Yom Yerushalayim from Paramus to Lake George!

Our 8th grade students studied the five Aliyot to Israel and the establishment of the Zionist movement. They learned about the political and historical motivations behind each Aliya, their achievements and failures, and their respective role in establishing today's Medinat Yisrael. They learned about the historical events and Jewish leaders that lead our nation to build a Jewish state in Eretz Israel. To conclude the topic, each student chose an historical topic or person, they researched that topic, and then presented it through a poster or digital presentation.

Watch the students, currently on their 8th grade trip in Lake George, celebrating Yom Yerushalayim with singing around the bonfire.

Debate Win!! - Rabbi Jeremy Hellman

Yesterday Chana (7th grade) won first place speaker and Chana  and Temira (7th grade) won 3rd place pair. The debate was at Flatbush with Noam, HAFTR, Yavneh, and Flatbush participating. The topic was on banning the death penalty.

Tikkun Leil Shavuot Program

Magna Tile Math! - Mrs. Jessie Tabak 6B Math

Perimeter.  Area.  Volume.  Boring?  Not when Magna Tiles are involved!  In our 6th grade math class, the students built shapes with specific dimensions to show their mastery of the material.  

 

 

HOPE Update

In our last session on Friday, we were thrilled to welcome CB Neugroschl from Shirat Devorah, and Rochel Mendlowitz from Chai Lifeline, accompanied by Dena, a volunteer, and Malki, a ‘Cancer Warrior.’ 

 

Mrs. Neugroschl helped the H.O.P.E. participants understand what it could feel like for someone to have difficulty speaking, as often happens at the onset of ALS by having a couple students try speaking after stuffing their mouths with marshmallows.  She shared about starting Shirat Devorah after the diagnosis of her sister in law.  In the first year of their founding, they have raised $250,000.00 and spent $100,000.00 supporting families with ALS and research.  They hope the funds from H.O.P.E. will continue to further their reach.

 

Mrs. Mendlowitz from Chai Lifeline spoke about the reach of Chai Lifeline in New Jersey, and the detail that they pay to those they help.  They are much more than just visiting people in the hospital- for example, they helped siblings of a child with cancer shop for Purim costumes and deliver Mishloach manot on Purim.  The Kidz Konnect program for which they are seeking funding helps siblings of children with life threatening illnesses in a unique after school program, allowing kids experiencing similar personal events to spend time together having dinner, creating art, and just being together. 

 

Dena, the volunteer who came for Chai Lifeline, shared how much she gets out of volunteering- she runs the Chanukah Toy Drive, visits people in the hospital, and tutors Malki at home as she is still immunosuppressed after her fight with Leukemia.  Malki, just celebrating her 5^th birthday the day before, gave a poised and poignant presentation about her experience with Chai Lifeline, sharing with us photos of herself when she had no hair due to her chemotherapy.  We sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Malki!

 

The H.O.P.E. participants were very engaged by both presentations, and know they have a tough decision in front of them!

 

Daniel Rothner
Founder & Director
Areyvut, Inc.

Yachad Leadership Shabbaton by Sruli (8th Grade Participant)

Each year we are honored to host a Yachad shabbaton with our 8th grade.  The shabbaton has 80 of our students and about 100 Yachad members and advisors.  It is always a powerful, meaningful experience for our 8th graders.  This year, Yachad hosted a leadership shabbaton.  Four of our students were honored to be asked to attend.  Below is what one student reflected and wrote about his experience: 

Last Shabbos was definitely the most memorable Shabbos of my life. I went on a Yachad shabbaton with 3 of my classmates. I got up there afraid of meeting new kids and dealing with the kids who were blessed to be part of Yachad. As the Shabbos went on, I met many kids, 8th graders, as well as Yachad members. I learned that Yachad members are just like us just need more patience. We played a game to teach us how it feels to have a disability. I learned so much from this game. I learned, It’s very frustrating when somebody is pronouncing everything when they are talking to you, it’s annoying when somebody talks to you as if you are 2 even though you’re really 14. It’s important to treat them as if they weren’t blessed with a disability.  I was speaking with a member from senior Yachad, and it taught me that they think just like us. Even though, unknowingly she was repeating everything she was saying, it was definitely a very meaningful conversation. I left the shabbaton with many great thoughts in my mind. Even though I was very sad that I had to go home I still managed to think good thoughts. I’m now aware of how great of a blessing it is to have disabilities. I can’t wait until the next Shabbaton!

   

L'ag Ba'omer in the Middle School

Students had an incredible day; playing sports such as basketball, football, soccer, hockey, dodge ball... learning Torah, chalking it up, eating lunch outside, singing in a kumsitz, and dancing in a chagigah!

 

Running From the Enemy: a Holocaust Survivor's Story by Sam Schloss- 7B English - Mrs. Sarah Blum

This morning, the 7th grade boys had the unique opportunity to read a poignant excerpt from Running From the Enemy: a Holocaust Survivor's Story by Sam Schloss, Eli's grandfather. The students worked diligently in pairs, doing a close reading of the text for understanding. Through discussion, we realized that many of the topics and themes in Mr. Schloss' writing are similar to the topics and themes in the story we read last week called "A Chicken for the Holidays" by Bernard Gotfryd. We noted that the concepts of pervasive fear, not knowing what would happen next, and the generosity of Righteous Gentiles appear in both stories. In addition, the environment in both stories set the tone: it was raining and cold and dark and gunshots are heard in both. The students expressed how fortunate we are to have these first hand accounts from the Holocaust and how it is our responsibility to continue sharing these stories so that "we never forget." It was very meaningful to be reading about our friend's grandfather's experience, and we thank Eli so much for sharing his family's story.

 

Annie Production this Thursday, May 22!!! - By Ayelet - 6G

We can’t wait! We are bringing Annie from Broadway to Yeshivat Noam on May 22nd. They began with this fabulous idea in February. All 8th grade girls are participating for this amazing show. “It was a fun and exciting experience” said by Molly . “The highlight of the show was ‘it’s a “Hard Knock Life’” said Alta . Everyone participated to create all dance routines. Furthermore, Annie will be played by Jordanna and Alex and Ms. Hannigan will be played by Leora and Sarah. The excitement is rising. Hope to see you there!

7th Grade Trip to Philadelphia!

7th Grade Trip To Philadelphia! - Video Maker

The 7th Grade went on a class trip to Philadelphia today. They participated in a Stray Boots scavenger hunt adventure in Old Philadelphia, went to the Franklin Institute and returned to dinner and open gym time! Everyone had a blast!

Yom Haatzmaut 2014 Highlights!

Dear Yeshivat Noam Family, One of the core values of our Mission Statement is a commitment to Israel. A deep love of Eretz Yisrael permeates our culture and curriculum throughout the year. Please enjoy this video of highlights from the amazing programming last week at Yeshivat Noam for Yom Haatzmaut.

Hydroponic Gardening in Sixth Grade Science- Ms. Aliza Chanales

As part of our introduction to life science, students were challenged to create a non-soil based, self-watering planter and to get something to grow in it by the end of the year.  With the help of soda bottles, apple juice containers, old t-shirts, cotton balls, and some hydroponic growing medium, students got to work, unleashing their inner gardener and carefully constructing, testing, and evaluating their designs..  They took seeds that had barely sprouted and...things are growing all around! Green beans, snow peas, basil, lettuce, and even some ambitious tomato plants have begun to sprout leaves and shoot up.  Students are eagerly checking on their plants and modifying their planter.  They are focusing on attracting the sunlight to the plant while not heating the water source too much.  As the plants grow, students are learning about germination, photosynthesis, respiration, and more.  They are also optimizing their engineering design. As they learn more, their designs are getting more sophisticated, and as they witness more plant growth, their learning is more meaningful.  Perhaps most fun, though, has been watching the students experience the pure joy and wonder of growing something from a seed to a (one day) fully grown plant. 

Hydro Planting - Video Maker

Alumni 10th Grade Girls' Sleepover in School Event!

The 10th grade girls joined Mrs. Troodler, Mrs. Sheinfeld, Mrs Wasserman, Mrs. Blum, and Ms. Chanales Motzei Shabbat for a fun evening of cheesecake cake-pop making, pizza, and pottery painting.  The girls then slept over in the middle school building and enjoyed their reunion and spending time together.  It was fun to get caught up and to reconnect with our incredible graduates!

Alumni Event - Video Maker

Who is most responsible for "Chet HaMeraglim?" The nesiim themselves? Bnei Yisrael? Moshe? Even Hashem?- Morah Shira Greenspan 7G

Who is most responsible for "Chet HaMeraglim?" The nesiim themselves? Bnei Yisrael? Moshe? Even Hashem?

7G1 engaged in a fierce trial prosecuting those who each lawyer (7G1 student) thought was most responsible for the sin and resulting consequence of the generation of the Midbar not inheriting the land. The presiding judges were the honorable Judge Tabak, the honorable Judge Katz and the honorable Judge Halpert. Our timekeepers were the diligent Leia, and timely Amira. Cases were made by applying supportive texts, integration of meaningful parshanut such as the ideas of Rashi, the Ramban, Rav Yaakov Meidan and Rav Elchanan Samet, and respectful and professional language. After two fierce rounds of debates, there was a two way tie between Noa Esq. (prosecuting the ten guilty Meraglim) and Chana Esq.(prosecuting Moshe Rabbeinu). 

While this time in our national history is difficult to learn about as the consequences had such dire ramifications, acknowledging and learning about our past mistakes empowers us to do what we can to ensure that we never repeat them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yom Ha'atzmaut in the Middle School

It was a packed day of celebrating Israel's independence as middle school students rotated through 6 different stations including: Krav Maga (Israeli martial arts), falafel making, soccer, writing letters to those who have supported Israel, Kochav Nolad (Israel's Got Talent), and The Ideal State (a discussion based project on the qualities of the ideal Jewish state). For many, though, a highlight of the day was the spontaneous circle of Tefilla that erupted as we sang out in unity the words of Hallel to begin the day.

Yom Hashoah In The Middle School - Morah Shira Greenspan and Rabbi Jeremy Hellman

On Monday, the 28th of Nissan, the Yeshivat Noam 5th-8th graders joined the rest of Am Yisrael in commemorating Yom Hashoa v'Hagevura, our national day of Holocaust remembrance. Our opening tekes, ceremony, focused on the theme of emunah baShoah, faith in the time of the Holocaust. Many eighth grade girls were instrumental in presenting the various pieces of the tekes. Rabbi Beer opened the tekes by shared a moving story about a community in Eastern Europe that used the limited resources they had to create a beit knesset in their quarters and encouraging us all to take to heart the feats of emunah exhibited in our darkest of times. We then watched a short video that shared the testimony of a Modtzitzer chassid who was able to salvage a niggun written for the famous statement of emunah "Ani maamin be'emunah sh'lema b'viat haMashiach..." This niggun was written on the train to Treblinka where, even in there last moments of life in this world, Jews composed and sang this special song (the video is available here- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giQxG9nhANY). 

The Middle School girls' choir sang Chana Senesh's song "Eli, Eli." Elisheva , Mollie , and Daniella  shared a chilling Echoes of Testimony which exemplified the many voices that the Nazis tried to silence; by sharing these testimonies, these voices live on. DJ  (Class of 2016), Akiva  (Class of 2016), and Ben  (Class of 2015) brought the inspiring story of Rav Yosef Kahaneman to life in their dramatic rendition of Yaakov Shwekey's song, "Shema Yisrael." The choir accompanied the song and acting with beautiful harmonies. It was then time for our annual candle lighting ceremony. To introduce this ceremony, rich with meaning, eighth graders Jordanna , Shalhevet , Leora  and Gabriella  read a meaningful poem that was shared with us by Tal  (Class of 2016): 

נרות שונים יש בעולם

נרות שבת,

נרות חנוכה,

נרות הבדלה

קלועים כמו חלה

ויש נרות לקישוט סתם. 

הרבה, הרבה נרות

בכל מיני צורות

ובכל מיני צבעים

כולם נרות שמחים.

אך יש עוד נר אחד בודד

לזכר בן אדם שמת

נר נשמה.

ויש שמדליקים נרות

בדומיה ובכבוד

ששה נרות בלי צבעים.

כולם נרות עצובים,

ששה נרות לזיכרון

להמון אדם המון.

ששה מליון.

Serena , Yael  and Alex  then joined their fellow eighth graders in lighting six neirot neshama in honor of the memory and legacy of the 6,000,000 precious neshamot that were killed in the Holocaust. The lighting of the final candle was introduced with the words, "We light this candle to rekindle Hashem's flame, to shine His light upon the world once again, to sanctify the memories of the millions of souls, to honor their praters and all their lost goals; We bless their existence by being alive, to light this candle as proof we survived." Rabbi Hagler concluded the ceremony by charging everyone in the room to take upon themselves the pressing responsibility of bearing witness to our precious remaining survivors, to take upon ourselves the role of sharing the lessons and truths of the Shoah. We are the living testimony of what happened. As a school, we declared in unison our commitment to teach the world the truth, the fight intolerance of any form, and pledged ourselves to the oneness of the Jewish people. Rabbi Hagler also shared the recent IDF twitter campaign where people from all over the world shared pictures of themselves with Holocaust survivors with the hashtag of #WeAreHere. In the Middle School gym, filled with over three hundred third and fourth generation survivors of this Antisemitism who learn Torah and daven every day within the walls of our school, it was clear more than ever that, yes, we are here. 

Later in the morning,  8th grade had a guest speaker, Jules Gutin, a Holocaust Educator. He spoke about what happened when Jews arrived at the camps and why they usually did not resist upon arrival or even upon leaving the ghetto to go to the camps. He also spoke about what happened in the different types of camps and what the differences were. Lastly he spoke about examples of the spiritual resistance that was shown through the striving to keep mitzvoth as shown by Rav Oshry and his shaaylot and teshuvot. 

Both at the end of the day for 6th and 7th grade and in the evening for parents, the 8th Grade presented their "Living Museum". For many people, focusing on the 6 million Jews who perished in the Holocaust is quite daunting and overwhelming. Therefore, the Yeshivat Noam Class of 2014 has created The Living Museum to honor those who lived through this dark period in Jewish History. For several weeks, students researched the lives of those individuals before, during, and after the war. They gathered enough material to create a detailed biographical sketch of these heroes. Using this historical information, and with the help of Rebecca Lopkin, an expert in theater education, students created their own museum displays to highlight the lives of these individuals. Our talmidim and talmidot found photos and artifacts that were relevant to those they researched. Additionally, the 8th graders worked on two creative pieces for their museum displays. The students wrote diaries, journals, letters, and postcards from the perspective of those they researched. Similarly, they created visual presentations such as paintings, sculptures, and abstract art to represent the stories of the kedoshim and survivors. As time passes and fewer individuals are around to tell their stories, it is incumbent on the next generation to tell those stories. We are proud of how our 8th grade has taken on this responsibility.

8th Grade Reads "Night" - Mrs. Samara Wasserman

While the eighth grade learns about the Holocaust in social studies,
the students also devote time in English to the reading of Night by
Elie Wiesel.  Through his story, the students gain a more personal
perspective that deepens their appreciation of the gravity of the
Holocaust, as the book highlights the reality of what it means to have
lost six million Jewish people.  While reading, each student creates a
double-entry journal in which they log and expound upon "golden lines"
from the book.  These lines refer to passages that demonstrate
Wiesel's moving descriptions or the touching portrayal of his
experience.  This process allows the eighth graders to interact with
the text closely and to enrich their reading of the memoir.

6 for 6 - 6 Exercises for 6 Weeks For a More Positive You! Mrs. Faigy Ort

The middle school students will be given the opportunity to try six different exercises and integrate them into their sefira experience.  The program is called 6 for 6 for u! which stands for 6 exercises for 6 weeks for a more positive you.

• The first week   begins with smiling with  intention to one individual.
• The second week will be giving a compliment to one individual.
• The third week will be saying "Thank you for _____"  something specific someone has done for the student.
• The fourth week will be writing a thank you note for something specific someone has done for you.
• The fifth week will be thinking of something you can thank Hashem for during modim.
• The sixth week will be writing in a gratitude journal daily.  Each student will have the opportunity to receive a raffle ticket for completing a task. 

To entice the students to participate the eighth graders will be giving out promotional items to get the students to complete the tasks. Additionally, there will be a weekly competitions and a grand prize raffle at the end of the program.

 

The students are encouraged to participate in all the activities and the beauty of the program is that its cumulative. For example, a student on week three gets the chance to  get three raffle tickets per day one for a smile, one for a compliment, and one for saying thank you for __. 

Words on a Page - by Maya in 7th Grade

Words on a Page by Maya:

It is told from the lips of survivors

The horror that the world is capable of with all its terrors

They engage us with their every word, their every message.

They explain their story and survival along with pain’s package

When the survivors are gone we will enter a new age

Where it will all be words printed on a page

They will ask “What is the difference between labor and death and what’s a ghetto?”

“Why in the picture are there numbers on the arm of that sad fellow?”

Their ignorance will be nothing but bliss

The miracle and suffering is what they will miss

How do we keep this information from being inside only books and their cage?

How do we keep words from just being on a page?

Set Cubed update! - Ms. Aliza Chanales

The 8th grade `Set Cubed Engineering Team is working extra hard to put their design plan into action before presenting it at the inter-school competition at the end of May.  After months of learning, thinking, and planning, they have taken out their tools and gone to work to transfer their design to a workable reality. Though we cannot reveal specific details at this time (we don't want our ideas stolen!), we are proud to say that with great intelligence, creativity, and collaboration, they have successfully completed building part one of their elaborate design. Can you figure out what it is?  Check back later for more design elements and to see the completed work decked out in the Noam Blue and Orange for competition!

 

Poetry Enrichment Group Studies Poetry Related to Shoah - Mrs. Sarah Blum

The lunchtime poetry club is reading and analyzing Primo Levi's poem entitled "Shema."  After discussing the T'fila of Shema, what it means, when we say it, when children are taught it, and how often Jewish martrys perish with this T'filah on their lips, we looked at the poem.  The narrator is addressing his readers and asking them to "Consider" individuals in the Shoah and what their lives were like at that time.  He ends with instructions: remember the Shoah and talk about it with your children "when you go to bed, when you rise."  These are words from Shema...  We discussed the importance of remembering, sharing with future generations, and helping others who are suffering.

7th Grade Shoah Literature Study - Mrs. Sarah Blum and Mrs. Ricki Kurtz

The 7th grade boys and girls are focusing on different forms of literature that chronicle the ghetto experience for Jews during the Holocaust.  We are beginning by analyzing and discussing the poem "The Butterfly" by Pavel Friedman, a young boy who was living in the Theresienstadt ghetto.  In the poem, he describes the moment he saw a beautiful, delicate yellow butterfly.  The butterfly flies away, "wanting to kiss the world goodbye" because he is appalled by what he is witnessing.

 

In our discussion, we noted how amazing it was that even during such a terrible time, Jewish children had opportunities to create art, both in words and in images.

 

We are then going to read the short story "A Chicken for the Holidays" which addresses a young boy's desire and then quest to bring home a chicken for Rosh Hashanah.  The author, Bernard Gotfryd, uses beautiful language and imagery to convey the atmosphere of fear in the ghetto, in the streets, and in the forests.  The story stresses the Emunah and commitment to Halacha that the family has, as in the end, they do not eat the chicken because it was not shechted according to Halacha.

H. O. P. E. by Daniel Rothner

The H.O.P.E. (Helping Organizations Provide Essentials) Jewish Teen Philanthropy program is now in its 5^th year at Yeshivat Noam and is facilitated by Areyvut.  H.O.P.E. is for a select group of 7^th graders and is the only such program implemented by a day school in the tri-state area.  The participants are part of a Teen Foundation and work as a Board, to develop a mission, learn about community needs and to ultimately determine where to allocate $2,000.

 

The H.O.P.E. participants have had two sessions so far.  In the first session, participants learned about mission statements, budgets and had a brief introduction to the world and language of philanthropy.  They used Values Clarification Cards to determine what type of social need they were interested in addressing.  After a lively conversation, they ultimately decided on addressing issues in Healthcare. In the second session, they learned about RFP’s or Requests for Proposals and developed a list of questions to submit to agencies.  They narrowed down a list of 11 possible healthcare related agencies to 4: Chai Lifeline, Project Sunshine, Sharsheret, and Shirat Devorah.  The participants are looking forward to receiving RFPs from these agencies and reviewing them in the next session.

 

We look forward to a successful and rewarding program.

 

Areyvut is a non-profit whose mission is to infuse the lives of Jewish