This Week at Yavneh Academy

April 16, 2026 | 29 Nisan 5786 | תזריע מצורע

PARSHAT HASHAVUA

EARLY CHILDHOOD

In anticipation of Israel’s 78th birthday, the children in Ganon Bet have begun learning all about Israel! They created their own interpretations of the Israeli flag, as well as the Kotel. We are excited to celebrate Yom Haatzmaut next week!

In honor of the upcoming holiday of Yom Haatzmaut, the students in Gan Gimmel have been learning about Israel and what makes it such a special place for the Jewish people. After exploring some of the cities and landmarks in Israel, we discussed the cuisine found there. During choice time each day this week, the class prepared a variety of Israeli foods, including pita, chummus, Israeli salad, and borekas. We look forward to continuing our learning about Israel and celebrating Yom Haatzmaut next week!

LOWER SCHOOL

Fourth grade students viewed Yavneh Academy’s Torah scroll which was rescued from the Nazis from Vyskov, Czechoslovakia, and presented by the Class of 1985. The curtain for the Torah scroll showcase is only raised once a year, on Yom Hashoah. Yavneh faculty member Mr. Azi Steiner sat in front of the Torah and sang a very moving song, “Place Where I Belong.” The song tells the experiences and feelings of a Torah scroll in the first person, from its creation by a scribe in Kiev and regular use there in a shul, to its eventual resting place in an American museum.

Fourth grade classes came alive as we immersed ourselves in the rich and fascinating world of Native American history! We began by exploring the Lenni Lenape tribe, the original inhabitants of the land we now call New Jersey. For our culminating project, students collaborated in groups to research other tribes and created detailed artifacts that brought their knowledge to life. Many groups designed models of traditional homes, revealing how geography and environment shaped the way different tribes lived. Other groups showcased unique aspects of the tribe's culture, highlighting the incredible diversity of Native American communities.

This week, 5C has been actively preparing for their Navi mock trial, which will take place next week. At Yavneh Academy, Yiftach and his legal team have been summoned to appear in court. As a result of Yiftach’s choices and promises, he is being sued by his daughter for $1,000,000. Students have taken on the roles of prosecution, defense, and jury, and are working diligently to build their cases. Stay tuned for the outcome of the trial!

This week in 4th grade SEL, students focused on “flipping the script” when it comes to sportsmanship. Using real-life examples written by students in a previous lesson, we explored how to recognize poor sportsmanship, like hurtful or disrespectful comments, and turn those moments into kind and encouraging responses. Students worked with partners to transform negative situations into positive ones and shared their best examples with the class. They also reflected on why good sportsmanship matters both in school and beyond. We ended by thinking about simple ways we can all show kindness and encouragement every day!

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Our 6th graders began Yom HaShoah with Mrs. Rubin, engaging in a study of how the Holocaust unfolded. Together, they learned about Hitler’s rise to power, the loss of dignity experienced by the Jewish people, the establishment of ghettos and concentration camps, and the courageous actions of righteous gentiles including Oskar Schindler and Raoul Wallenberg.

A moving moment was watching a video featuring Gad Elbaz and three elderly gentlemen who were in the Holocaust Survivors Band. Through music and reflection, they revisited sites of devastation and terror in Germany while educating young German students about the past. Their journey ended in Brandenburg with music and the beautiful sound of the shofar.

The morning program concluded with the students singing Ani Maamin, standing in silence for the Yom HaShoah siren, and then joining their voices in Hatikvah—honoring memory, resilience, and the blessing of Israel.

7th and 8th grade students and faculty had the privilege of hearing Rabbi Isser Fisher share his story of survival during the Holocaust. Rabbi Fisher was only four years old when the war broke out in Vilna. For two years, he hid in a pit and witnessed the destruction of the Radun Kehila. His account can only be described as a story of miracle after miracle.

Rabbi Fisher began by honoring the kiddush Hashem of the six million Jews whose lives were brutally taken by the Nazis. He then shared his own story. He was a young child, deeply loved by his parents and sister. His father, a respected rabbi, was among those whose names were given to the Nazis. On the 17th of Tammuz, his father was taken from their home, never to return.

The Germans began rounding up Jews, forcing them into sealed trucks and turning exhaust pipes inward to gas those inside, methods that preceded the gas chambers. Rabbi Fisher vividly recalled sifrei Torah being removed from the shul and burned. On Shabbat Parshat Ki Tavo, the Nazis came to his home, the only Jewish home among thirteen in the neighborhood. His family was told they could take only what they could carry or wear.

Nearly 100,000 Jews were forced into the ghetto. Those with work certificates, such as shoemakers, ironworkers, and others were allowed to bring a spouse and two children. Everyone else received “certificates,” meaning they could be taken to their deaths at any moment. Order was enforced by Jewish policemen under Lithuanian control, who in turn answered to the Nazis.

And then, the miracles.

Rabbi Fisher described the malina, a hidden bunker built within the ghetto. When danger approached, a buzzer would sound, and families would quickly hide through a concealed opening, hidden behind furniture. It was during one such moment that Rabbi Fisher lost most pictures of his father. To this day, he has only one remaining photograph, his parents’ wedding picture.

Another miracle followed. A rumor spread that a German officer would accept bribes to smuggle Jews out of the ghetto. Though it was a terrifying risk, Rabbi Fisher’s mother gave away her husband’s gold watch. Once again, they were saved.

On a day marked for death, a woman approached his mother and urged her to take a jar of honey, promising it would bring salvation. Somehow, it did.

Rabbi Fisher, his mother, and sister then embarked on a harrowing journey, from Vilna to Lodz, through the Italian Alps, across rivers, and through Austria, even reaching Africa. Throughout their ordeal, their emunah sustained them.

Of the tens of thousands of Jews who once lived in Vilna, only 200 survived. Yavneh Academy was privileged to hear from one of them.

As we listened, we were reminded that these are not just stories of the past, but living legacies entrusted to us. Rabbi Fisher challenged us to carry forward the memory, the resilience, and the unwavering faith of those who endured. In a world where it is easy to take our freedoms for granted, we are called to live with greater gratitude, deeper commitment to our values, and a responsibility to ensure that these stories are never forgotten. Each of us now holds a small piece of that history, and it is up to us to honor it.

Representatives of the 7th grade class went to Valley Hospital on Wednesday to deliver the stuffed animals decorated by our 7th graders as part of the “Do Good Doggies” program. The “doggies” were creatively designed and decorated with inspiring messages and pictures to bring smiles to the faces of ill children as a culminating project in their Advisory unit “When Life Gives You Lemons - Coping With Adversity in Life.” The stuffed dogs were received by Katie Miller, Director of Volunteer Resources. She explained that the toys would be given out to patients to bring them cheer. They would also be given to children of adults who are ill and even given to children who are patients to give to their parents as a gift. The Yavneh students left Valley Hospital with the realization that they truly made a difference.