Governor Paterson (enter) with legeslative leaders Malcolm Smith and Sheldon Silver

After an intense and well-organized grassroots campaign spearheaded by TEACH NYS in coordination with the Sephardic Community Federation (SCF) and joined by Agudath Israel, the UJO of Williamsburg, the Orthodox Union and Yeshiva University, Governor Paterson and Democratic legislative leaders Malcolm Smith and Sheldon Silver have agreed to restore $30 million in funding to non-public schools through the Comprehensive Attendance Program (CAP) in this year’s budget.

CAP is a state mandated program for all schools. It is a security measure that requires that schools take attendance at the start of every period to ensure that students are attending their classes and not leaving the school during class time. While the governor proposed a 3.3% cut for public school funding in his proposed budget, he wanted to cut funding to yeshivahs by an astounding 44% primarily by eliminating CAP for private schools. Last year’s allocation for CAP funding was closer to $45 million. However, considering the difficult fiscal situation in Albany where the state faces a $16 billion budget shortfall, this 67% restoration in funding is a major victory for private schools and in particular for yeshivahs.

Deal Tennis Club welcomes the community back to Deal this summer and is very excited to present a new and improved, full-service tennis club that will meet all of your family’s needs. Under the direction of Colon Nunez, Turnberry Isle Resort Tennis Director, a comprehensive and dynamic tennis program has been designed for all ages and levels. Children’s programs at Deal Tennis Club are operated in affiliation with David Dweck, Director of Camp Allsport. Colon’s reputation is outstanding and unbeatable. From training top pros with smashing successes to teaching kids with innovative standards and fun tactics, Colon brings a standard of excellence to Deal Tennis Club.

For summer 2009 the club will be offering a variety of programs for men, women and children. We will also offer private instruction and tournaments.

Rabbi David Laine

The holiday of Shavuot marks the giving of the Torah by G-d to the entire Jewish people.  This occurred on Mount Sinai over 3,300 years ago. The imparting of the Torah and biblical commandments was more than just a historical date; it was a far-reaching spiritual event that touched the essence of all Jewish souls for all time. 

On Shavuot, the Jewish people agreed to adhere to the commandments of the Torah. Every year, Shavuot is the special time for us to strengthen our unique relationship with G-d.

The new $1.5 billion Yankee Stadium has been the premier building project to take place in the Bronx in more than 50 years. It has taken the hard work of a team of engineers, architects and construction professionals to design the most impressive and fan-friendly park in Major League Baseball. The New Yankee Stadium offers bigger seats with more leg room, 56 luxury suites and 410 party suites. The new stadium is truly impressive and Jewish baseball fans will be thrilled to know that delicious glatt kosher food from hot dogs and hamburgers to full hot buffets will now be available for their convenience.

Ouri’s Sports Kosher Catering has been chosen to be the exclusive provider of glatt kosher food for Yankee Stadium. Evidently his reputation of excellence in the glatt kosher field has become renowned. Ouri’s is the sole caterer at the new magnificient Ahava ve Ahva Congregation on Ocean Parkway and has provided his many satisified customers with elegant and exclusive parties of all types and sizes at other synagogues, hotels, restaurants and in private homes.

Shoah is the Hebrew word for whirlwind. It is the term used to described the conflagration that swept up six million Jewish souls between 1938 and 1945. A war was waged against the Jews in which unspeakable atrocities were perpetrated against a defenseless people. Men and women, young and old alike, were butchered at the hands of the accursed Nazis. Every year, on Yom HaShoah, we remember the martyrs who sanctified the name of G-d in the camps, the ghettos, and in the gas chambers.

A story is told of a unique Hanukah in Aushwitz, where a group of Jews desired greatly to have a candle lit on the upcoming holiday. Obviously, there was no way the Germans would allow this to happen, and candles were impossible to come by in the camp. However, this did not deter these Jews. They saved small portions of fatty butter every day until they had enough to make a small candle. On the eve of Hanukah, they gathered in secret, a group of emaciated bodies who had given up their sole sustenance, around one rabbi. The rabbi then made the three blessings that one recites on the candles the first night of Hanukah. After the blessings were made and the candle was lit, one of the assembled approached the rabbi and asked, “How could you make the third blessing? In the third blessing, we thank Hashem for bringing us to this day! How can we thank G-d for bringing us to this day while we are standing amidst horrors, death and torture! Aren’t the dead better off than those alive?”

For an American Jew, one of the real pleasures of living in Israel for an extended time is the opportunity to experience a society where the rhythms of the week and the year are Jewish. The first time you plan a trip around your Sukkot vacation, or rush to finish your Friday grocery shopping before the store closes for Shabbat, you sense how the rhythms of Jewish life, so challenging to maintain here, are simply taken for granted in Israel.

One of the most memorable periods in Israeli life is the two-day sequence of Yom Hazikaron, the nation’s Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers, and Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day. The power of these two days, and the transition between them, is extraordinary.

Rebecca Harary, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Assemblywoman Rhoda Jacob and Chancellor Joel Klein

Rebecca Harary, Vice President and a founder of Imagine Academy for Autism, was invited by New York State Assemblywoman Rhoda S. Jacobs to join her recently, as US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced details about the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, and how it will help NYC schools.

Based on its preliminary analysis, NYC estimates that it will receive approximately $950 million, including $525 million in State and Fiscal Stabilization Grants in each of the next two years. The schools are also entitled to receive over $300 million from an expansion of Title I funds for high-needs students and approximately $100 million from the expansion of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act funding and more than $25 million in education technology funds. The Mayor was confident that this aid would make a difficult budget situation tolerable for all schools.

Jeff Epstein, Alyssa Ezon, Fran Berley, Sarah Schneider, Daniel Levi, Andrew Gilson, Sian Goldofski, Tom Cohn, Seth Deneoff and Ike Newman

Back in September, a group of Hillel Yeshiva High School students met to discuss the 2009 New Jersey Mock Trial Competition case. The competition is open to all high schools in the state. The program gives students the opportunity to learn about New Jersey’s laws. It also allows students to participate in actual court room situations where they assume the roles of lawyers, witnesses, and members of the jury.

This year’s case involved a record company suing a high school student for stealing copyrighted songs off the Internet. The record company also accused the student of giving away these songs without compensating the company. Each participating school must present both sides of the case, including witnesses and jury members.

Six-year-old Chanie often seems to be in a daze, bumping into furniture and stumbling on grass, as if she doesn’t quite see where she’s going. Chanie also does not appear to hear ordinary sounds, disregarding oncoming noises that would cause anyone else her age to stop and listen. Moreover, she tends to act lethargic, taking a long time to carry out many basic movements and mostly avoiding participation in classroom activities. Yet paradoxically, she sometimes displays exuberant energy, volunteering to push the grocery cart and pull her older sister in a wagon. Chanie’s parents have no idea how to handle their daughter’s contradictory and often counterproductive behavior.

What brought an apparently random group of 40 high school seniors and college-age individuals together for a weekend? It wasn’t just the skiing and snowboarding, but the desire to take an active role in leading and bettering our community.

A leadership weekend, organized by Deal’s Young Magen David (YMD) in conjunction with the Center’s Leaders in Training (LIT) program, took place recently in the Poconos. Joey Mizrahi (better known as “Stick”) coordinated and ran the weekend with the help of Louis Jerome, Harry Tawil and Mariel Kassin. The weekend involved skiing, snowboarding, skeet shooting, snow tubing and just plain hanging out.

Two new teaching fellowships offered by the Institute for University-School Partnership at Yeshiva University’s Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration aim to increase the number of qualified Jewish educators by enabling recent graduates to combine their studies with placements in schools.

There is never a shortage of fun, creative and exciting events that capture the minds and hearts of the students at Gesher Yehuda. But perhaps the most anticipated month of the year is Adar, when the festivities surrounding Purim take the excitement to a whole new level. From Purim masquerades to school-wide contests to mishloach manot packages to song-filled presentations, every day of this special month gives the students of Gesher Yehuda the opportunity to express themselves in unique and creative ways.