The Yeshivah of Flatbush held its 2nd Annual Suzanne Blaine AH Dine and Discuss event at the Joel Braverman High School recently. The program inspires children and their parents to read a book together, that the school chose for them to read, talk about it and then join other families (over 200 parents and teenagers attended the event) for discussions over dinner and in small seminars.
The event was organized by PKRE (Parents and Kids Read for Enjoyment), a parent and faculty group headed by Maggie Betesh and Sarah Khdideh.
Mrs. Blaine AH, who passed away in December 2010, was the JBHS English Department Chairperson, a graduate and a beloved teacher since 1975. Students were always impressed by her passion, said Rabbi Ronald Levy, Principal at the High School.
The evening was her creation, and although she could not attend the first one last winter because of her illness, students and faculty were honored to attend the second annual dinner, in her memory. The evening was made possible thanks to its sponsors, Gladys and Richard Haddad, Elyse and Isaac Franco, Sheri and Jeffrey Gindi, Rochelle and Eli Dweck, Ami and Ralph Sasson, and The Prime Cut.
Also, many thanks go to English teacher Shifra Hanon, described as the mastermind of the evening. The evening was the most fitting testimonial to Mrs. Blaine. Her ultimate dream was to make reading a rewarding and enjoyable pastime. The enthusiasm was palpable, said Mrs. Hanon.
Everyone was given more than a month to read The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, the second in a trilogy, focusing on the main character Thomas, who tries to figure out why he woke up in an elevator, only remembering his first name.
Lenore Greenberg, who attended the evening with her daughter, Camille, and some of her daughters friends, said they had a great time reading the book together. Basically, Camille would keep asking me how many pages Id read each night, as if she were in some kind of competition with me, she said.
Some students said they were so enthralled with the book that they finished reading it way before their parents had a chance to.
Its important for kids to feel their parents are listening, said Mrs. Betesh, and it also gives them something in common to talk about. We need to keep the connection from parent to child as strong in high school as it was when they were younger, she added. The book we chose set the stage for some good dialogue.
Attendees listened to several short speeches during a delicious dinner of Syrian specialties including lahmajene, kibbeh, sembusak, and bazargan. An emotional speech was given by Mrs. Blaines daughter, Deena Seelenfreund, who described her mothers work ethic, strength and dedication to her students, With over 10,000 students in her lifetime, my mother touched the lives of all of her students with her ideas, thoughts, wisdom, influence and love. Mrs. Blaines husband, Rabbi Allen Blaine, was also in attendance.
After dinner, parents and children gathered into pre-planned seminars of about 15 people, where they were challenged by seminar leaders to really question their beliefs and assumptions about the book. Many had different interpretations for the symbolism in the book, which made group discussions all the more fascinating.
The evenings facilitators, Andrea Falack, Andrea Chattah, Sandy Azizo, Melissa Tbeile, Nina Dahan, Sylvia Levy and Sarah Chrem, worked hard to choose questions for the seminar that would inspire good conversationand it workedscores of kids lined up to purchase the next book in the trilogy, The Scorch Trials.
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Michelle Olveira is the public relations assistant at YOF. She also took the photos.
