Shabbat Candles

4:38pm

Havdala

5:46pm

Parashat

Marking Kfir Bibas’ First Birthday With Heavy Hearts

Kfir Bibas, the youngest hostage in Gaza, would have celebrated his first birthday on Thursday, January 18 – and NSHA students were committed to honoring his beautiful life while praying for his safe and immediate return.

Students gathered for a bracha party to recite blessings in his honor while noshing on orange-themed snacks and decorating birthday cards, which will be sent to his family and given to him when he returns home to their loving arms. At the end of the day, the entire school came together to release orange balloons during a breathtaking, poignant ceremony.

Our hearts are heavy knowing the families of captives wake up each morning without any news of their loved ones, and we areproud of our students for their tireless efforts to support them.

A Day of Chesed and Learning in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

What does it mean to live by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and message – and how does it relate to tikkun olam? For students at NSHA, learning about this important topic goes hand in hand with helping others – from people right here in our community, to those fighting for Israel.

In the days leading up to MLK Day, students and faculty collected toiletries, personal items, snacks, and more to be donated to local organizations – including CommonPoint Queens, Bethany House, and INN Long Island. Students, faculty and families also donated pocket change to our Change for Goods coin drive to benefit Leket, Israel’s national food bank. The collection was in memory of David Schwartz z"l, an IDF soldier recently killed in Gaza and the son of Leket Israel founder Joseph Gitler.

When our early childhood, elementary, and middle school students returned on January 16, they continued to honor Dr. King’s legacy with our fourth annual Day of Learning and Chesed. Sixth- through eighth-grade students organized donated food items and created cards to include in the packages, while fifth graders paired with their kindergarten buddies packed and sealed individual bags. Students in grades Pre-K-4 packed toiletry and personal items for families in need.

In the classroom, faculty brought Dr. King’s message to life with readings about his life and values, discussions on the civil rights movement’s lasting impact on our country, and reflections on how Judaism shares these Torah based values.

Thank you to our students, faculty, and families who donated their time and support to these amazing causes, and for creating a beautiful community of tikkun olam!

Learning Respect and Team Building in Honor of MLK

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, NSHA welcomed back Mr. Michael Dube to lead students in a variety of fun exercises focused on respect, leadership, self-confidence, teamwork, and self-expression.

Mr. Dube, a motivational speaker and the founder of Elite Method, guided students to use teamwork to complete a variety of tasks, including a timed puzzle, an obstacle course where one student wore a blindfold, and a group art project in solidarity with Israel. Students also participated in discussions about staying strong in their Judaism amid rising antisemitism.

Through these fun challenges and important conversations, students learned how to acknowledge each other’s differences, treat each other with respect, and work together. Thank you to Mr. Dube for leading this meaningful day!

What Makes a Gadol?

How might the qualities and teachings of important rabbinic leaders like Rambam, Rashi, and Vilna Gaon inspire us to give back to our communities? In Rabbi Yoav Arjhang’s sixth-grade Mishnah class, students explored the lives and impact of historical rabbis – spanning from the time of the Gemara to the present day.

Each student selected a rabbi to research, and dug into their fascinating lives – from their upbringings and educations, to the major historical and theological events that made them respected thought leaders. Through engaging PowerPoint presentations, students shared their findings, along with the significance of their rabbi’s teachings, writings, and deeds on Jewish life and values.

This opened up wonderful classroom discussions around what makes someone a leader and a mensch – honoring the legacy these gedolim have left to the Jewish community for hundreds of years.

Winter Professional Day Brings Opportunity for Faculty to Collaborate and Learn

NSHA faculty members are always exploring new ways to engage students with varying learning styles. During an incredibly successful Winter Professional Day, elementary and middle school staff dove into new teaching and testing strategies to incorporate into upcoming lessons.

Lower elementary school faculty spent the morning discussing testing methods and creating alternative assessments to use during upcoming math units. Meanwhile, fourth- through eighth-grade teachers heard from special guest Ms. Danielle Morris, Assistant Head of Teaching and Learning at The Shefa School, about effective ways to teach notetaking and study habits.

Later, Ms. Morris led our first-grade through fifth-grade faculty in a session on evidence-based reading comprehension strategies, while middle school teachers met with their grade level and subject matter colleagues to collaborate on upcoming curricula.

Thank you to Ms. Morris for sharing her expertise, and to our faculty for their commitment to improving their craft. We look forward to seeing how these innovative new ideas evolve in the classroom!

Special Announcement: Your JOMO Vacation Checklist

Dear NSHA Families:

As we break for Yeshiva Week, a break that we all very much need in order to recharge for the coming school weeks ahead. Vacations are necessary for our own mental and physical well-being, and offer us a chance to connect with our families in ways that we are unable to during school time.

At the same time, we cannot forget that many of our fellow Jews are still suffering greatly, whether directly or by extension, due to the ongoing war in Eretz Yisrael. We should all be extremely mindful of how we discuss and share our vacations. Whether through social media or conversation, we should all think of how our relatives or friends whose children are on the front lines of the war might view those posts or hear those discussions.

We can carve out meaningful moments, whether by doing small chesed projects as a family, encouraging our kids to learn Torah or read for the sake of learning or reading, or just by appreciating the time that we have together in a way that is fully present. This vacation is therefore a real opportunity to help steer our children away from the temptations of posting and remind them of the power of being fully present in the moments when we have time to enjoy being with our families and friends.

Peri Santodonato, our Elementary School Director of Programming, came up with the attached list, which may inspire you and your families.

May we all enjoy a happy and healthy well-deserved break,

Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey Kobrin

Rabbi Adam Acobas

Dr. Sharon Applebaum

Rabbi Yoav Arjhang

Rabbi Simon Basalely

Ms. Loren Borgese

Mrs. Lisa Guggenheimer

Mrs. Elana Helfgott

Rabbi Avi Miller

Mr. Ira Miller