Graphic by Serena Fialkoff ('27)

Good & Welfare:

Births

Saphira (Samuels ‘21) and Yehuda Fuchs on the birth of a baby girl, Yona Moriah

Emma (Harris ‘16) and Daniel Lasko (‘14) on the birth of a baby boy, Micah Reuben

Odelia (Citron ‘20) & Samuel Taieb on the birth of a baby boy, Lavi Nathan 

Andrew (‘19) and Michal Pearl on the birth of a baby boy, Eliezer

Eliana (Broide ‘21) and Elisha Alter on the birth of a baby boy, Calev

Avigayil (Broide ‘18) and Zach Folkman on the birth of a baby girl, Isabelle Sonya 

Leora (Kroll ‘17) and Isaac Goor on the birth of a baby girl, Nili Kinneret 

Jessica (Hopen ‘13) and Charles Bresler on the birth of a baby boy, Joseph Kalman 

Ronit (Wallerstein ‘11) and Sruly Goodman on the birth of a baby girl, Leora 

Sheri (Adler ‘02) and Yedidya Saiman on the birth of a baby boy, Yair 

Ben (‘16) and Malka Gurvitch on the birth of a baby boy

Aaron (‘17) and Elisheva Purow on the birth of a baby girl 

Ari (‘18) & Chana Raizel Cohen on the birth of a baby boy

Engagements

Yechiel Weisstuch (’23) to Eva Kaminetsky from Bergenfield, NJ (and Mazal Tov to Eva's Aunt & Uncle Beth & Shimmie Kaminetsky)


Pamela Gurvitch (‘18) to RJ Fischer from Englewood, NJ

Maia Purow (‘21) to Daniel Libesman from Philadelphia, PA

Zach Ben Ezra (‘18) to Emma Haynes from West Hempstead, NY

Pearl Katz (‘18) to Evan Froman from Englewood, NJ

Hunter Gately (‘21) to Max Kenigsberg from Hollywood, FL

Levi Stein (‘21) to Kira Wilbur from Potomac, MD

Nava Shekhter ('24) and Josh Haik ('24) - KYHS's 31st couple!!

Marriages

Brianna Shammah (‘23) and Zev Eisenberger (‘23) - KYHS’s 30th couple!!

Ava Amar ('24) and Eli Sausen ('24) - KYHS's 32nd couple!!

Dovid Lanner (‘21) to Tamar Axelrod from Woodmere, NY

Benny Frank (‘21) to Ellie Shron from Modi’in, Israel  

Jonah Rose (‘17) to Noa Oakner from Evanston, IL

Andrew Galitzer (‘20) to Ariela Sragowicz from Bal Harbour, Florida

Ariel Bugay (‘15) to Zehava Selig from Bet Shemesh, Israel

Dalia Baum (‘22) to Josh Farkas from Cedarhurst, NY

Sivan Mussafi (‘20) to Benjamin Givner from Miami, FL

Joseph Hostyk (‘13) to Claire Shower from Wayland, MA

Ziv Markovitz (‘19) to Ellie Kosowsky from New Rochelle, NY 

Liora Mayer (‘20) to Misgav Yosef of Sansana, Israel

Bar/Bat Mitzvah

Dr. David (‘02) & Dr. Nicole Berman of Houston, Texas on the Bar Mitzvah of their son Asher

Condolences to

Bracha Pitch on the passing of her beloved father, Malik Juravsky

Rhea Cohen on the passing of her beloved husband, Chaim Hans

Dr. Steven Borzak on the passing of his beloved father, Donald Borzak

Dr. Ira Berman on the passing of her beloved father, Arkady Chayka

Dr. Edna Tokayer on the passing of her beloved brother, Yoram

Faculty Mazel Tovs

Noah & Michal Zisquit on the Bat Mitzvah of their daughter, Yemimah

Rabbi Sugerman and Rebecca on on the engagement of their son

Sruli, to Shani Roz of Los Angeles, CA, and on the engagement of

their daughter, Shifra, to Hilly Goldstein of Cincinnati, OH

Rabbi Hochman and Rebecca on their daughter’s engagement

Shimmie & Beth on their new grandaughter to Chani (Kaminetsky ‘20) and Adam Frenkel, Avigayil Tova 

Upcoming Events:

Annual Selichot Program

Sept. 5 Motzei Shabbat

Labor Day

Sept. 7- No Classes

Erev Rosh Hashana

Friday Sept. 11- No classes

Tzom Gedaliah

Mon Sept. 14- Early dismissal 2:15 pm

Dvar Torah And Intro

By Rabbi Sprung

Another amazing year of KYHS – my first – has begun. The hallways are pulsing with energy, new friendships are being formed, and students are shining in their classrooms and in their studies. Wherever you go, you enter into a space humming with the ruach of friendship, community, and shared purpose. 

Just like it says in the beginning of our parshiyot, Nitzavim/Vayelech, students and staff stand together with a shared purpose: 

"אַתֶּ֨ם נִצָּבִ֤ים הַיּוֹם֙ כֻּלְּכֶ֔ם לִפְנֵ֖י ה׳ אֱלֹקיכֶ֑ם... לְעׇבְרְךָ֗ בִּבְרִ֛ית ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ וּבְאָלָת֑וֹ אֲשֶׁר֙ ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ כֹּרֵ֥ת עִמְּךָ֖ הַיּֽוֹם"

"You stand this day all of you before Hashem your God... that you may enter into the covenant of Hashem your God, and into his oath, which Hashem your God makes with you this day." (Deut. 29:9-11)

There are two very important things we learn from these pesukim. 

First, Jewish life is a shared, communal life. To be a Jew means to join and engage with our people, include everyone, and stand before Hashem as a unit. We commit ourselves to all of our peers, our parents, teachers, people who came before us, and those who will come after.

Second, coming together as a community and people is just the first step. We gather together, all of us. And why? To "enter into the covenant of Hashem." We become parties to the same brit together. 

This is the pattern and path of all Judaism. First, we join together. Then, we serve Hashem – not only as individuals but as a people. 

These two key Jewish ideas frame our KYHS community and the Highlites you will read throughout the coming year. First things first, everyone has a home here. Every student, parent, and member of staff is essential for our wellbeing, joy, and self understanding. When we come together, we are KYHS. 

Second, we all share a higher purpose: to serve Hashem together. Here in our hallways, classrooms, and batei midrash, teachers and students come together to grow in intellect, spirit, and character. We begin each day with high aspirations and conclude it with a sense of growing accomplishment. 

Baruch Hashem, it's great to be part of the KYHS family.

Welcome to another great year of reporting, writing, and community by KYHS students! 

Shabbat shalom,

Rabbi Sprung

Graphic by Talya Zaretsky ('27)

The first week back at school was filled with excitement and nervousness. After a long summer, students returned to campus ready to reconnect with friends, meet new teachers, and begin another year of learning and Torah growth. For returning students, back to school week was a chance to settle back into familiar routines while also adjusting to new classes and responsibilities. For freshmen, it marked the beginning of an entirely new experience. They had to learn their schedules, find their classrooms, meet classmates, and become familiar with the culture of Katz Yeshiva High School. 

This year introduced to us the LockedIn app, an app which restricts students’ access to their phones during the school day. The goal of the app is to reduce distractions and help students stay focused in class, but it has also been a major adjustment for many students. Phones have become such a normal part of everyday life that suddenly having limited access to them can feel frustrating or inconvenient. At the same time, the new policy encourages students to spend more time talking with each other in person and paying closer attention during class. Whether students love it or hate it, LockedIn has definitely become one of the most talked-about parts of back-to-school week.

Back-to-school week is also about more than academics. It gives students an opportunity to think about the goals they want to accomplish during the year, whether that means improving their grades, joining a club, participating in athletics, strengthening friendships, or becoming more involved in the school community. As the first week came to an end, the school began to feel normal again. With a new year ahead, students have the opportunity to challenge themselves, create new memories, and make the most of everything the school year has to offer.

Article By Rami Samuels ('28)

Hottest Takes

KYHS Students Support Controversial Topics

Graphic by Eitan Perl ('28)

Every year, students complain when summer ends and it’s time for school; however, we really need to stop being negative and accept that the school year is obviously better than summer. 

First of all, when you go to school, you get to see your teachers every single day! During the summer, you hang out with your friends all the time; but why would you hang out with people your own age when you can go to school and learn new things from your amazing teachers?! 

School is also great for indecisive students. During the summer, when you wake up, you have to decide what you will be doing for the rest of the day, which can become very stressful. At school, you don’t have to worry about the hard decision. You just follow your stress-free schedule that tells you exactly where to go every 45 minutes. Additionally, Sarah Leff (‘27) says that she loves “waking up three hours earlier than usual, only to go for an hour-long car ride!”

And who could forget one of school’s biggest perks: not being allowed to wear slippers! Instead of wearing shoes of your choice, at school, you get to wear your favorite uncomfortable sneakers that match your super cool KYHS I.D. tags.

School also gives you homework, which is another thing that summer lacks. In the summer, you can hang out with your friends and family, but what’s better than spending your nights doing assignments and studying after a long day?

On a real note, though, there really are many advantages of the school year. School gives us structure, productivity, and most importantly, a place to see our friends every single day. While summer is great, there is something special about coming back to school and having everyone together again. We might complain about school all year, but once we’re out of school, we realize how much we miss it. So, overall, school is obviously better than summer. 

Article by Annabelle Sokal ('27)



Highlites Staff