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Around the Community PHOTOS BY GABE SOLOMON
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he groundbreaking ceremony for Yeshiva Har Torah’s second campus, which will house the school’s Early Learning Center, grade N-2, took place on Thursday, May 19. Yeshiva Har Torah is a private, Orthodox Jewish elementary school for boys and girls in Queens, New York. The new campus will be constructed on the grounds purchased in 2020 from the Temple Torah congregation. The Early Learning Center will be state-of-theart and purpose-built for the school’s youngest students. It will include a 1.75acre campus and building complete with 15 custom-built classrooms, indoor and outdoor play areas, library, sensory gym, makerspace, unique teaching kitchen, and much more. The new facility, designed by Combined Resources, led by Salvatore Ferrara, is expected to open in September
2023. The Temple Torah congregation will continue on as tenants under its existing leadership. “This new campus will not only allow more students to experience YHT’s welcoming halls, inviting atmosphere, and inspiring energy. It will also ensure that every student in the school continues to have access to spaces and resources that support the highest quality, 21st-century general studies and Jewish studies program,” said Rabbi Gary Menchel, Rosh HaYeshiva/Head of School of YHT since 1995.
Before the pandemic, a visionary group of 45 families kicked off the campaign and pledged over $2M for the school expansion. Fundraising efforts were restarted in 2021, and YHT recently surpassed $6M in fundraising, with more needed. More than 120 families, parents, grandparents, alumni parents, and friends of the school have since joined the Capital Campaign. The campus will fill a need. Demand for a YHT education has outgrown the capacity of the school’s current campus, built in 2005 and expanded in 2012. Con-
struction of the new campus will allow YHT to repurpose space in its current facility to increase educational offerings for older students as well. The groundbreaking ceremony included a Lego show, student performances, Lag B’Omer celebration with smores, and more! YHT’s community currently serves more than 420 Jewish families from a variety of backgrounds from across Queens and Long Island.
Shulamith Tribute Dinner, Wednesday, June 1 Expressing Our Hakarat Hatov for Mrs. Yarmak
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he embodiment of a lifelong learner, Mrs. Yarmak completes a career in education that began almost five decades ago. Known for using both formal and informal learning strategies, Mrs. Yarmak believed in continuous development and growth in perfecting her craft. A staunch proponent of strong education for girls who would be future mothers, community leaders, and professionals, Mrs. Yarmak focused her career on ensuring that her students received the love and education to which she believed they were entitled. Though Mrs. Yarmak’s original plan did not include education, Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, had a different idea. In 1972, Mrs. Yarmak’s first students were introduced to a teacher that would stay with them always. Teaching a full day at HiRoc in Monsey, both kodesh and
chol, Mrs. Yarmak learned the challenges and rewards of teaching. Though Mrs. Yarmak may not remember every lesson plan she wrote, she remembers every student she taught; more than that, she remembers what made each of her students special and unique. With an ever-present welcoming smile, boundless patience, and an acute awareness of the needs of both faculty and students, it is no surprise that after only five years of teaching, Mrs. Yarmak was then offered the position of Assistant Principal of both Limudei Kodesh and Limudei Chol in Shulamith Brooklyn. During this time, Mrs. Yarmak worked to create and maintain a culture of support and positivity with the entire school community – grandparents, parents, students, faculty, board members, and other administrators. Though no longer in the
classroom, Mrs. Yarmak never conceded her steadfast belief that Hashem had a plan for each child and that each student had a special role to fill and it was the school’s job to ensure that students were equipped to find their unique purpose. In 2000, Mrs. Yarmak was chosen to lead the new Shulamith of Long Island, which began with 54 pioneer students. Mrs. Yarmak approached the challenge with gusto and excitement and took it on as a bracha. Her infectious optimism and treatment of every student as if they were her own helped make the school a tremendous success, growing exponentially to its current population of over 700 students! She brought the school from a tiny building on Irving Place to its current beautiful location on Cedarhurst Avenue, fulfilling the parents’ and her dream for the school. Working to make sure that
there were never any cracks in Shulamith through which students may fall, all Shulamith students felt the love and appreciation under Mrs. Yarmak’s care. Mrs. Yarmak’s contribution to Shulamith is a memory that will never dim, as her vision continues to guide Shulamith School for Girls. Please join us on Wednesday, June 1 as we pay tribute to our founding principal, Mrs. Joyce Yarmak, by going to www.shulamithdinner.org or calling 516-564-1500, ext. 613 to place your ad and make reservations.
MAY 26, 2022 | The Jewish Home
Yeshiva Har Torah Breaks Ground on New Early Learning Center
