The Death Of Klinghoffer
They are presented as freedom fighters attempting to further their cause, and not as the bloodthirsty murders they were.
Preparing Your Teens For Their Yeshiva Year In Israel
It can be a daunting process sending teens off for their first year of study in Eretz Yisroel. For most teens, this will be their first complete year away from the comfort of home and the guidance of their parents. As if that isn’t enough, they’ll be about a full day’s travel away from home.
More Extracurricular in the Curriculum
Imagine, sitting through nine classes each day, not understanding the material being taught, and failing many subjects. This would be a terrible school experience.
What is Calling Me?
When I was fourteen years old I understood that I might never return to Moscow and live at home with my parents. While I had lived the bulk of my life in Moscow, at the start of high school I was going to assimilate into the American system of education and the world of American teenageism. I was excited.
Around The World In Three Hundred Days: Reflections On A Year In Israel
As a person who grew up close to New York City, where everything is impressive and accessible, I never felt much of a need to go anywhere. In typical New York fashion, I considered local parks sufficient greenery, and never thought about traveling to places where the sky might be visible or that might have clean air. So it is not surprising that until last year the extent of my world travel consisted of several trips upstate, going to visit friends in New Jersey and Connecticut, and a couple of trips to Boston.
The Power of Human Interaction
Four stories, four sets of relationships, four life lessons. In one short week from January 15-22, 2012, my world was altered forever by the stories, relationships and life lessons experienced on the Center for Jewish Future mission to help build an irrigating tilapia farm for the small Mexican village of Muchucuxcah.
The Accident
I still don’t cross the street on the corner of West End Avenue. Just looking at that intersection causes a chill to run down my spine, and my thoughts suddenly wander back to November 22, 2011.
Up And Down The East Coast On Torah Tours
Some of the thoughts we generally associate with Shavuot relate to the tradition of learning Torah all night or the almost overwhelming amount of dairy food that is consumed over the course of the two-day holiday. It has become a routine, something we do every year as the weather starts turning warmer and our Sefirat HaOmer calendars come to an end.
An Upside Down World
When a child is trembling with fear,
When guns command him to raise his hands in the air
You know beyond a shadow of doubt
The World Has Gone Upside Down.
Say What?
It was September 25, 2006. Tammy, an oblivious, petite, third grader lay in bed, counting her stationary collection, when she decided she needed a drink. As she descended the staircase, she was surprised to see her mother dressed in this bubby-like gown.
Good Bye Steve Jobs.
“Your time on this earth is limited, don’t live someone else’s life, live by your vision.” – Steve Jobs, 1955 – 2011
The Adventures of Mollie
I was a bit surprised to see my sister Rini sitting in the rocking chair at the end of the kitchen, rocking peacefully back and forth. Rini, age eleven, generally prefers more intense activities, such as bike riding, ripsticking, and yelling.
Post THIS On Facebook: An NCSY Advisor opens up about how Social Media is...
My relationship with social media is and remains an ambivalent one. Unlike many of my peers, I did not initially embrace social media, from its beginning stages with AOL instant messenger and proceeding quickly on to MySpace and Facebook.
The Big Problem
Tommy's eyes were fixed on the screen for the fourth hour that day. He sat there immobile, staring at the people fighting on the TV show. Unsurprisingly, the next day the principal called Tommy's mom - Tommy had beaten up two boys in his class that day.
Tree Of Life
Girls don't usually learn Gemara. Everyone knows that.
The Fortress
These monsters constantly attack
When we dare to try to fight back
Victim Or Survivor?
Everyone, at least one time in his or her life, gets knocked down, and most of us have trouble getting back up. Let’s face it – we all get depressed at times. Sometimes we get stuck in a funk and we don’t know how to get out of it, especially if we’re constantly being knocked down. Eventually, we don’t even want to get up anymore. Why should we get back up, just to get knocked down again?
A Trip Through History
A week- seven days. That’s how long I spent in the dustbin of Jewish History that is Poland. I went there to learn about, and to see first hand, the country that housed the absolute horrors of the Holocaust, but I also went to see the places that had once housed such rich Jewish life. As such the trip focused, in my opinion, on three aspects of Jewish life in Poland: pre-war, the Holocaust years and then post-war.
Perspective: A Purim Poem
Her faith she had to hide,
To find out the king tried
But no answer would ever come from
His wife.
An Ode To Sandy
Living in a house
With more than 20 people
Is no fun
Especially when there is no gum
Being Jewish
Leah Katz, a TeenZone camper at Oorah’s TheZone summer camp and an 11th grader at Midwood High School, read her winning essay about how TheZone changed her views on Judaism at the Jewish Heritage Awards Ceremony held at Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes’s office in April. The purpose of the Jewish Heritage Essay Contest is to acquaint public school students with Jewish history and customs and to help foster a deeper understanding of Jewish culture. The contest is open to students of all ethnic and religious backgrounds. Leah’s essay is reproduced in full below.
While The Rabbi Slept
Every moment was a gift. I held each one, savoring.
True Friends, Traveling 700 Miles
From the gmail statuses and e-mail forwards I get, it seems like everyone has some idea of what true friendship is all about.
The Truth About Fat And Health
Let's not forget that we come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes.
“How Do You Like Your Eggs?”
One of my favorite movies to watch growing up was Runaway Bride with Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. On a whim, I decided to watch it this past weekend, taking a break from intensive LSAT studying. Julia Roberts plays a woman who works at her family's small-town hardware store. She has earned a notorious reputation for ditching her fiancée on her wedding day.
Dear SATs,
Dear SATs,
I’d rather not take you because once I do
my worth will be judged according to you-
As A Friend
Beads of sweat were forming on my hand as I held the warm phone and listened to the rings one by one. RING… I tried staying calm as I waiting for the answer. RING… I looked down at the phone. My finger makes its way to the red button on the right. Should I just press end? RING…
The Sirota Family and the 20th Century at the Japan Society
I am blessed to live in a tradition filled with many incredible people, but it is rare I actually have the chance to meet a hero.
Today I Met Bruce Meyers
Never sacrifice the people who matter for anything of lesser importance...
“Present and Past”
The following poem was written by Eden Malka, a student at the Yeshivah of Flatbush who will take part in the school’s Witness Theater in honor of Yom HaShoah.