Exciting times, looking ahead to winter

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As the temperature begins to drop, excitement and spirits remain high at Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns Academy High School! During the first full month of classes following the Sukkot break, students celebrated many wins by a variety of teams; the Torah Bowl team, chess team and debate team all excelled in their competitions this month.

The varsity boys’ basketball team, led by coaches Joey Hoenig and Steve Kuritsky, traveled to Memphis and competed in a series of games against 16 other yeshivot from around the country and Canada. The team started off strong, defeating the 10th ranked Scheck Lions by a score of 51-40. While the Hawks lost in the next round to eventual tournament champions, Valley Torah of California, the boys enjoyed a great Shabbat and weekend in Tennessee while playing basketball, meeting new friends, and bonding as a team.

Together, the junior girls commemorated the anniversary of an important female figure in Jewish history, Rachel Imeinu. Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen, Judaic Studies principal of HAFTR High, spoke to the girls about Imeinu’s legacy and how her soul and spirit can be a merit for them when they do specific good deeds in her honor. They made blessings on food such as jelly beans, Hershey kisses, grape juice, and a delicious cake.

Some students had the opportunity to participate in the annual Jewish Unity Mentoring Program, hosted by the National Council of Synagogue Youth, known as NCSY JUMP. On the first day of the conference, students had the pleasure of meeting Rabbi Benzion Klatzko, an inspirational figure who created Shabbat.com, a website that allows Jewish people from around the world to find a place to spend their Shabbat while traveling. The next day, students met with a panel consisting of three rabbis who helped give their own perspective on modern Jewish questions, allowing the students to get a unique answer from each individual member. The program is aimed at showing young adults the kind of global issues they’ll face as Jews and how these leaders have helped shaped our community.

On Veterans’ Day, HAFTR High School had the chance to hear from former New York Jets fullback, Tony Richardson, about how his father and sister’s service in the army impacted his life. The former NFL player talked about his upbringing and what it was like moving from country to country, all while trying to maintain a social life and good grades in school. His ultimate lesson to the students, which his father had taught him, was to always put education first and approach everything with discipline and determination.

This past weekend, the girls of HAFTR High traveled to a hotel in Connecticut and spent a Shabbat with their fellow classmates and teachers at this year’s Shabbaton. The trip proved to be a success, and the girls enjoyed all of the meals, games and fun surprises that the school had planned for them. Overall, it’s been a wonderful and exciting month here at HAFTR, and we are looking forward to what’s to come this winter!