On Tuesday, February 10, HANC HS sophomores spent part of their day doing chesed at various organizations in the tristate area.
The sophomore boys partnered with Yad Leah in Passaic, New Jersey, to provide clothing for those in need in Israel. The students sorted, folded, packed, and labeled — while dancing and singing to musical accompaniment. They were amazed at the generosity of the Jewish community, as they observed the tens of thousands of articles of clothing waiting to be shipped to Israel.
The sophomore girls volunteered in two locations. One group volunteered at Masbia in Brooklyn, a nonprofit soup kitchen network and food pantry which provides hot nutritious meals for hundreds of New Yorkers. They organized and set up the facility for the week. The second group visited friends at the Ohel Day Hab Center in Brooklyn where students shared their time in conversation.
Students were excited about the meaningful hands-on chesed experience, which enriched their day.
Thank you to Rabbi Yakov Grun and Mrs. Nomi Zanjirian for organizing this day together with grade student senators Caity Davis, Ori Baer, and Dvora Finkel.
Tu B’Shevat Shuk at HANC
In honor of Tu B’Shevat, the Minyan Room in HANC’s Samuel and Elizabeth Bass Golding’s Elementary School in West Hempstead was transformed into Machane Yehuda by Morah Leah Friedler, Morah Bracha Sara Markowitz, and the sixth-grade girls. The room was divided into booths, and each booth displayed a different food that could be found in the shuk in Yerushalayim.
“It was a cooperative learning experience for the students,” remarked Morah Friedler. “The girls worked in groups and researched online how the actual booth would look and then designed their own booth, display posters, and costumes. They tried to make it as authentic as possible, using Hebrew words and phrases in their artwork as well.” With the generous sponsorship of the PTA, the sixth-grade girls “sold” fresh fruit, dried fruit, candy, ice cream, popcorn, burekas, rugelach, pickles, olives, and Prigat fruit drinks. Each child in the school received a “shukbitescard,” which displayed the different food items that were available for “purchase.” As Israeli music filled the room, each class visited the shuk and the students were encouraged to speak in Hebrew as they made their purchases.
“A new aspect of this year’s shuk was the ‘outdoor café,’” added Morah Markowitz. “When each class visited the shuk, they could take their food to the tables and enjoy tasting products from the shivat ha’minim in an outdoor’ café experience that replicated the ambiance of Yerushalayim.” It was a multisensory program that brought a genuine Israeli experience closer to home.
Many thanks to the PTA for their help and support for this exciting program. HANC commends Morah Friedler and Morah Markowitz, and the enthusiastic sixth-grade girls, for providing the entire school with a meaningful and delicious pre-Tu B’Shevat celebration. Additional thanks to Rabbi Michael Merrill, HANC’s assistant principal of Judaic Studies, and Morah Dafna Berman, HANC’s Hebrew Language coordinator, for all of their help to make this event such a delicious success.