One hundred and sixty students, parents, lay leaders, and staff members proudly marched in the Israel Day parade on Fifth Avenue, showing their support for Israel with flair and creativity. Mercaz Academy students–trained by Sharon Stochel and directed by Debra Gold, Mercaz Academy’s Director of Admissions–danced along the parade route, waving blue and white pompons as they led the Mercaz contingent up the Avenue. Marchers carried a beautiful banner designed and painted by Mercaz art teacher Mrs. Liz Danziger, who also designed the bright orange t-shirts that read, “One people, one heart.” 

The Mercaz Academy marchers shared their love for Israel with enthusiastic crowds as they do every year, but were particularly eager to show public support for their homeland during these troubling times. The New York Police Department kept the parade safe for marchers and onlookers alike, and the Mercaz contingent made sure to thank the members of New York’s Finest on the parade route.  

No matter the circumstances, Mercaz Academy will always join the United States in standing with Israel. We look forward to next year’s parade, which we hope will take place at a time of lasting peace in Israel.

Mercaz students exercised their brain power through a series of “Escape the Room” puzzles on Yom Yerushalayim. The adventure, designed by the sixth graders, began with Rabbi Rubel explaining that he would be guiding everyone on a trip to Yerushalayim–but that there had been a complication with the tickets. Each class was then escorted to New York City, sometimes known as Room 210, to look for clues that would reveal the numerical code that would get them their plane tickets. Students searched through stations solving puzzles and finding clues, with each clue revealing a new fact about Jewish history in New York. When the code was cracked and the tickets distributed, each class “flew” to Israel and landed in Tel Aviv (which, in some lights, appeared to be Room 211) where they used their knowledge about the prophet Yonah, who sailed from Yafo (now Tel Aviv), to discover historical facts about the city and tour famous local landmarks–the beach, a hotel, and the Shuk HaCarmel, among others–for clues to obtain the materials they needed to reach Jerusalem.

Having deduced what they needed and with supplies in their hands (a siddur, a cell phone, and a bikkurim offering), each class reached Yerushalayim in the front lobby, only to find a series of pictures of events in Jewish history to reshuffle into the correct timeline. A code based on the dates of these events allowed them entrance to the Kotel to search the notes listing historical facts about the wall for the code to let them into the Beit Hamikdash, sometimes known as the cafeteria. Students entered the Beit Hamikdash, and the trip to Yerushalayim concluded with joyous singing and dancing.

The fifth grade recently finished up their study of the U.S. Constitution with an examination of the judicial branch of government. To better understand the participants and their roles in a court case, the fifth grade conducted two mock trials.

In the first trial, a pet rabbit named Bun Bun was abducted. The students took their roles very seriously, and came prepared with evidence, witnesses, and the occasional shocking twist (“How could you see the bunny in the bag if there were no holes?”). The second trial involved a bank robbery. In both cases, the jury thoughtfully considered the evidence and the judge presided over all, only occasionally relying on her gavel to restore order. 

In addition to learning about the significance of the judicial branch and the process of a trial, the students were taught about presenting evidence to support their cases, questioning witnesses to elicit testimonial evidence, and strategies to convince the jury, as well as other skills.

The exercise reinforced all the legal terminology and courtroom procedures that the fifth graders had studied, and gave them a new appreciation of the complex nature of the legal system (“How can a lawyer defend someone who is guilty?”). These mock trials developed their critical thinking and public speaking, and brought their new knowledge to life in a very enjoyable way.