacher, created an “HBY Halacha Chat” for the whole school so students and staff could go into Pesach break knowing they were only a post away from answering any important halachic question about Pesach or any topic.  As girls did the final Pesach sweep before break, HBY GO girls passed out meaningful Pesach packets for everyone with recipes, divrei Torah and a collection of Seder activities for all ages to make table discussions meaningful and inspirational.  From Purim’s simcha to Pesach’s message of geula, our HBY students are constantly challenged to better themselves daily and live a life of growth through Torah.